Why are there very few medicines to alleviate the symptoms of upper respiratory infections (URIs) in cats? I can’t find any with which we are familiar. The advice is to wipe the eyes with most cotton balls as often as required, and keep your cat hydrated and warm. Is there much else we can do? Yes, we can use a steam vaporizer to alleviate breathing problems but I don’t know how effective that is. We put our cat in the bathroom when we shower but that might upset him.
Cat URIs can be nasty and cause a lot of discomfort. Wouldn’t it be nice to make our cat feel a bit better? When people get colds we head for the medicine cabinet and pain killers, drying up medicines to stop the flow of water from our nose and eyes, medicines to alleviate sinus pain. There are a myriad of medicines to make us feel a bit better while our body attacks the virus and returns us to good health again.
It is possible to give pain killing pills to cats but it has to be done under veterinary supervision and with extreme care. I sense it is too dangerous to administer pain killers over quite a long period which you’ll have to do for a cat with a nasty URI. The only over-the-counter analgesic that a cat owner can buy and administer themselves is aspirin but the dosage is vitally important to avoid hurting a cat and it can only administered every three days as I understand it.
People can buy over-the-counter medicines for colds for their own use. Why can’t we do the same thing for cats? Is it only because the cat is sensitive to medicines or is it at least partly because the drug companies work with veterinarians to encourage cat owners to take their cat to the vet?
There is one “medicine” that might help alleviate the symptoms of a cat cold: L-lysine. It is an amino acid which reduces the amount of arginine in the cat. Arginine is used by the feline herpes virus to replicate.
I have just noticed that swollen nasal membranes can be shrunk using (in the US) Afrin Children’s Strength Nose Drops.
There are homeopathic medicines which may do something but I don’t believe they are much good which is why I have not included them as a viable solution.
The reason why I wrote this is because my cat is very ill and it is possibly a viral infection and I’d like to make him feel better. We are going to the vet for the fourth time this afternoon.
Thank you I’m glad to be back home, it was hot in the car and the vet stuck needles in me but I’ve managed to eat some chicken now so the mammies are pleased.
How is Charlie?
Jozef was very good, he has no temperature and is in good condition, but he has a sore throat so had antibiotic/steroid injections. We chatted about his allergy, when he washes sometimes he sneezes and coughs as if he’s allergic to his own fur. Like all vets she had no solution but agreed keeping a cat on steroids long term isn’t a good idea. We can just keep on hoping it goes as quickly as it came.
Those nasty, nasty URI’s that can spread like wildfire through a multicat household are the worst.
L-lysine has been a very good friend to me and, truly, helps, especially when the condition appears to be herpes related. The key is that it must be given religiously, not a now-and-then sort of thing. It can be discontinued at times of remission, but that doesn’t apply to multi-cats, because all don’t have remissions at the same time.
It has no negative effect on cats, so there is no worry about sprinkling on food shared by other cats that aren’t affected. It’s easiest to give to all than to isolate and give to some.
May Charlie be fine and healthy, I pray for him 🙁
I hope all goes well with Charlie and Jo.
Any virus, including URI’S, can be very nasty and stubborn.
I hope your visit to the vet goes well Michael and she helps poor Charlie to feel better.
We have an appointment too for Jozef, it seems to be the same virus Walter had first a few months back, wanting to eat but can’t and his meow has gone quiet and I can see his throat is a bit red.
Sarah put Walter right with a long acting antibiotic and steroid but we saw a different vet with Jozef and he only gave him the steroid, which is why I think is why he has it again.
So we are seeing Sarah today with Jo.
I don’t know who is more stressed on trips to the vets, the cats or us, I dread it!