My new kitten is sneezing and coughing. Should I take them to the vet?

She does not need to go to the vet at this point. These upper respiratory infections are generally viral, so there are no simple medications that will clear the infection. If she gets lethargic , stops eating, or the discharge becomes green or thick I would call your veterinarian for an exam. Hope Ariel is back to herself very soon!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. The symptoms you are describing could indicate that Carl has an upper respiratory tract infection. This could be due to a viral or bacterial infection. I would suggest having Carl examined by a veterinarian sooner rather than later so that the infection does not become more severe. Catching the infection early will typically result in a faster recovery in my experience. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or concerns. You can always request a consultation with me if needed. Please remember to rate this post as helpful or not. Thank you!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would actually be more concerned about an upper respiratory infection. This is common in young cats and in most cases it responds to antibiotics. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment. They would be able to check for this and start therapy accordingly. Good luck and have a good night!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding the kittens and thank you for fostering! I worry that the kittens have an upper respiratory tract infection and need antibiotics. I do not understand why the shelter will not treat them. They are young and I assume otherwise healthy kittens. If their symptoms can be treated, they would be highly adoptable. They need to see a veterinarian. Perhaps the shelter can reimburse you for their visit? In the meantime, encourage them to eat and drink. You can place them in the bathroom while you shower. Close the door and let the steam build up. Breathing the warm humid air can lessen any congestion they may have. I hope this information helps!

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It sounds like Lex probably does have an upper respiratory infection. Very common in cats that come from a shelter setting even if they are vaccinated. I suggest you take him to a vet and do not go by what the shelter lady is telling you. He most likely does need antibiotics. Coughing is not really normal even if they have an upper respiratory infection so that is a bit concerning and it's best to have him checked out. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Kirby. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian as he may have an upper respiratory tract infection based on the symptoms you have described. He will likely need antibiotics. Being a young kitten, he has a weakened immune system. In the meantime, you can turn the shower to hot and close the bathroom door. Allow the steam to build up in the room. Then place Kirby in there to breathe the warm humid air. This can lessen any congestion he may be experiencing. I hope this information helps!

Yes, URI's (upper respiratory infections) are very common in kittens and cats that have been living in shelters. They typically are caused by viruses and most of them resolve without treatment, but they turn into bacterial infections that make the cat feel pretty awful, and need antibiotics. I would recommend calling the shelter from which you adopted the kitten and see if maybe he was treated for a URI while he was there. If so, perhaps it's resolving normally. If not, he may just now be showing the signs and he may need to be checked out (by the shelter or a private vet) before things get worse.