Expert: Jessica - 11/10/2010

Question
Hi jessica,,,wow i really want to thank u for helping people out.u really know cats :) so im hoping u could help me on this one.I reacently took in a little stray kitten.she was doing ok ,but about 3 days ago she started to have flu sintoms.mucus discharge from her nose and as little bit of hard time breathing.Her appetite is normal as her smell.Is there anything i can give her ?Ive been searching and aperantly is a upper respiratory infection,thanks for ur help  

Answer
Hi Luis,

It does sound like she has an upper respiratory infection.  There are many germs that can cause this, but the one that most commonly causes a thick nasal discharge in kittens is the feline herpes virus.  About 90% of cats become infected with this virus at some point in their lives (often as kittens), and once they become infected, they typically become carriers for life.

While there is no cure for the virus, bacterial infections very often come along with it, and these require antibiotics to clear up.  A vet will need to prescribe this for you.  So I would highly recommend that you see a vet.  You'll want to make sure that this is strictly limited to her upper respiratory tract and hasn't moved to her lungs, etc., and if an antibiotic is warranted, the vet can provide that for you.

As for the viral part of the infection, I recommend that you give her a lysine supplement.  This is an amino acid that cats need to build antibodies, which help them fight infections.  Lysine is especially helpful when they are fighting herpes, because it prevents the herpes virus from replicating.  Your vet might carry a lysine product made just for cats, such as Viralys or Enisyl-F, which come in pastes, powders, gels or treats.  These are also available at some pet stores or online.  If you are unable to find them, you can also use lysine made for people, available in the vitamin section at any pharmacy.  If your kitty weighs under 5 pounds, I would give her 1/4 of a 1000mg tablet twice a day.  Over 5 pounds, 1/2 tablet twice a day.  However, the tablets are very large, and it should be ground up into a powder and mixed into her food instead of given as a pill.  You should begin to see improvement after a few days.  Some cats only need lysine to help get herpes symptoms under control, and you can stop treatment after 2 weeks.  But some kitties suffer from herpes more chronically, and they should take lysine every day for life to control symptoms.

Best of luck!

Jessica