CAT COLDS & UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS

SYMPTOMS:
SNEEZING
NASAL DISCHARGE
RUNNY EYES
COUGH
ORAL OR NASAL ULCERS
SNIFFLES
FEVER
HOARSE VOICE
NO APPETITE
OR ANY COMBINATION THEROF

Most of the kittens and cats we rescue from pounds and rescues as well as many visiting the vet for other reasons, end up with colds and more severe upper respiratory infections which also involve the cat's lungs. Kittens always suffer the most from these colds and infections because they do not have the more developed immune systems that adult cats have. Cats that can not smell due to their stuffy heads, often times don't want to eat or even drink. Do everything you can to keep this from happening. Cats dehydrate quickly and it becomes more difficult to get a cat that has stopped eating to start up again.
Painful ulcers can form on the cat's eyes, nose or in the mouth. In young kittens, pneumonia may result from an upper respiratory infection.
ANTIBIOTICS - 90% of colds and upper respiratory infections are viral in origin. No antibiotics work against viruses. The reason your vet may prescribe an antibiotic for your pet is because these viral infections become complicated by secondary bacterial invaders. The antibiotics do work against bacterial infections. Chlamydia psittaci or felis is such an organism that is sensitive to the tetracycline family (such as doxycycline). When an antibiotics is prescribed, tetracyclines and their relatives are frequently chosen. Tetracycline use can permanently stain the teeth of immature animals, so often times they are not chosen for younger cats.
See *A LESS COMMON BACTERIAL CAUSE...below for a bacteria that does cause similar symptoms and can be killed off with a special antibiotic!

* HERPES & CALICIVIRUS TO BLAME: Almost all feline upper respiratory infections are caused by either the feline Herpes or feline Calicivirus. Neither of these infections is transmissible to humans or to other animals.

Most feline colds last for a week to 10 days regardless of treatment. In cats, these infections are permanent, the Herpesvirus infections are recurring like all types of Herpes infections. In kittens Herpes infections are notorious for lasting a very long time. Stresses on their systems from things such as surgery (neutering/spaying or declawing), kennel boarding, or a new feline in the family can bring about a new Herpes upper respiratory spell. These episodes may recur for the life of the cat though as the cat matures, the symptoms become less and less severe and often may not even be noticeable to the owner.

A cat with the Herpesvirus is contagious to other cats for a couple of weeks after a stressful event. Cats infected with Calicivirus are contagious for several months after infection but do not appear to have recurrences the same way cats with Herpes do.

*LESS COMMON BACTERIAL CAUSES of UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS:
BARTONELLA HENSELAE - Severe cold symptoms like intense sneezing and thick mucus coughed out of the lungs, colds that don't want to go away can be caused by the Bartonella henselae bacteria. This is the same bacterium that causes "Cat Scratch Fever" in humans. It is found in multi cat environments, like pounds and shelters. Most cats exposed to this bacteria don’t exhibit any symptoms at all. You can ask your vet for a blood test for this infection that is not killed off by common antibiotics like Clavamox or Orbax. The blood test takes 5 to 7 days to get results. The treatment is three weeks on AZITHROMAX ANTIBIOTIC. It may take another week for all the symptoms to go away, but this antibiotic will clear up a cat with this far less common condition. Knowing of it's existence and asking your vet to check for it can save you and your cat a lot of wasted time and misery using common antibiotics that won't help. Especially if you know that the cat comes from a shelter, pound or multi cat environment!
CHLAMYDIA - Chlamydis is a common cause of Respiratory Tract Infections - 'RTI', and Upper Respiratory Tract Infections - 'URTI'. URTI's cause nasal congestion and discharge and runny eyes. RTI's affect the lungs and can cause pneumonia. Chlamydia is a major health problem for breeders. It causes a flu like illness with sneezing, serous (clear) discharge from the nose and runny eyes, contributing to chronic runny eyes in cats. Researchers feel that it could easily be the cause of Fading Kitten Syndrome and Pneumonia in kittens. Young kittens stop feeding, develop a rattly chest and very often die from this condition. AZITHROMAX ANTIBIOTIC or Z PAK is a safe newer antibiotic that is also highly effective against chlamydia as well.
CHRONIC RHINITIS or SINUSITIS often responds to Zithromax as well. Veterinarian Jennifer Fry addresses this problem in an Ask the Veterinarian. The dose is 1/4 of a 250mg tablet for a 7 pound cat, 1/2 tablet for a 10-12 lb cat. once weekly - many times 2 doses will do it.

We suggest you ask your vet about using Azithromycin - Zithromax also known as Z Pak instead of other antibiotics right off the bat in case your cat has Chlamydia or Bartonella henselae bacterial infections. The name brand drug is very expensive, but in most cases, one cat would need only a 1/2 to 1 single 250 mg pill for the entire treatment - 1/4 - 1/2 one week, same dose the next.
Generic versions of the drug are far less expenisive. Ask your pharmacy if they carry the Generic version when filling a prescription from your vet. If you go online, may we warn you that there are Canadian Pharmacies and we are sure many others who are simply middlemen, stock nothing and are selling a generic version out of India. Your wait to recieve product from India then through US customs is a month or so.

NOTE! You may have to hold off on any herbal products, vitamins minerals and other drugs or medications while your cat is being treated with Zithromax or other antibiotics. Avoid sunshine as well while on Zithromax. Tell your vet / pharmacist what herbal products, vitamins minerals or drugs and medications your kitten or cat is taking to make sure a combination is safe. Azithromycin Drug Warning information.

AZITHROMYCIN - ZITHROMAX DOSING: Researchers say that the dose for cats is 20mg Zithromax per kg body weight. Dr. David Richardson of the Ragajac Ragdoll Cattery in Australia wrote about the findings in Zithromax - The Modern Treatment of Feline Chlamydia.
It is available in a syrup with 600 mg of Zithromax in 15 mls. An average size cat would be given 20mg 3 times = 60mg or 1.5mls of syrup.
It is also available in 250 mg and 500mg tablets. The dose for an average 3kg cat would be 1/4 of a 250mg tablet - or 1/8 of a 500mg tablet.
This also translates to: 1/4 of a 250mg tablet for a 7 pound cat, 1/2 tablet for a 10-12 lb cat. once weekly - many times only 2 doses (which lasts in the body two weeks) will do the trick for most illnesses.
A single dose quiets down the symptoms in badly affected cats, but they may recur in a few weeks. Zithromax remains at an effective concentration within the tissues for a week, thus giving a single dose is like giving a seven day course of a shorter lived antibiotic. For cats with severe infections, and cats that have been symptomatic for weeks or months, Dr. David Richardson suggests repeating the 20mg/kg dose seven days after the initial dose.

*QUARANTINE: If only one cat is showing signs of illness, quarantine that individual from the rest of the cats in your house if you have multiple cats. Colds travel through a cat community just as quickly as colds travel through people communities.

*CHECK FOR DEHYDRATION: It is critical that your cat does not become dehydrated. Be sure they are drinking plenty of water. If not, wrap your pet in a towel, securing the legs and using a syringe, slowly squirt 1/2 unflavored PEDIALITE and 1/2 water down the throat. This will help replace lost electrolytes etc. Be careful not to go to fast and choke the kitten. To check for dehydration, pinch the skin over the shoulders. If the cat is well hydrated it should snap back. If not, it will return slowly.

*APPETITE STIMULATION - NOT WANTING TO EAT: It is critical the cat or kitten eats. Try a variety of foods.
Once you have treated the cat or kitten with Azithromax and the head is clear and nose is back to work, the appetite should follow right away. We find that canned fish and canned raw or cooked liver will often get through to a sick cat. Canned cat food is great because it's 80% or so water, so they get their water intake as well as nutrition. Some cats are mad for raw or cooked liver, either beef or chicken liver seems to work fine. Some cats absolutely love smoked turkey. PURINA makes liver and fish flavored crunch treats available in every pet shop and grocery store that has triggered many of our rescues to start eating.
If a cat is very ill and refuses to eat on it's own, we have resorted to Baby food in a jar. Beachnut makes a few varieties of turkey and fish with various vegetables. Just make sure it has only meat and vegetable in it, not onion powder or other cat toxins in it. First see if the cat will eat it on it's own. I'm sure any brand will work as long as it combines a meat source and a easily digestible grain like rice or vegetable like carrots. It's messy, but gets the cat eating. Often times a few spoons of food in the mouth will trigger the cat to eat on it's own.
Our vet perscribed 4 mg. CYPROHEPTADINE, an antihistamine that stimulates the appetite. 1/2 to 1 pill 2-3 times a day. We have had success with just 1/2 a pill twice a day. Start with the least and work up to the amount your cat needs.
NUTRIMALT PASTE is extremely helpful and easy to dose for cats that won't eat. It's great for healthy cats too, a skin and coat nutritional supplement. With the Nutrimalt paste, Squeeze out an inch or so on your finger for a cat, less for a kitten. See if the cat will lick it off itself, many love the taste. If not, with paste ready on your pointer finger, use the other hand to draw up on the cats top jaw with thumb and pointer just behind the canine teeth, then wipe the paste on the roof of the cats mouth behind the front teeth. You can also pinch the skin just behind the top of the head, behind the ears and tip the head back. Once dosed (this works for pills as well) close the mouth and keep it closed, stroke the throat in a downward motion and gently blow in the cat's nose to induce swallowing.
Nutritional pastes provide calories to keep the kitten or cat energized. For non eaters, we use the Nutrimalt 3 - 4 times a day, the vitamin paste as directed, or a syringe of the Mega C plus vitamins and Probios as described below in a little syringe.
FELOVITE II is a tuna flavor vitamin mineral supplement paste for cats. VEDCO NUTRIVED CHEWABLE VITAMINS are micro encapsulated kitten vitamins. Some like the roast beef - liver flavor and eat them like treats. If not, you can grind on up and put it on food or let the powder stick to the Nutrimalt paste when dosing it and give the kitten or cat both at once. The only thing we don't care for with these vitamin formulas is that they have almost no Vitamin C. You can add your own Ester-C to your cat's diet, build up to 500mg a day over a week or two's time. Just mix a tiny bit of water and Probios to mask the flavor in a syringe and shoot it down their throat at mealtime. It will most likely upset their stomachs between meals!
Our favorite year round Cat Vitamins is a super strength Vitamin compound called MEGA C PLUS available in powder form or drops for infants. It's formulated to be used in canned cat food. We take one part vitamin powder to one part PROBIOS powder and mix with only a small bit of water in and shoot it down their throat with a little syringe. The Probios masks the vitamin taste very well and most don't mind at all. That way you don't have to make the canned food taste odd for the picky eaters and you can be sure that each cat or kitten is getting an equal dose for multiple cat families. We give treats after dosing, so the healthy cats look forward to their vitamin "shot" every day because treats follow! Be sure to give it at mealtime so that you don't upset their stomach.

Here is an PET HEALTH INFO PAGE by Dr. Belfield including information about amazing results that have been attributed to the product with such health issues including treated cats testing Positive for FeLV, becoming negative after treatment! Mega C Plus is critical in treating feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), panleukopenia, upper respiratory infections, infectious feline anemia, etc. It is a very strong vitamin formula that you gradually built the cat up, starting with just a sprinkle on the wet food and gradually building to 1/4 teaspoon or so daily. When built up slowly cat's get used to the taste and expect it in their food.
Or, you can use our method in a syringe as described above if they are very picky and won't eat. Too much too quickly can cause diarrhea, so slow and sure is the dosing here. We find that if you add a teaspoon - tablespoon of the Pumkin Puree to the canned food, they can handle the full dose vitamins much better. We use a heaping teaspoon in a can of cat food with the Mega C Plus vitamins with no diarrhea problems at all. A tablespoon of soaked Oatmeal as well, so much the better for keeping the stool solid. Dr. Belfield has some terrific books on Cat and Dog health that we find incredibly helpful in treating our gang.

See *NASAL SPRAY & *ANTIHISTAMINES - DECONGESTANTS for suggestions that may help a great deal with food and water consumption.

*COMFORT: Make the cat as comfortable as possible. They are as miserable as you or I with a bad cold. Be sure they have fresh food and water and a clean litter box nearby. Give them love and attention, but don't bother them too much, cats like to be quiet and alone or lay quietly in your arms when ill. An excellent therapy area is a small room in which you can control drafts and heat.

*MUSIC, VIDEO, TWINKLE LIGHT THERAPY: Playing Classical,New Age or Celtic, etc. music softly in your quarantine room will give your sick cat or kitten something to listen to. Even a book being read on CD or Ipod. We have a Kitty DVD that plays squirrels and birds and their sounds that entertains cats for hours. Give your sick cat a low impact source of entertainment. Below Horus watches his favorite DVD - VIDEO CATNIP on a Mac laptop. Some kitties are not as civilized about watching as he is, you may need to use a television monitor that can tolerate little paws batting the screen! We put twinkle lights all around the room so that a sick kitty can listen
to music, and watch the soft lights twinkle.

*SUNSHINE & WILL TO GET WELL THERAPY:
If on Zithromax antibiotic, there is a drug warning to avoid sunshine! Shady walks for these kitties.
We take our sick kids outside in the sunshine to absorb vitamin D and trigger the mental process, the will to get well by stimulating their senses watching nature, be it a bird in the tree or a fly buzzing or a lizard running down a path. It becomes a highlight in their day. Make sure you keep them out of drafts and winds. Wrap them up in a jacket or towel and keep the cat or kitten warm and safe until you reach your garden spot. Always put a harness on the cat just in case you experience an unexpected panic etc. Better safe than sorry! Just 10 - 15 minutes will make a world of difference to a sick cat's mood. Our lethargic sickly cats perk up and love the heat and warmth. They go back into their rooms purring, drinking water, eating their food afterward, happy and ready for a nap after their big adventure. It's mental magic and so beneficial to the healing process.
These walks, taken twice daily if weather allowed, were responsible for Horus' gaining strength and endurance, a will to eat and drink water and something to look forward to each day. He grew and put on weight during his illness as well. His lungs were pushed and filled with oxygen.

FOLLOW HORUS ON HIS WELLNESS WALKS THROUGH THE GARDEN.

*WARMTH - COOLING: Be sure your cat is warm. Make a nest in a sunny window, or one with a view if available. Below Genghis Kahn in his favorite spot watching squirrels, birds and horses from his warm safe window nest.
With fevers, they can feel chilled or too warm. Provide warming as well as cooling areas so that your sick pet can be comfortable. We use a cool folded sheet for cooling, we put one near a window glass.
To keep the kitty warm:

*Fleece blankets and soft knit afghans are favorites in our quarantine room.
* We use shearlings or sheepskin hides as well.They are incredibly comfortable and hold in heat, super cushioned and comfy year round. They are also machine washable! (Gentlest cycle, cold water with Woolite, Downy softener in the rinse cycle. Spin out as much water as possible, shake out and drape over a shower door to dry, skin side down. Never dry with heat, that includes sun. Between washings, comb or brush like a pet.)
*A safe room heater such as a portable oil furnace with temperature controls is terrific. You won't have to heat the entire house, but your sick cat or kitten can breathe warmed air.
*Purchase a microwaveable pet heating disk and put it in your pets bed. These last for many hours and offer wonderful comfort. Be sure to place the disc under a towel so that it isn't initially too hot against the pet's skin. It will also soften the area over the hard disc.
*If you don't have a disc, a down jacket in a box or pet bed with the feather side up covered with a towel makes a terrific soft inviting self heating bed.
*A heating pad sandwiched between a blanket or towel below for cushioning and as well as on top works well too. Be sure the electrical cord isn't obvious if your cat is interested in them or a kitten and the temperature isn't too hot.

*A reptile sun lamp is great hooked above a pet bed. Above, Horus hugs a toy as he basks under the heat of a lamp. His bed is a small pet bed with sides and a sheepskin on top. The heat directly on the head helps drain and comfort blocked nasal passages better than any other heat source. It will also heat the lungs for kitties who's respiratory problems are more severe. The sheepskin or whatever you use to keep in heat helps capture the lamp's warmth and surround the pet in comfort.
After resting under the lamp, we find that heads and lungs are loosened and pets sneeze and cough out mucus. Have tissues ready for lots of nose wiping and such! We gave Horus a good 15 minute steaming in the bathroom first, then to his sun lamp for as long as he was willing to loosen stubborn mucus in his nasal passages, ear canals and lungs twice a day.
Nefrette (right) is in a nest bed with an electric heating pad on low under a folded knit sheet.

Even health cats will gravitate toward heat sources like this. We have healthy cats that sleep for hours under a heating light, like a halogen desk lamp on a shearling at the office. A three black cat pileup to get under one lamp on the right! Halogen lamps put off incredible heat, but are not safe left unattended. They can be knocked over and cause a fire. Sheepskin is naturally resistant to flame, but we only use these lamps for kitty heaters when they can be supervised.

*FEVER: If your cat has the chills, it probably has a higher fever. Vets have medication that controls a fever, however, if you are in a situation where you have to wait for a vet, you may want to take the cat's temperature. To do this, use a small rectal thermometer or a human digital thermometer. Sterilize it by dipping it in rubbing alcohol.
Allow to dry then apply petroleum jelly to the tip.
Have the cat stand or lay on it's side and gently subdue the pet.
Shake the thermometer until it is below 100. If using a digital thermometer, this does not apply. Insert the thermometer one inch and wait for 1-3 minutes for a traditional thermometer, a digital thermometer will give you a signal much more quickly.
Take the thermometer out and read it.
The average for a cat is 100.5 - 102.5 degrees.
If the cat has a fever, move up your vet appointment to the soonest possible time!
Lay a towel in the sink and lay the cat on it, cover the cat in another towel and put ice packs around the edges. Comfort and caress the cat while he lays in the therapy area. You'll see a cat on a hot day or one that has a fever lay down in the cool sink to bring down their own temperature. This can also help bring down the fever if you don't have any ice or frozen food bags or boxes.
A damp wash cloth over the cat can help too. Don't wet down the cat. Don't rub him in alcohol.
DO NOT GIVE YOUR CAT TYLENOL, ADVIL and other HUMAN MEDICATIONS! If you can't physically get the cat to the vet immediately, try to speak with your vet or an emergency vet on the phone to get their input.
Some vets will tell you it's okay to give a cat 1/4 of a baby aspirin once every other or every three days. Other vets will tell you no aspirin at all. Aspirin IS toxic to cats, so do not in any way consider it a safe medication! Ask your vet if he she recommends it for your situation. We consider Aspirin a last resort for a raging fever, if no other natural method works and you can not get to a vet to help you.

*VAPORIZER - HUMIDIFYER: Bring your cat to a warm bathroom where a humidifier with some salt water solution has been prepared. Don't put salt in your vaporizer, it will ruin the unit!
Let the cat breathe the steam for 15 min. 2 or 3 times daily. Putting a favorite treat in with the cat will keep it occupied while the therapy goes on and make it a positive experience. We have several cats with colds at the same time, so they kept each other company and were perfectly content to sit quietly on their perch during the entire time.
Some cats that are totally well now, still jump up to the steaming spot and wait for another session!
Below are Genghis Kahn left and Horus right enjoy a steaming session in a warm bathroom.

*NASAL SPRAY or DROPS - Opening stuffy heads and healing sore passages. Be sure to wipe noses often, kitties can't blow their noses on their own, so wiping away matter is very helpful in clearing stuffed up passages.
OCEAN Saline Nasal Spray nothing with medication in it! 2 -3 drops in each nostril flushed open noses, flushes sinuses and the cat can breathe again very quickly. When they can breathe they smell and when they smell, they are stimulated to eat. The cats we have used it on do get used to it but it certainly isn't a favorite thing! Drug stores carry it.
COLLOIDAL SILVER is a safe Health Food store over the counter antibiotic that can be put in the nose, eyes, drinking water, etc. 2-3 drops in each nostril for this too. It will cure an amazing number of ailments, from skin problems to scratched eyes (make sure that the bottle says okay for eyes, not all do!), cuts and skin irritations even in the most sensitive of areas. We use it orally to prevent a cat getting sick when we see the symptoms starting. Be sure not to contaminate the bottle by dipping in and out while treating a sick cat. Transfer a small amount to a sterile small eyedropper bottle and work from that instead, refilling as needed. Health food stores carry it.
Since it's a natural antibiotic, it's great for soothing and healing nasal, mouth or throat ulcers caused by the viruses.
Genghis Kahn and Horus had chronic stuffed heads and noses for a month and a half. At this point, we introduced the Colloidal Silver. After the second dose of colloidal silver drops in their nose, their breathing improved 50% overnight. Amazing results. They were given a drop in each nostril twice a day and two droppers a day orally until the sinus problem and cold symptoms were gone.
PREVENTATIVE MEASURES: We also use Colloidal Silver orally and in the noses of cats that are starting to look like they're coming down with a cold. Usually within a few days, the symptoms are gone and the cold doesn't catch on.

IMMUNE SYSTEM BOOSTING - for head colds, chest colds, bronchitis, cancer and any healing or aging issues:
One of the very best Immune boosting products available today is TRANSFER FACTOR, awesome for cats, dogs, horses, pets and people too. Transfer factor is an all natural substance that works by "teaching" your own immune system to identify infectious agents that attack your body every day. 4Life combines it with other immune optimizing compounds including colostrum, noni and mushrooms and markets it in a variety of formulations. We use the TRANSFER FACTOR PLUS ADVANCED which offers the greatest immune boosting ability - 437%. Amazing product. Two capsules a day is the dosing we've used for cats and dogs. Used to heal cancers in dogs, cats, horses, failing elderly pets, upper respiratory infections and colds, recovering from serious injury such as paralysis and so much more. TRANSFER FACTOR information and veterinarian, researcher testimonials here.
More information, case studies and Testimonials healing with TRANSFOR FACTOR here as well.
We pulled an 11 year old Presa Canario dog with terminal aggressive, worst possible bone cancer through with this and some other awesome vitamin, mineral, herbal, botanical and dietary regiment. Amazing! He was given 2 weeks to live and in three months, there was no sign of the disease. A year later, still no cancer.
Here's a link for easy to buy Transfer Factor Plus at a great price. We do pay for shipping, they have a free ground shipping offer, but we pay for shipping because these guys really expedite! The site is: Intohealth.com if your browser won't link to this odd path, paste in: http://www.intohealth.com/shop/product_view.asp?id=974851&StoreID=C17109924DB544C79ED3B1AFBDD56869&private_product=1

We found a very helpful product that offers a homeopathic remedy for such infections - PETALIVE RESPO-K . We use it along with the immune boosting elements listed next. One tiny tablet 3-5 times a day. Great for dogs too.
We use MISSING LINK FELINE formula sprinkled on dry and wet foods to help kick the immune system into action. They like the taste and it's packed full of wonderful ingredients to boost and maintain the immune system. There is also a dog formula available.
Vitamins: FELOVITE II is a tuna flavor vitamin mineral supplement paste for cats. VEDCO NUTRIVED CHEWABLE VITAMINS are micro encapsulated kitten vitamins. Some like the roast beef - liver flavor and eat them like treats. If not, you can grind on up and put it on wet or dry food or let the powder stick to the Nutrimalt paste when dosing it and give the kitten or cat both at once. The only thing we don't care for with these vitamin formulas is that they have almost no Vitamin C. You can add your own Ester C to your cat's diet, build up to 500mg a day over a week or two's time. Just mix a tiny bit of water and Probios to mask the flavor in a syringe and shoot it down their throat at mealtime. It will most likely upset their stomachs between meals!
Our favorite year round Cat Vitamins is a super strength Vitamin compound called MEGA C PLUS available in powder form or drops for infants. We take one part vitamin powder to one part PROBIOS powder and mix with only a small bit of water in and shoot it down their throat with a little syringe. The Probios masks the vitamin taste very well and most don't mind at all. That way you don't have to make the canned food taste badly. We give treats after dosing, so the healthy cats look forward to their vitamin "shot" every day because treats follow! Be sure to give it at mealtime so that you don't upset their stomach. Here is an PET HEALTH INFO PAGE by Dr. Belfield about the amazing results that have been attributed to the product with such health issues including treated cats testing Positive for FeLV, becoming negative after treatment! Mega C Plus is critical in treating feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), panleukopenia, upper respiratory infections, infectious feline anemia, etc. It is a very strong vitamin formula that you gradually built the cat up, starting with just a sprinkle on the wet food and gradually building to 1/4 teaspoon or so daily. When built up slowly cat's get used to the taste and expect it in their food.
Or, you can use our method in a syringe as described above if they are very picky and won't eat. Too much too quickly can cause diarrhea, so slow and sure is the dosing here. We find that if you add a teaspoon - tablespoon of the Pumkin Puree to the canned food, they can handle the full dose vitamins much better. We use a heaping teaspoon in a can of cat food with the Mega C Plus vitamins with no diarrhea problems at all. A tablespoon of soaked Oatmeal as well, so much the better for keeping the stool solid. Dr. Belfield has some terrific books on Cat and Dog health that we find incredibly helpful in treating our gang.
NUTRAMEDIX SAMENTO CATS CLAW
This is a bark native to the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest It is an incredible herbal botanical remedy - immune system stimulator and a body detoxifyer. Samento’s Cat’s Claw is a powerful immune system support product. It is beneficial for people and pets for the treatment of a wide range of immune system conditions such a cancer, arthritis, allergies, intestinal disorders, candida, herpes and more. Samento is a rare, very pure form of Cat’s Claw that has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and anti-oxidant properties. Much clinical research has been done on this product and the benefits it can provide. For example, a European study found that Samento activates the immune system by increasing lymphocytic (white blood cell) activity. Samento is also a powerful anti-inflammatory which makes it very useful for arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. It also helps to increase T-lymphocyte and microphage production and can be used as a broad spectrum infection fighter.
We use 3 drops for kittens, 4-5 for teenage and adult cats in a syringe with a small amount of water twice a day. Water activates the drops, so wait 1 minute before administering it.

LYSINE SUPPLEMENT - An oral application of Lysine interferes with the Herpesvirus reproduction. We use a scant pinch usually with the vitamin paste or hidden in wet food. This is available at your local grocery, drug store or health food store.
INTERFERON-ALPHA - Another therapy that is frequently used is low doses of interferon-alpha. We have never used it but hear wonderful results with it. Consult your vet .

*ANTIHISTAMINES - DECONGESTANTS: We always opt for the natural approach first as above, using Colloidal silver and immune boosting vitamins, minerals and herbs first. Resort to any human medications as a desperate back up plan.
We have used CHLORTRIMETON as a decongestant with a great deal of success in comforting sick cats and getting them to drink water on their own and eat. We have had sick kittens that had to be forced to take liquids, start drinking large amounts of water and nibbling on food after the first dosing of Chlortrimeton (chlorphinaramine). It is an over the counter medication you can purchase as pharmacies and grocery stores all over. Be sure it is not mixed with other medications and is in tablet form. Use it for no more than three or four days in a row. It's worked wonders for us.
Double check with your vet for his or her recommended dose and to make sure that it is suggested for your situation and won't interfere with any medications the cat may already be on. We were told as a general rule to give kittens four to eight weeks old a scant 1/4 tablet, nine weeks to four months a generous 1/4 - 1/3 tab and average weight adult cats 1/2 a pill. Give them two doses per day for the 3-4 days maximum. We find that it takes only a day or two before they start breathing much better at which time you can discontinue it.
We always try a natural alternative first before resorting to drugs. Ocean and Colloidal Silver drops in the nose are a great first choice, as is PetAlive Respo-K.
BENADRYL is an antihistamine some vets will prescribe. We think it is more effective for itchy allergy situations than stuffy heads. Benadryl is quite effective when used in proper dosages. It is the anti-histamine (diphenhydramine).
Stops itching
Controls vomiting
Good for motion sickness
Can be used as a mild tranquilizer
Good for snake bites
Useful for vaccination reactions
Good for bee stings and insect bites
Be sure to use only the plain Benadryl capsule or pill form. formula. Giving Benadryl with other combination of meds could be fatal, so be sure to read the box. Don't use Liquid Benadryl, it is too high in alcohol for pets. Suggested dosage, but please first ask your vet and make sure any medication will not interfere with antibiotics or is deemed safe for that pet!
Dosage every 8 hours Dogs under 30 lbs and Cats : 10 mg
Dogs 30-50 lbs: 25 mg
Dogs over 50 lbs: 50 mg

*GROOMING: Sick cats don't usually bother to groom themselves and their coats become sickly looking as well. Take a nice natural bristle brush, be it a pet brush or people hair brush and very gently brush your cat. It's very comforting and will often get some purrs and grooming attempts out of a sick kitty. Be sure to brush their belly, shoulders and legs too. You know how good it feels to have your own hair brushed!

*MASSAGE: Using your thumbs in an eyebrow to crown, left, right, left, right stroking pattern, massage the top of your cat's head. Like you, this will help with draining the sinuses. Very gently, stroke with your thumbs from nose under the eyes out as well. Most cats will make relieved grunting sounds as you work over these areas.
Massage their neck, chest, shoulders, legs and paw pads, then in between the paw pads. Massage down the spine and very gently in circular motions massage the belly with your fingertips. This will also aid in digestion.
To help open the air sacs in the lungs, with the cat either laying back up or on your lap supported between your legs, use cupped palms and with mild pressure pat pat pat on either side of the cat just behind the shoulders / legs, over the ribs where the lungs are. Cat's usually love this as well and it's great therapy for respiratory infections and preventing head colds from traveling down into the lungs.

HORUS'S THERAPY:
PHASE 1: Antibiotics
One particularly frail pound kitten of ours, Horus, an oriental cream & ginger tabby with a terrible respiratory infection. We found him at 5 months old and learned he had been in a 1.5 x 1.5 foot cage his entire life. (See Horus in steam therapy above)
We had first gone the traditional antibiotics route with his vet: First Clavamox, then a two day stay in the hospital for a higher dosage antibiotic, then 5 days on Tetracycline. The vet stay and tetracycline did give him an apetite! His vet said no more antibiotics. We did not know about Azithromax at the time. A month had gone by and he was not improving. Eating on his own now was a terrific plus. But, he became more depressed and was very weak becausue he also suffered from diarrhea that just wouldn't go away. His immune system was obviously compromised and the antibiotics had killed off all of his good bacteria which caused his diarrhea. In such a weak individual to begin with, it was clear he was going to be a challenge to heal.
(See first section above for diarrhea treatment).

PHASE 2: Mineral - Vitamin - Herbal
PLEASE NOTE, HE WAS NOT TAKING AZITHROMAX OR AN OTHER ANTIBIOTIC AT THE SAME TIME TO AVOID NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS.
After the antibiotics, he was given the following therapy and started making dramatic improvements in just days. This is because the antibiotics he took had no effect on a virus (we did not know if his illness was caused by virus or the special bacterias talked about above. We learned about these at a much later date.)The antibiotics prevented secondary infecions from occuring. We were now boosting his immune system and putting in good bacterea to combat the illness.
We controlled his diarrhea as described in the first section on this page. He is now completely regular on this diet.
He began receiving the massage, vitamin - mineral - herbal, nasal drop - sunshine & visual stimulation or "will to get well" therapy:
*Dry Eagle Pack Holistic Select Anchovy, Sardine, Salmon food.
*Wet down dry Eagle Pack Holistic Select Kitten / rolled oats softened, then mixed with canned food in a ratio of 1/3ds when he would eat it. He much prefers a dry food diet and would only eat wet when there was no dry available.
*Felovite ll Vitamin paste daily with a pinch of Lysine added, alternating with the Chewable Vitamin in the wet food. We used these vitamins when diarrhea was an issue.
As his stomach grew stronger, we switched to the Mega C plus, gradually increasing to around 1/8 teaspoon a day. Since he isn't big on canned food, we mixed the C powder with the pinch of Lysine and 1/4 tsp. of Probios in a small amount of water then into an eyedropper and squirted down the hatch once a day after he had eaten breakfast. If his diarrhea returned, we backed off to the other vitamin formulas and slowly worked him back up on the Mega C formula.
To the dry food, added: Missing link or Purina FortiFlora sprinkled on top daily.
*Between meals, twice a day 4-5 drops of Samento Cat's Claw drops in a small eyedropper of water, allowed to activate for a good minute before dosing.
*Petalive Respo-K tiny tablets, one 5 times a day. Noticed improvement in breathing after the second day of dosing.
*A tablespoon of Yogurt if he was interested.
*Steam therapy 15 minutes twice a day followed by Heat lamp treatment as long as he wanted.
*Ocean and Colloidal Silver drops in the nose. 2 - 3 Droppers of Colloidal Silver orally. Colloidal in the eyes when they were affected. Colloidal silver drops in the nose to prevent sinus infection.
*Daily massage.
*Daily sunshine and fresh air sessions watching birds and walks on a harness in a secluded still quiet garden area. First just held in a blanket, then a few minutes of sitting on his own in the sunshine, a bit more every day as he grew stronger.
He went from unable to stand, falling over with weakness to attempting to chase a tree squirrel up a tree...thankfully on a harness. Short tree climbing bursts are now a favorite activity on his garden strolls. If he was having a particularly bad day, he would be carried around his yard to watch instead of letting him walk. He would come inside from his Sunshine and Will to Get Well therapy and hit the food bowls with gusto.
*Music and Video Catnip DVD in his room. We varied low impact entertainment for him during the day. Kept an oil burning heater on very low to maintain a comfortable warm air temperature for him.

His appetite grew by leaps and bounds until now it is enormous, he's full of attitude, purrs constantly, chats and has good energy. The chronic stuffy head problem seems to have good days and not so good days. His chest sounds very loose and he is coughing out clear and light colored mucus and blowing out a lot of loose mucus out of his nose. A full appetite with a stuffy head, that was just amazing! It has been two months since he first contracted his Upper Respiratory Infection (URI).

Had we known about the bacterial causes of URI when Horus and Genghis were adopted, we would have asked our vet about dosing them with Azithromax initially. It would not have helped any more than the antibiotics he was given if the cause was a virus. However, if caused by the bacterial agents talked about above, we would have been able to clear them up in just a week or two. Going on the assumption that their illness is in fact a Herpesvirus, we are continuing the Phase 2 therapy until all symptoms are gone.
Should Horus not heal completely very soon and be found to have chronic sinusitis, we will most definitley be dosing him with Azithromax. Genghis still suffers from watery eyes and has sneezes, but eats very well and plays a good deal of the time. We will also be dosing Genghis Kahn with Azithromax if these symptoms do not go away completely within another few weeks.

PHASE 3: Azithromax
Azithromax dose for Horus and Genghis Kahn. Administered 1/4 of a 250 mg pill to each. Within 4 days, both were virtually symptom free! Horus has a clear head and no more coughing or rumbling in the chest. Genghis has no more sneezing or runny eyes. Both have an amazing amount of boundless kitten playtime energy. They had to be locked into their quiet room to sleep and when they do sleep, they are zonked out for hours. This is the favorite time for all the other cats in the building, a respit from the maniacs.
Following up with a second 1/4 pill for each 7 days after the initial dose.
We couldn't be happier with the results!

Genghis Kahn, now totally healthy and happy takes a break from constant playtime and terrorizing to nap on his favorite shearling.

CANCER IN PETS -

Step one is to believe that your pet is going to get better. Be positive and surround the sick pet with your positive energy. Dogs and cats read our emotional state very well and know how we feel toward them.

Our experience with cancer in pets is with our dog named Magnum, an 85 lb. Presa Canario. He had broken his leg just under the shoulder as a 2 year old and the vets mixed metals putting in a rod and screws to repair the severe break. So, with electrolisis in the leg, he ended up with the worst possible bone cancer- 95% mortality rate. His entire upper leg bone was made mush by the cancer, everything beneath the metal plate and it had spread up into his shoulder bone.
To make things worse, Magnum was 11 years of age. The vets gave him two weeks to live after amputating the front leg because the cancer was the type thath spread throughout his organs and bloodstream. We began the regement as below and Magnum slept almost constantly for 3 months. He emitted a dreadful odor, I'm sure his body expelling the cancer. We taped magnets to his bandaging to help with his balance and healing, he also was now missing a front leg. The magnets fixed his balance issues almost immediately. After the three months, he woke from his fog and began walking with his pack. Soon he was playing and running again. A year after the ordeal, there was still no sign of cancer in his body. He passed away an old man without any sign of cancer.

We chose against putting him through Chemo, since it was not even recommended by his vets at this stage of the cancer. His odds of survival were so bleak coupled with his age.
HERE IS HIS ANTI CANCEROUS TUMOR REGIMENT:

RAW SALMON, as well as alternating LIVER and STEW MEAT, CHICKEN or TURKEY daily.
Carbs feed cancer, so limit the carbs to only vegetable sources. No added rice, no wheat, no corn and never raw potatoes. Raw Potatoes are poisonous to cats.

Use BROCOLLI and DARK GREEN LEAFY VEGIES as well as CARROTS, COLORFUL ROOTS, you can lightly steam turnips, beets, etc. If the pet is having a difficulty with raw vegetables, start with steamed and work towards raw. The more saturated the color of the vegetable, the better it is for healing. Same goes for the human diet!
Adding veggies to cat diets is tricky. Try using capsules of kelp and other sources of chlorophyll and greens.
If you want to use the veggies, try whipping them in a blender with some raw meat as well as canned food to make sure they're getting vital vitamins, minerals.
BE SURE TO CHECK THE POISON LIST BELOW TO MAKE SURE WHAT YOU'RE ADDING TO THE DIET ISN'T A POISON TO A CAT OR DOG.

EAGLE PACK Fish base dog food for a dry basic food and their canned food to help settle the stomach and make sure you are getting a host of antioxidants and balanced nutrition.

HIDING BAD TASTING SUPLEMENTS - Roll out a slab of CREAM CHEESE on a plate or marble, or wax paper spread the powdered elements on top, then roll up like a sushi roll, cutting off rings and feeding in sliced mouthfuls. If your pet likes the taste of the cod liver oil, open the capsule or simply use straight oil and drizzle over the powder to hide even more of the taste. This works well for dogs, cats are another story most of the time. We can hide the more bland elements like ProBios and Royal Jelly, sometimes flax seed oil and sometimes well whipped greens in canned food. You'll have to see what you can hide and what you will have to syringe into your cat.

SUPLEMENTS:
MycoMedicinals HOST DEFENSE, a mega powerful mushroom complex.  Taken on an empty stomach, this tastes aweful so just pop the whole capsule down a dog's throat. Cat's are tricky with this one. You may have to open them up and dump out the contents, If so, put it in a syringe of some water and scruff the pet high towards the head with claws facing AWAY from you!
PAU D'ARCO TINCTURE or CAPSULES we bought ours through Ebay Auctions, just type "Pau d'Arco " and in the search in http://www.ebay.com Both tinctures or pill form are incredible cancer fighting helpers. We use the tinctures, put a few drops into a small amount of water in a syringe and increase the dosage gradually. Two - three times a day dosing is recommended. Adjust dosing to your needs, it works as a laxative as well.
GREEN WALNUT COMPLEX (from Black Walnut Tree) http://www.bioessence.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1485
This site - BioEssence.com included this information about the product:
Dr. Hulda Clark made this formula famous in her book "The Cure For All Cancers". She says that many cancer patients have a parasite called Fasciolopsis Buski (INTESTINAL FLUKE), The adult fluke lives in the small intestine where it can cause ulcerations. The female produces eggs that hatch in the intestinal tract producing larvae that sprout tails and can swim in the fluid. After a short period, the tails drop off so that the flukes can encircle themselves with a protective cocoon, forming the next stage. This is a product you would use for a few weeks to insure that the parasite is gone. It isn't something to continue for a long period of time.

According to Dr. Hulda Clark, this stage of development produces a thick shell that propyi alcohol and other solvents in our body fluids dissolves, and allows the flukes to complete their life cycle. She says that they stimulate a growth factor called ortho-phosphotyrosine (OPT), one of 25 recognized cancer-markers, that cause normal cells that have been weakened by stress to go into unlimited division. Unless the body gets rid of this parasite-spawning chemical, excessive multiplication of cells takes over the tissues and cancer results.

This parasite does'n have to stay in the intestines, but can be swept along in the bloodstream to lodge inside weakened tissues, such as glands sat-urated with mercury or other toxic metals. They grow fat in their new locations and stimulate cancer cell division. The 3herb combination can help kill the 3 stages of this parasites as larvae, adult and eggs.

SAMENTO CAT’S CLAW 15 drops twice a day also best on an empty stomach in the morning or an hour or two after dinnertime. Try combining the above Host Defense, Pau D'Arco and Green Walnut Tinctures all at once in a syringe with a little water to activate the Samento. They're not going to like it, so make it quick right down the hatch and be ready with a favorite treat after it's been done.

ACIDOPHILLUS - PROBIOS - tasteless, just sprinkle on food

COLLOSTRUM from the health food store or TRANSFER FACTOR just sprinkle on food for dogs, probably have to syringe for cats.

BELOW IS THE CREAM CHEESE HIDING COLLECTION:
RESVERATROL mega immune vitamin from the health food store.  
MEGA C PLUS  - vitamin and mineral powder
COD LIVER OIL and FLAX SEED OIL capsules from the health food store
BEE PROPOLIS and ROYAL JELLY Available in table and other forms at health food stores. We buy our Propolis in the raw block form, freeze it and break off what we need then grind it in a mortor and pestle. Ours bee products come from Glorybeefoods.com click on shop online, then type in propolis, royal jelly.
This is a small bit of information found in an article from Natural Bloom: Anti-tumour/cancer Propolis and CAPE (explained below) have been shown to reduce the size of tumours and to selectively destroy and to curb the proliferation of malignant cells of many different types of cancer. As recently as June 10th 2005, cancer researchers have been given a grant of a million dollars to investigate the therapeutic value of Propolis for cancer. Costas Koumenis the lead investigator for the study was quoted as saying, "a very interesting property of these compounds is that they have been shown to cause cell death in tumor cells but not in normal cells." This study along with other current studies promises to propel Propolis into the limelight in the field of cancer treatment.
...This is because of the potent anti-inflammatory properties of the propolis constituents in particular CAPE (Caffeic acid Phenyl ester), CAPE has been shown to suppress T cell activation. A paper by Marquez et al in 20046 evaluated this to mean that since T-cells play a key role in the onset of several inflammatory diseases, CAPE is important because the this phenolic compound is a potent inhibitor of early and late events in T-cell receptor-mediated T-cell activation. Results like this have led other researchers to propose that CAPE is a worthwhile agent for reducing the severity of conditions associated with inflammation.