Expert: Jessica - 10/25/2009

Question
I have found a very sick cat on the road with what I think is distemper, very infectious smelling and coughing w/ production.I gave him an antibiotic yesterday in his watered down food, Today I used a syringe and put antibiotic in the fluid. Today, when I give him the watered antibiotic he cries very loudly. I have 4 of my own cats so that poses a problem with keeping him in the house. I am keeping him in the barn. What course of treatment would you suggest?

Answer
Hi Bev.  Of course, the kitty should get to the vet as soon as they open tomorrow, but until then, if you have experience with the antibiotic, I would continue to give it to him.  If he does have distemper, most vets will strongly recommend intravenous antibiotics, which would mean a hospital stay for the kitty, at least for a couple of days.  This protects him from bacterial infections more quickly and adequately than oral antibiotics.  It also will address dehydration, which is of utmost concern in kitties with distemper due to vomiting and diarrhea.  Additionally, many times the fluids will be warmed, and the cat will be placed on a heating pad to keep the body temperature up, since cats in final stages of distemper often cannot maintain their body heat.

If you can, check his temperature rectally.  If it's below 100.5 degrees F, I would recommend providing him with a heating pad to sleep on in the meantime.  You can try watering down his cat food with unflavored Pedialyte to help keep him hydrated.  Most cats require about 8 oz's (1 cup) of water daily, but this will increase if the kitty has diarrhea, vomiting or a fever.  So try to measure what he's drinking, and if he isn't taking in everything that he needs to, syringe-feed him water just a couple cc's at a time.  

You can also offer him any meat he wants to eat - just as long as something gets into his stomach.  I recommend boiled chicken breast for cats who won't eat cat food.  You can also feed him stage one meat baby foods and even tuna for a couple of days if it's all he'll go for (this is a temporary solution, as a diet too rich in tuna can cause the break-down of fatty tissue if fed long-term).

The productive cough isn't a typical part of feline distemper, but it could certainly be an indication of a secondary infection due to insufficient white blood cells caused by distemper.  It also might indicate that this kitty has something different going on, such as full-blown feline AIDS.  This virus causes symptoms very much like the human AIDS virus does, although they are different germs, and feline AIDS is not contagious to people.  Most vets carry a simple blood test for this, usually run in combination with a feline leukemia test, which yields results in about 10 minutes.  

Cats with AIDS and leukemia can have a good quality of life when given special care.  However, both are terminal illnesses and are contagious, so if he tests positive, you should discuss his chances of recovering from his current secondary infection if treated with antibiotics.  Additionally, he would need to be kept in the barn permanently, or found a home alone or with other AIDS or leukemia positive cats.  In the case of AIDS, the disease is far less contagious and spread through only bite wounds, whereas leukemia can be spread through friendly contact such as grooming and sharing water and food, as well.  I have personally kept AIDS positive cats with negative cats without the disease spreading, as my cats are quite peaceful, but there is always a risk.  Feline leukemia, on the other hand, rapidly spreads, and I couldn't condone keeping any negative cats with positive ones.

I hope he turns around quickly!

Jessica