New Ragdoll with issues

Question
Hi,
I have a question concerning my Ragdoll cat. She is approx. 7 months old, and we just got her on Saturday, She was shipped to us by air from quite a distance away. The first night she was here she was fine, but yesterday she began having cold like symptoms (sneezing, runny nose.) She also has HORRIBLE smelling gas and some diarrhea it isn't non-stop, but sometimes she has "accidents" all over herself and my furniture...I just want to know if this is normal or If I need to take her to the vet immediately. She seems normal and playful (She does sleep a lot but, most cats do) =) Thanks for any help/advice in advance.
Amber

Answer
Amber,

I would definitely take her to the vet for a thorough check.  First of all, when purchasing a new cat, especially one that has been flown out to you, you need to have it thoroughly checked to ensure you have a healthy cat, and there's no obvious contagious/infectious diseases.  If you purchsed her from a breeder, this is especially important, as I'm assuming you didn't get to see the facilities where the breeding occurs, and/or where she was born, and the overall environment.  The breeder could very well have told you that she was bred and born into the most pristine conditions, but that could be a big fat lie.  I've seen many breeders that advertise online, in the major big city newspapers, and in their local papers, citing clean, sanitary conditions, healthy dams and sires, and well loved, well handled, well taken care of kittens, and it turns out to be a backyard breeder, or an unscrupulous breeder simply trying to profit off his/her cats.  I've seen breeders who have so many female cats pregnant, and so many kittens running around, that there are actually rodents running around with the animals, as well as all sorts of infectious diseases.  So, if this is a breeder purchase, if you didn't see the environment, you cannot trust these people to be telling you the truth.  The majority of legit breeders are honest and truthful, and do provide clean, loving environments for their cats, as well as adequate healthcare, but for every "good" breeder out there, there are just as many backyard breeders.  Not to mention that with your purchase, she should have come with a health guarantee where you have a certain amt of time to get her checked out by your vet.  Typically, if you don't have the kitten checked out in this period of time, and you find something later on that's wrong with the cat, you have no recourse.  Not to mention it's just the right thing to do to have your new kitten checked out.  She could have worms (she should have been dewormed before coming to you); she could have any of the many viruses and bacteria that cats are routinely vaccinated for (she should also have been vaccinated before coming to you---actually I think she has to in order to fly); she could have physiological problems like IBD, hip dysplasia, eye problems, kidney problems, etc.  So, please, take her to the vet for an overall check.

It does sound like your new one has an URI (upper respiratory infection).  This is just the common cold in cats.  It presents the same way in cats that it does in humans--running nose, sneezing, etc.  It doesn't surprise me that she has this either, because she's probably stressed from the airplane ride, and if she didn't travel in the cabin, she was in the luggage compartment where it's drafty, cold, and not warm at all (I'm surprised the kitten was even shipped via air in the winter).  So, when a young cat is stressed, they are going to be more vulnerable to viruses and bacteria and getting sick.  

It also doesn't surprise me that she has diarrhea.  Again, likely stress related, and because her immune system isn't fully mature yet, she's going to be vulnerable to just about anything and everything.  

That said, the diarrhea could have an infectious or parasitic component to it, so that's another reason to get her to the vet, along with a stool sample.  She could have worms or a parasite infestation, both of which can cause diarrhea--and very foul smelling gas/diarrhea at that.  Or she could be allergic to something in her food.  You will never know what's causing the diarrhea unless you get her into the vet along with a stool sample.  

As I said, it's possible that all of these symptoms are simply stress related as she's had a big couple of days that, I'm sure, took their toll on her.  She's probably scared (even though she may not show it), and she's probably feeling on guard--not knowing what to expect or when to expect it.  If the diarrhea and URI symptoms are stress related, then once she settles down and becomes more used to your family, and begins to accept you as her "mommy" she will recover and the symptoms will go away.  Until then, you have no way of knowing for sure, so get her to the vet sooner rather than later so you can rest assured there's no big problem, and she can start relaxing and getting to know her new family, and calming her nerves down so she doesn't have these issues.  

Good luck.  Let me know if there's anything else I can answer for you.

Savannah