Swollen lymph nodes in URI cat

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littleboyblu87@yahoo.com - 10 Jun 2005 06:32 GMT

I have a 12 month old cat, Gizmo, who has had an URI since I found her
and her siblings at two months old. When I recently took her in for her
1 year checkup, the vet said that these cats have feline herpes and
possibly calicivirus and that in this case, they were viral infections.
The vet also said that one or two of the cats have swollen lymph nodes
and gingivitis. Gizmo's teeth are the worst as some adult ones haven't
grown in, her gums are red and she seems to have some mouth pain. She's
also fairly small for her age and compared to her siblings. The vet
said no medication was necessary for a viral infection but I could give
them lysine and an OTC antihistamine for chronic sneezing, etc. They
all tested negative for FeLV/FIV, no other tests were performed.

But now it's three months later and while their symptoms have greatly
improved since making them house cats, I'm concerned/paranoid that
something is not right.

Gizmo's lymph nodes are still swollen and her growth has obviously been
stunted. She acts normal but she does have chronic nasal congestion and
what appears to be post-nasal drip as well as the chronic watery eyes.
Plus, as I mentioned in another post, she's been urinating outside of
her litterbox and she doesn't have any urinary problems.

I decided to give her the antihistamine for a week to see if that
helped. It appeared that it did help a little as her mouth isn't as
sensitive and her gums are slightly less red. However, her lymph nodes
are even bigger now so I stopped giving her the pill. While I don't
think it's anything serious such as cancer or FIP, I am concerned.
After I get a few replies to this post and finish my research on this
subject I'll be giving the vet a call.

The vet is aware of the swollen lymph nodes and says the cat's immune
system is probably just weak. Another vet mentioned that antibiotics
might help.

So now I'm wondering what I should do. Should I ask the vet for
antibiotics and if so, what kind (Clavamox, Zithromax)? Should I be
concerned or am I just being paranoid? I figure I'm probably a little
paranoid as I'm having bad luck with my cats. The old ones keep dying
from cancer and heart disease and the young (stray) ones keep dying
from severe URIs. I just don't want anymore cats to die for a long time.

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Rhonda - 12 Jun 2005 08:00 GMT

Sorry you've lost some cats lately, and that you have one now with a URI.

Do you like the experience level of your vet? Do you completely trust
him or her? You might want to take your cat in to another vet for a
second opinion if there is any question at all.

You mentioned the cat has red gums and gingivitus. Did the vet suggest a
dental cleaning? I know 12 months is young for that, but if the gums are
red and infected -- maybe a complete cleaning is needed. Our 2 year old
had to have a cleaning this year. Her mouth became sensitive on one
side, and her eye started swelling shut and watering. The vet was afraid
she would have to pull a tooth but when she got in there -- said she had
a plaque build-up on one tooth in particular.

Sometimes tooth and mouth problems can mimic a URI and cause infections
up into the sinuses.

Has kitty had a blood test? Was the white blood cell count high? If so,
she probably has an infection somewhere, and should be getting antibiotics.

Let us know what you find out,

Rhonda

> I decided to give her the antihistamine for a week to see if that
> helped. It appeared that it did help a little as her mouth isn't as
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> system is probably just weak. Another vet mentioned that antibiotics
> might help.

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