We are due to go away soon for our Hols.
Our 2 young British are to go into the cattery and the older one Yazmin is to stay at home and my neighbour will look after her.

On the 26th August I took her to the vet for a check over.
He told me that she is a bit chesty and needed a antibiotic injection.
Yazmin has for the last 12 years suffered with respiratory problems eversince she had the 3 in 1 vaccine. Hence we do not vaccinate her anymore.

The injection he gave her consisted of convenia, vitamin B12, and Dexafort.
He told me this was a long acting antibiotic and she would be ok.
The vet told me if she got ill with a cold in the winter it might kill her
Within a day she was not so snuffly and her eyes were not running.
I was very pleased.
Only
Yesterday she has now started with a cold and is sneezing quite a lot.

I am not sure what to do for the best.
I know i need to take her back to the vet but wondered if anyone on here has had the same with their cat.

If anybody on here can give us any advice we would be truely grateful x

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So sorry she seems to be coming down with a cold. The only experience I have is with my moggy Presto - he was very poorly as a kitten and we were told he wouldn't make any more than 6 and any cold could carry him off. New vet a couple of years later was astonished when I told him what the previous vet had said and that he would like to a ripe old age god willing. SO there is hope that the vets can be wrong and defeat the odds - same with Minnii and her HCM - she's outlived two deadlines now and still going strong.

I wonder whether they just prepare you for the worst anyway.

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Yes, you must take her to the vet again as soon as you can. It's true she has reached an age any cat would like to get to, but you must persevere and hope for the best. Don't act sad or concerned in her presence, she can feel it and it's not in her favour. Try to play with her more, just as much as she can.

No, we have no such experience, but I've heard of worse cases and they are ok.

We are keeping our fingers crossed for her and you.

Jill-Sorry to hear about Yasmin. Was she sneezing like this before the injection?

I'm wondering if the vets ever discovered which virus is actually causing the ongoing respiratory problem? If it were herpes I'd suggest giving her L-lysine. In fact I would try it regardless.

If her chestiness has improved then it sounds as a secondary bacterial infection has cleared up with the convenia but the viral aspect still remains. How is her chest now?

Thanks Ianthi for your advice.
No Yazmin was not sneezing and there were no signs of a cold. I just thought as we were going away I would get her checked over for peace of mind.
She as always had the chest problem and nothing seems to help. I would say it comes and goes and doesn't seem to bother her.
After they gave her the injection a few days ago it was a lot better. She always has runny eyes and they were ok but now sadly she is full of cold and is sneezing. I can tell that her nose is either blocked or it's iritating her.
She is eating fine and she sleeps most of the time due to age.
She only ever goes out in the garden when it is warm and sunny, so it's not like she has been out in the open for long.
I will get some L-lysine but i have never heard of it. What is it?

Tomorrow I will be taking her back to the vet.

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Jill-I'd certainly ask the vets tomorrow what's causing these recurrent respiratory problems. I'd also request a nasal swab ( painless ) which can isolate which virus is responsible. Also the chestiness. Is she a persian?

L-lysine is an amimo acid and is excellent in treating herpes cases. It stops the virus replicating. You can buy it in health food shops. I'd discuss with vet tomorrow. A lot of vet prescribe it in cases like this.

Good luck with the visit.

If the cold she's suffering from causes her respiratory problem to become a lot worse, the first thing I would think of is a course of steroids.

I have no experience of cats and steroids, but the logic behind it is that asthmatic humans and cats are sometimes given steroids, and elderly humans are often given steroids for a wide range of respiratory problems, so in theory the same thing would work for cats. It might be something worth mentioning to your vet to see if it's an option?

Steroids obviously wouldn't solve the problem in the long term. It would just be a way of helping her to breathe in the short term until the cold has run its course.

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Eva (born 2010, adopted us August 2011)

Thanks Ianthi. That is a good idea with the nasal swab.
Yazmin is a British cream but her nose is very small and the bridge of her nose is quite flat.
Will let you know how we get on tomorrow.

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Thanks Lulubel. I will mention the steroids to the vet. Thanks to you and Ianthi I have a few things to ask the vet and hopefully make her better.
She has slept most of the Day and the sneezing is not quite so bad, Bless her.
Will let you know how we get on tomorrow.

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