My 4-month-old cat is cold and lethargic. What virus is this?

Yes, it is possible that your three month old kitten caught Mycroft's virus. I would take them both into the vet for an exam, as they may benefit from medications. In the meantime, you can try a few home remedies in addition to the vet visit. First, you can try starting them on an L-lysine supplement - this is an amino acid that has been shown to help the immune system fight off respiratory infections more effectively. Enisyl and Viralys are both good brands, and can be purchased over the counter without a prescription - just follow the dosing instructions on the label based on your cat's weight. If they are congested, you can also try using a humidifier or bringing them into the bathroom with the door closed while you take a hot shower - the steam and humidity help to break up congestion and temporarily relieve symptoms associated with respiratory infections.

It sounds like he is getting sick. Without additional clinical signs it is hard to say exactly what is causing his lethargy and decreased appetite but he could be starting with a respiratory virus or a gastrointestinal virus. He could also have parasites that need to be treated. If it continues than he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. Your vet can run lab work to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat. If he is unvaccinated, please discuss a vaccine plan with your vet once he has recovered from this illness.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Based on your description and the pictures, I suspect that he has an upper respiratory infection. Many times upper respiratory infections can be contributed to the herpes virus in cats. I would recommend taking Catty in to be seen by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. An antibiotic will likely be prescribed / administered to help with any secondary bacterial infections. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction and that Catty feels better soon. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Max may have an upper respiratory infection. If he is really lethargic, has a decreased appetite, or the nasal discharge is yellow or green, he should get checked out by a vet. As with all viruses, they need to run their course. But there are some medications that may help with the symptoms, as well as supplements like L-lyisine that can make the symptoms go away a little sooner.

I'm so sorry that your foster is not doing well. It sounds like she has been through a lot in her short life. Certainly, kittens that have a severe upper respiratory infection young in life can take a while to bounce back. You can perform a FeLV and FIV test at any time, but the results will have to be taken with a grain of salt at her age. The FIV test is an antibody test, so she could test positive if her mom was positive, but she may not have the virus. The FeLV test is usually a little more accurate in young kittens, but not always. The FeLV test looks for virus in white blood cells, so if her white blood cell count is low from her infection if may appear negative even if she has the virus. So while you can test at any age, you may need to repeat the tests again because of the reasons discussed above. So, I would recommend discussing it with your veterinarian to decide on the right route to go for your foster. Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your questions. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hello, several viruses such as panleukopenia and FIP can cause this. Parasitic infections such as coccidia and giardia may also cause this. Testing with a parvo test and checking a stool sample may help you rule some of these diseases out. Hope this helps and best of luck!

Just like humans, pets can get sick for many many reasons. It's possible he's fighting a virus, that he ate something he shouldn't have or that his stomach hurts. If he is lethargic beyond 48 hours, if he is not eating or drinking as normal or if he is getting worse, have him examined by the veterinarian.