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Found a kitten with diarrhea, runny nose, heavy breathing. Home care?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

I found a kitten around 3 to 4 weeks ild. With diarrhea, Runny clogged nose, & a little bit of Heavy breathing. Is there anything I can do without having to take her to the vet?

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Leigh, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 1st, 2018

It sounds like she has an upper respiratory infection causing the congestion. Since she is breathing heavy and is so young, it would be a good idea to have a vet examine her to determine if treatment is needed. She may need an antibiotic to help treat. The diarrhea could be caused by a parasite and your vet could test a stool sample to determine the cause. There isn't really much you can do at home besides supportive care with food, water, and keeping her warm. You could also put a humidifier in a room with her or place her in the bathroom while you shower so the steam can help clear her nasal passages.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA
Veterinarian
Published on April 29th, 2017
It sounds like your cats have a severe respiratory infection which is circulating amongst them and can be very serious and often in young kittens. I wold be concerned that the mothers may also have transmitted FIV/AIDs or FELV to the kittens resulting in poor immunity. Bathing their noses every few hours to improve airflow can help but they really do need assessment and treatment by a vet including antibiotics for secondary infections as soon as possible - most cases will suffer ongoing congestion due to damage and scarring from severe and chronic infections
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Sarah Smith, Bsc (Hons) BVM&S MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on January 19th, 2017
Your kitten may have cat flu, I would recommend making an appointment to see your veterinarian as soon as possible. They will examine her and prescribe medications such as antiinflammatories and antibiotics as necessary.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Rodrigo Roca, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on January 20th, 2020
Hello, sorry to hear about your kitten. It sounds like he is having an upper respiratory tract infection. The most common causes for this include feline herpes virus, feline calicivirus, and chlamydia. Most of the time the viral infections are self limiting, however because they are difficult to differentiate without advanced testing, most Kittens are prescribed antibiotics to cover for bacterial causes such as chalmydia. If he is not getting better in the next 1-2 days, then I would have him evaluated by his veterinarian as he will likely need antibiotics. Hope this helps and best of luck.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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