kitten with cold?

Question
We have a kitten @ 8 weeks old who sneezes reguarly and out comes thickish phlem...the kitten is frisky and eating but the sneezing and expelling "snot" continues....this has been going on since we got it,,about 2 weeks.  Any advise or just let time take it's course....?  Thank you   Mary T

Answer
Hi, Mary.  This is a very common problem in kittens, especially those separated from their mother this young.  If nature had taken its course, the kitten would still be nursing and receiving antibodies against most of the illnesses through breast milk.  Those antibodies may last for a couple weeks after nursing has finished.  Unfortunately, more and more evidence suggests that if the kitten is vaccinated at 8 weeks or before, the vaccine actually negates the effect of the maternal antibodies and leaves the kitten completely unprotected against all these viral illnesses.

Back to the subject at hand - I certainly couldn't diagnose a kitten, but it sounds likely to me that your kitten has contracted one (or both) of the viruses nearly upwards of 90% of kittens get - feline herpes and feline calici.  There's a vaccination for these two, but it doesn't prevent the disease.  It lessens the severity.

These two are whoppers.  The one that usually causes the thick nasal discharge is feline herpes.  It often causes eye discharge, too.  And it can cause sores in the nose, mouth and eyes.  Rotten-smelling breath usually comes with this virus, too.  As the kitten's immune system is compromised fighting this virus, bacterial infections usually set in.  So kittens suffering from herpes need antibiotics most of the time.  

Calici typically causes extremely serious ulcers in the mouth, throat, sometimes even the lungs.  It causes a ton of sneezing fits.  But usually, there is little nasal or eye discharge, and it's clear.  Calici causes fishy breath.  Again, bacterial infections usually accompany calici, and antibiotics must be prescribed.

There's a bacterial infection called bordatella that can causes these symptoms, too.  Most kittens can't fight the infection off on their own - they need antibiotics to recover.

My advice to you would be to get this baby to the vet, as a prescription for antibiotics is almost a certainty.  Additionally, a kitty who has a stuffy nose is likely to lose appetite at some point, since cats eat mostly by smell.

If herpes or calici is diagnosed, your kitten will probably carry the disease for quite some time.  Herpes is usually carried for life.  Calici can be carried for weeks or months and sometimes even becomes a permanent resident.  The infections can flare up and cause symptoms at any time.  Those who suffer chronic flare ups are sometimes helped by giving the cat 250mg-500mg a day of l-lysine.  It prevents virus particles from replicating.

Wishing your baby a speedy recovery!

Jessica