My cat is gagging, coughing, and has eye/nose discharge. Is it a URI?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be due to the upper respiratory infection or an ulcer for example. Regardless, he is likely going to need eye medications. I recommend you have him evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Best of luck!

Cats commonly suffer from infectious upper respiratory tract infections and as long as they are bright and alert, eating at least half their normal food and symptoms last no longer than 10-14days I would not be overly concerned. Antibiotics are generally not required unless a severe secondary bacterial infection develops in which case they would appear unwell, green/yellow nasal or eye discharge and sneezing would be expected to develop

Upper respiratory infections often are accompanied by watery eyes and once the kitten gets a parenteral antibiotic (liquid amoxicillin) this will also affect and work on the eye infection. So, unless the eyes are very severely infected with lots of pussy discharge, there is no need for an eye ointment or eye drops.

This is a classic presentation of a cat with an upper respiratory infection (aka cat flu). There are many different potential causes of these infections and can appear somewhat different depending on the infectious agent(s) involved. They usually do have a fever early in the infection and sometimes have swollen lymph nodes. They also tend to avoid eating and drinking, because the congestion in the nose does not allow them to breathe properly. You can help the congestion by giving him a steam bath. There is a link below that has good information about how to do this and other helpful tips for this condition. http://www.wikihow.com/Help-Your-Cat-Breathe-Easier It's best if you can get Muffy to a vet within the next day or two. While these infections are often due to a virus, they can become complicated with bacterial infections, which will make things much worse. The vet would be able to prescribe the necessary treatment to make him feel better and keep the infection from getting worse. I hope this helps and Muffy feels better soon.

It may take 7-10 days for the condition to resolve. As long as he is still eating, breathing normal, and has normal energy then continue the medications as directed and monitor his condition. If he has a viral infection then it will need to just run it's course as the antibiotics will only treat a bacterial infection. If he stops eating, becomes lethargic, or has any breathing issues then he should be rechecked by a vet.

This is a classic presentation of a cat with an upper respiratory disease. They usually do have a fever early in the infection and will feel bad. They also tend to avoid eating and drinking, because the congestion in the nose does not allow them to breathe properly. You can help the congestion by giving him a steam bath (if possible). There is a link below that has good information about how to do this and other helpful tips for this condition. http://www.wikihow.com/Help-Your-Cat-Breathe-Easier Unfortunately, we cannot (legally and ethically) advise medication without having an established patient-doctor relationship. It is also dangerous for us to advise medication without examining Miss Kitty and fully understanding her condition and medical history. I do not recommend giving the penicillin for this. It would be best if you can get Miss Kitty to a vet within the next day or two, but I understand you are unable to catch her. You may consider getting help with this, or hiring a cat trap. While these infections are often due to a virus, they can become complicated with bacterial infections, which will make things much worse. The vet would be able to prescribe the necessary treatment to make her feel better and keep the infection from getting worse. I hope that helps and Miss Kitty gets better soon.

Unfortunately, it appears that his infection was not completely cleared when the antibiotics finished. This happens sometimes, where the infection requires a longer than normal treatment period. I recommend having Smokey rechecked by your veterinarian, so they can further evaluate his condition and give another treatment plan. I hope that helps and Smokey gets better soon.