What to do you for a cat with a cold?

[supernova]

Sid is "coughing" and breathing heavily like he's congested. Definitely not a hairball cough.

He seems to be eating and drinking ok and using the potty.

I've never had a cat with a cold before. Any suggestions? I can't afford the vet right now.

edit: Just a few minutes ago:

[charlie and algernon]

1. with coughing, you'll want to have the vet look at the cat

I took my cat in when she was just sneezing an awful lot and there was nothing the vet could do. All they said was to put her in the bathroom when I take a shower and let her breath in the steam. BUT, the vet said that if the cat started coughing, then to let them know so they could prescribe antibiotics.

[HopeHoops]

2. Afford it or not, that's where the cat needs to go.

That sounds like bronchitis and antibiotics may be required. If he doesn't have a high fever, it is probably bacterial rather than viral. There's nothing you can do about viral bronchitis other than let it run its course, but bacterial infections should clear up in a couple of days with medication.

[Sanity Claws]

3. Could be an allergy

My cat got very congested when I brought flowers in the apartment. It took a while for me to make the connection.

If it were my cat, I'd look to see if there were any changes in the environment that could set off an allergic reaction. If yes, remove it and see if the cat improves.

If no, I'd still give it another day or two before taking him to the vet. Of course, if he got worse, I'd take him to the vet right away.

BTW, I love orange kitties.

[hippywife]

4. Sid is such a cutie pie.

Lena says, "Get better soon, Sid."


(Old pic of her but it's my favorite.)

[distantearlywarning]

5. Some of the colds cats get are a form of feline herpes

I was told by a cat vet that adding lysine to their diet for a few days helps keep the feline herpes virus at bay. Look it up online for the dosage.,.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. Excellent advice. My vet said to give it to all my cats...just in case.

Especially since they have all been street rescues.
Sometimes it develops later and the lysine will keep it under control.

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. Hope kitty feels better and is ok. Is he up on his shots? (I lost

a kitteh years ago to Feline Leukemia, and I recall that he coughed a lot. But he of course had a lot of other debilitating symptoms whereas ad Sid just sounds congested.)

Good luck to you and Sid! :pals:

[Skittles]

7. if you have a regular vet they'll sometimes work with you on the cost

that's been my experience

hey, that looks like one big orange cat

[applegrove]

8. Curl up with the little guy on the bed and keep him/her company.

[wickerwoman]

9. All I can say for the congestion is

make sure he stays hydrated so its easy for him to cough up the gunk. When my cats have colds, I sometimes get an eye-dropper or a plastic syringe and give them extra water (since cats have a poor sense of thirst and often don't drink enough on their own.)

And I would second getting a humidifier or putting him in a steamy room to help break up the phlegm and make it easier to breathe. We fill up the bathtub with the hottest possible water (closing the bathtub door so the cat can't jump in) and then leave the cat in the bathroom for a few hours.

It won't cure the cold, but it will make him a lot more comfortable.

[grasswire]

10. two thoughts

1. my cat nearly died of a pleural edema two years ago -- the main symptom was the noise of his breathing and his fatigue. Be careful.

2. I have used tincture of echinacea to help a cat over a cold. Get a little bottle of the pediatric stuff at the local health foods store for a few bucks. Drip a few drops on a treat twice a day. It seemed to help.

[barb162]

11. I think he needs to see the vet for coughing. Ask the vet if you can work

out a reduced price and don't be embarrassed about it.


What a beautiful doll!

[Flaxbee]

13. coughs are going around... my big guy had one earlier this spring

... and the only thing that got rid of it was a shot of steroids (reduce the inflammation) and antibiotics. Wasn't anything awful, or contagious (I have 5 other cats and none of them got it) but after waiting a week or so to see if it was a hairball, I had to take him in.

Can you see what your vet would charge? Would he or she work with you?