Sick kitten with URI. How long to recover?

Question

I adopted a 5 month old kitten from the shelter, 5 days ago. I was told he had a respiratory infection and given an antibiotic to treat it. He didn't show any signs of improving by the 3rd day so I took him to the vet. He was dehydrated and given fluid under the skin. I have been feeding him prescription diet and giving him water through a syringe.

What else can I do to help him? Do you think he will make it and also how long does it normally take a kitten to recover from an upper respiratory infection?

Answer 1

URI does seem to take forever to clear up- You should call the shelter back and ask them if the kitten has been exposed to feline herpies virus. He should have been tested by the shelter. Does he have a clear discharge coming from his eyes and nose? If it is the virus that is causing him to have an infection ( the infection is often a secondary and the cat is given antibiotics to prevent further infection)- then some steps need to be taken to boose his immune system.. L-lysin is recommended specifically for the herpies virus- it even comes in a gel for cats that you can get from your vet. Plenty of info on the web to help you. Also herpies virus is very contagious so keep him away fron other cats.

Answer 2

As long as you see some improvement with the kitten's appetite and energy, I would say it's working. If there's absolutely no improvement or the kitten seems to be getting worse, maybe you need to take it to a different vet for another opinion. Has the kitten been tested for Feline Leukemia or FIV? My concern would be that if the kitten isn't getting any better at all or is getting worse, you may be dealing with something more serious than an upper respiratory infection. Did your vet recommend testing the kitten for Feline Leukemia or FIV? If they didn't, they dropped the ball in my opinion. Hopefully the kitten has improved since yesterday? I'm not clear on this from your original post.

Answer 3

He may need several rounds of antibiotics to help him recover. Make sure he stays hydrated. Don't trust the shelter. Take him to the vet again just to follow up and get more drugs. It is very common for shelter kittens to have URI's. it could take several weeks but should start to see slow improvement.