My cat is sick with a URI and on antibiotics. Can she get her vaccine?

The jury is still undecided if Vitamin C really helps pets or not. Cats synthesize their own vitamin C naturally. Likely the best measures you can take are to support over-all health. Make sure they are eating a high quality cat food. Deworm them if possible. Many cats respond well to Lysine for herpes infections. Adults take 500mg twice daily. This can be found in a fish flavored powder, gel and treat form. Also giving them an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for cats will help with natural inflammation control. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

A lot of the viruses that cause resp infections will stay in the system and recur intermittently. I would wait until the kitten is cleared up again as the immune system is currently preoccupied and wont be able to process the vaccine optimally.

I'm very sorry your kitty is sick. Respiratory infections are very common in kitties and almost all are caused by a virus, not a bacterial infection. Therefore, we do not recommend antibiotics if we are dealing with an upper respiratory infection. There are several things you can do at home though. To help with nasal and sinus congestion symptoms, I recommend using the shower to fill your bathroom with as much warm steamed air as possible and then place your kitty in the room for 10-15 minutes at a time. You can do this several times a day, the goal is to help humidify the air and allow your kitty's nasal passages to drain and clear some. You can also purchase over-the-counter treats or a gel formula containing the amino acid supplement L-lysine made for cats. These can sometimes help clear a viral infection. Follow the label instructions to know how much and how often to give to your kitty. If your kitty stops eating or drinking, you will need to have it examined by your veterinarian to avoid complications such as dehydration.

Poor Sabina! If she has nasal discharge or coughing, you may inquire with your vet about doing a culture and sensitive on the nasal discharge or doing a trans-tracheal wash to see if she has a resistant bacteria. Also if she doesn't have a high white blood count then you may consider steroids if she doesn't have congestion. I would talk to your vet in depth about steroids as these can make an infection worse if it isn't an auto-immune problem. I would also get her on a lysine supplement like Viralys or vetriscience lysine chews for cats. You can also request vitamins B12 injections and an appetite stimulant to help with her appetite. If she has been a long time without eating, make sure she has had her chemistry ( liver and kidney) values check to ensure she isn't have liver or kidney issues. You could have her retested for FELV/FIV. If she was recently infected before adoption then it may not show up on a test yet. The vaccines usually take effect within 5-7 days of receiving them so she should be protected. I hope this helps and she starts to get better really soon!

URIs may be caused by viral or bacterial means, so your cat may continue to have the virus live dormant in her body even once her symptoms have stopped. If her symptoms have stopped and the antibiotic course is finished, it is likely safe, however it is always best to confirm with the veterinarian that examined and treated your cat as they will know her history and prognosis best. If she is still having symptoms even after a round of antibiotics it is best to bring her back into your vet for a recheck examination.

This will depend on why your kitten is on antibiotics. Usually a pet on antibiotics is ill and since only healthy animals should be vaccinated to ensure that the entire immune system is trained, it is advisable to wait with vaccinations until your kitten is healthy again and off the antibiotics.

This may be a virus and not a bacterial infection. If that's the case antibiotics will not help and the virus needs to run its course which can take up to two weeks. As long as she isn't getting worse, running a fever and is eating I would keep monitoring her. If at any time she does get worse or isn't getting any better after 7-10 days, I would call your veterinarian. Let her rest unless she wants to play. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.