My kitten's fever keeps returning. Should I give more antibiotics?

While Bills certainly could be positive for FeLV or FIV it would be pretty unsusal for him to be symptomatic for the diseases at his age. Parasites don’t typically cause a fever either. If he still has a fever I’d recommend having your vet examine him - some other kind of infection is possible and it is concerning he isn’t responding to antibiotics.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would recommend making sure he does not have an underlying disease that may be predisposing him to these infections. Test him for feline leukemia (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) at your veterinarian's clinic to rule these possible causes out. Some cats will have chronic viral infections their entire life and we just treat these as they come. If you are not giving lysine supplementation and not giving Purine Fortiflora, I would definitely recommend doing so as both of these have been shown to lessen the severity and duration of the herpes virus flare ups. I would also consider an upper respiratory culture to make sure that there are no other bacterial causes that may be resistant to the antibiotics currently being given. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

I typically don't recommend treating the fever specifically as fevers are a normal reaction to fight infection in the body. Like a cold in people, upper respiratory infections in cats can take several days to resolve. As long as she's eating and drinking normally, that is a good sign. If she stops eating and drinking or gets very congested and is breathing through her mouth, I would recommend taking her back to the vet. Occasionally upper respiratory infections get so severe that cats need to be hospitalized for IV fluids and syringe feeding until the symptoms improve.

Hello! It sounds like Tessa may have an underlying herpes virus infection, this allows upper respiratory infections to attack more easily. Herpes is common in cats and not a huge issue, other than occasional infections like you describe. I would ask you vet about some cat lysine to boost her immune system and do another course of antibiotics...but I would have her seen just in case she needs as stronger antibiotic. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello. Thank you for reaching out to Pet Coach. I am not familar with the antibiotic that you specifically have mentioned. However, in the US we do use something that sounds similar, called Clavamox. Either way, all antibiotics should be given with food if at all possible to avoid upset stomach. Many cats have a reduced appetite when they have a fever, so it is not surprising that Haro Kitaru is not eating on her own. I am very sorry that she is feeling ill and has a fever. If you are able to give her a small amount of chicken or turkey baby food before administering the antibiotic that would be best. This will reduce the chance of causing an upset stomach. Or you can offer her canned tuna or chicken as well. Best of luck with your kitty. I hope she is feeling better soon.

Poor Jasper! In addition to antibiotics, I would start Jasper on an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory) to help with the fever, if they have not already done so, since his kidney values are normal. It does happen occasionally that we see a cat that is obviously experiencing symptoms of a severe infection or inflammatory response, but we are unable to locate the source of the infection. If abdominal radiographs and ultrasound were not done, this is something additional that could potentially help discover the source of the infection. At this point, make sure he is eating, get the antibiotics into him, ask for pain medication like an nsaid (metacam, onsiar, etc.) or an opiate (buprenorphine) if they didn't send you with one, and give him time. Best of luck!

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.