My cat seems to have the flu
By anne25penn
@anne25penn (3305)
Philippines
January 19, 2009 9:04am CST
I just noticed this morning that my cat seems to have the flu. He keeps on sneezing and his nose is dripping. He can't eat. I tried giving him some vitamin C in his milk but he won't touch it. Any ideas how I can make him well? I did notice though that he seems to be gnawing on my lemon grass that is in my garden and some other grasses. My main concern is that he simply won't eat. I know that the weather is very cold right now and this may be the reason why he has this flu.
3 people like this
14 responses
@mareem (147)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Cat flu can be serious and you should seek veterinary advice. Normally, cat flu is caused by either FHV or FCV. The former is a feline herpes virus and would be more serious than the feline calicivirus. The only way to determine the cause would be to get your cat to the vet. If you have other pets, isolate your sick kitty from them.
After visiting the vet and following any recommendations and treatment they may provide, there are some things you can do to help, when you get home. Most importantly, keep kitty warm and comfortable. While discharge continues from the nose and eyes, wipe them frequently with warm salty water. If your cat has congestion, do not give it milk. Milk can create further congestion. Your cat may not be eating because it can't smell its food due to congestion. Try strong smelling food like tuna or sardines. Do not overfeed a sick cat. If you find it will eat a little bit of tuna or a small sardine, give it just a very small amount at a time.
1 person likes this
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
20 Jan 09
thank you for the response. I have taken him to the vet and the vet has given him some shots. I'm giving him kitty food for the meantime and plenty of fluids. I hope he does get well soon.
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
21 Jan 09
Funny and weird as it may sound, but my cat is a vegetarian. LOL. I tried once to entice him with a small pork chop, he simply sniffed it and left it alone. I will try to give him some soup broth, though. Maybe now that he is sick, I may get him to eat some meat. ^-^
@mareem (147)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I hope your fur baby gets to feeling well soon! I did say not to give him milk, but neglected to say to give him plenty of fluids, so I'm glad you are doing that. Besides water, you may want to give him a treat of warm low-salt meat broth. Meat drippings, from roasted or grilled meat, mixed with a little warm water is an easy and economical way to get a healthy meat broth for kitty.;-)
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
19 Jan 09
Thanks for the response. I will take him to the vet tomorrow if he still does not eat.
2 people like this
@kareng (54331)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I have to agree with the others that a trip to the vet's office is in order. I would hold off on the milk and try to offer water instead. Very important to keep your cat hydrated. I would also keep him indoors and warm and isolated from any other pets just in case! Good luck and let us know how he is doing!
1 person likes this
@sweetpeasmom (1325)
• United States
19 Jan 09
The poor baby. Is there any type of medicine that you can give it. Maybe even crush up a tylenol and give it some of it. I used to give my rottie tylenol all of the time because he had bad hips and was old.
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
20 Jan 09
At first I tried this but he has not gotten well. Thanks for the input though! ^-^
@ladym33 (10979)
• United States
25 Jan 09
Unfortunately I think you are probably going to have to take the kitty to the vet. I found an article that had the symptoms you are describing in it. You may want to read this. I am not saying this is what your cat has but it could be, and if the cat is not eating I would be concerned.
Here is the article I found.
http://www.cathealth.com/UResp.htm
@cachandler (1)
• United States
27 Feb 09
I found this thread and I'm really disturbed by some of the content in it! Why would you give a sick cat Vitamin C? A lot of vitamin C tablets have close to 1000% (that's one THOUSANT percent) of the HUMAN daily allowance of the vitamin. You could KILL your cat by giving him a human dose of any medicine - including Tylenol. Tylenol might be okay for a Rottweiler as mentioned, which is 100+ pounds, but for a 15lb cat? It's poison for them.
Also, there's no such thing as a "vegetarian" cat. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning they HAVE to eat meat-derived protein to stay healthy. I know this because I'm a vegan and I researched soy-based diets for my cats - yeah, they're a great way to make your cat really sick. They can get all kinds of diseases and will eventually go blind from the lack of protein and other essential components of meat.
Please, please, before you have ANY bright ideas about what's best for your cat, call your vet's office and just ask if it's okay. They won't charge you and they'll be happy that you called - and you'll be happier that you didn't kill your cat with "kindness".
@2oldn2ys (64)
• United States
20 Jan 09
OMG....it may not be a cold! I have, count them, 15 cats....minus one due to an infection that went through the entire herd. I thought one of them had a cold as he was sneezing and had a runny nose. When he got so congested and stopped eating/drinking he went to the vet. He had to have 3 different antiobiotics and I bought a nebulizer for that medication. He made it but that virus went through the rest of them and I ended up losing one. It was about $500 and a lot of work taking care of them as they needed meds 2x day and breathing treatments for the ones really congested. I could not figure out where they got this as they are all indoor cats. My vet said that most likely one of the strays I feed outside had it and I may have brought it in on my clothing from them and passed it on to mine. I am now very careful not to touch or brush up against anything outside that the stray cats may have touched and wash my hands as soon as I come in.
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
20 Jan 09
Yes, it sounds like feline herpes virus. Follow this link for full information on this http://www.healthgene.com/vet/d3212.asp
@anne25penn (3305)
• Philippines
20 Jan 09
he might have gotten the virus from me because I did have the flu a few weeks back and I never expected that he would get the flu also. I hope that the medication given to him by the vet helps. He is only one year old and my favorite cat, so I do hope he makes it.
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
20 Jan 09
It's not the same virus. Cats can't catch human flu so don't worry about that. He'll probably be OK in a few days time, the infection is rarely fatal.
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
20 Jan 09
If I were you, I would be keeping a close eye on your cat, and if he does not get any better or you still cannot get him to eat I would consider taking him to a vet and getting something for him. Just try to keep him warm and Happy and maybe he will snap out of it. Wishing you the Best.
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
20 Jan 09
Sounds like he might have feline flu. There's no cure and it's very infectious, but unless he develops a seconary infection, he should recover in a few days. Unless he develops a secondary infection, on no account take him to the vets or he'll infect any other cats there.
@mcat19 (1357)
• United States
19 Jan 09
It is very important that he eats. A cat can get fatty liver disease if he doesn't eat for a few days. This is very serious. Take him in the bathroom with the shower running very hot and see if the steam helps relieve his congestion. The smelly food is a very good idea. There are some fishy Fancy Feast flavors that could work, too. I strongly recommend a vet trip. Antibiotics will do wonders for him. Poor sweety. I hope he feels better soon.
@miracleman2008 (173)
• United States
20 Jan 09
There is a site called earth clinic.com that might help.
@saichandtalluri (1486)
• India
20 Jan 09
Take to the vet as fast as you can because i think cat flu is very serious.
My friend told me that cat's don't eat if they can't smell. I think your cat has some stomach disorder it may not cat flu.
@StephyJ_83 (158)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Definitely take him to the vet. Right away. If he is not eating and he is sneezing and his nose is dripping he may have an upper respiratory infection and those can progress fast if not taken care of. I'd call your local vet and get him in ASAP. You don't want him to become dehydrated and hypoglycemic.
@sr5367 (8)
• United States
19 Jan 09
i think you need to take your cat to the vet, and quickly! my cat had these same symptoms for several days and i thougt he would just get over it, like people do. turns out, my cat had a urinary tract infection, and the symptoms manifested in other ways. i don't want to scare you, but if you love your cat, (like i do) get him to a vet. he needs antibiotics and probably a change in his diet as well. peace and blessings.
