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New Kitten Sneeze

Lcabanilla9

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Hello all! We are new to this website, but not to owning a Sphynx. We have had a Sphynx in the past. After 2 years, we decided we wanted to get another one. We got our elf Sphynx kitten on Sunday, so 2 days ago. We were very wary to get another because our first had many health problems (extreme respiratory issues). Unfortunately, we were unable to afford his care since we were in college. Now that we are in a better position financially, we were excited to get another. Our new kitten is 9 weeks (I know this is probably too early to leave mom). Anyways, today is Tuesday morning and he has started to sneeze a little. They are still dry at this point, but I am terrified of the same thing happening again. I was told it is normal when moving to a new environment. Anyways, does this warrant a vet visit, or will it pass with time?

Side note: no kittens were sick at the breeders home. His parents are very healthy.
 

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Yoda mom

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@Lcabanilla9 awhhh happy Gotcha! Adorable! What is his name?

It’s not uncommon for newly homed kitties to get a stress URI . Not saying it’s a URI but always best to vet check

Always recommed a wellness check with new Gotchas - gets a good baseline and nips any potential brewing URI infection under control amd treated with antibiotics .

Also some heavily scented litters can cause sneezing
Many of us have had the new kitty slight URI symptoms and a vet visit did the trick to treat it

Keep us updated
look forward to lots of pics and tales of your adorable boy :)

Welcome to the lair family

Jump in and enjoy this fun friendly bunch
 

Catzzzmeow

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CONGRATULATIONS!!!! If you have not taken him in for a wellness check do so as soon as possible. Most contracts say you must within 36-48 hours of getting a kitten from a breeder. What does your contract state as guidelines? It protects the kitten and yourself to go that quickly. You are right your beautiful baby has left their mom a bit too young and their immune system is not as strong at this wee age. Respiratory infections can progress very fast when they are this young. Better safe than sorry.
 

Cinafina

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Ramses is a beautiful wee boy - congratulations and welcome! {}

I can't really add anything to all the great advise above, but do know it's impossible to not worry about your baby, especially when so little and young!
 

Yoda mom

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@Lcabanilla9 keep us updated on Ramses vet visit tomorrow

Be sure to have the vet make Ramses chart “ no Ketamine “ anesthesia .
It can have a rebound effect on the heart if there are undetected underlying heart issues .
If you plan on neuter ask in advance if they use Isoflurane amd propofol or similar for anesthesia

Positive vibes amd Head smooches !

Ps
Love your adorable avatar pic of Ramses :)
 
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Toa and Ross

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Welcome to sphynxlair. And congratulations with Ramses. What a handsome cutie. Good to hear you stay in touch with the breeder and have a vet appointment. Hope the sneezing will be under control soon so you can enjoy the time with your boy without stress
 

Lcabanilla9

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Update for everyone: the vet just said he has mild conjunctivitis, but did not prescribe anything for it. He said for the sneezing, he won’t prescribe anything unless it’s mucus/green/wet sneezes. I’m hoping it just passes, but I am wondering why he didn’t put him on antibiotic. What do you think?
 

Condo commando

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I'll be that person. Yeah 9 weeks is too young. Next time please do the right thing by the cat and wait longer.

Conjunctivitis is common in catteries, but infected cats are only symptomatic part of the time. That means you can't tell they have the virus.

Antibiotics are made to fight bacteria, not a virus which is what conjunctivitis is. The good news is conjunctivitis isn't deadly or remotely close to it. Try to keep your cat's environment stress-free because stress brings the symptoms out. Also smoke could exacerbate it.
 

Lcabanilla9

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I'll be that person. Yeah 9 weeks is too young. Next time please do the right thing by the cat and wait longer.

Conjunctivitis is common in catteries, but infected cats are only symptomatic part of the time. That means you can't tell they have the virus.

Antibiotics are made to fight bacteria, not a virus which is what conjunctivitis is. The good news is conjunctivitis isn't deadly or remotely close to it. Try to keep your cat's environment stress-free because stress brings the symptoms out. Also smoke could exacerbate it.
Thanks for replying! We are trying to bring the stress down and we don’t smoke. We are also switching his litter today to something that has less frangrance.
 

Yoda mom

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@Lcabanilla9 how is Ramses today?

Just to share many supplement with l-ysine
Here is a link

There is powder form for cats various brands in store and on line as well as a pump paste my vet sells or I have purchased online at chewy etc no prescription

There are even treats


Keep us updated
Head smooches
@Catzzzmeow do you have image to share of the l-Lysine powder you use ?
 
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Lcabanilla9

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@Lcabanilla9 how is Ramses today?

Just to share many supplement with l-ysine
Here is a link

There is powder form for cats various brands in store and on line as well as a pump paste my vet sells or I have purchased online at chewy etc no prescription

There are even treats


Keep us updated
Head smooches
@Catzzzmeow do you have image to share of the l-Lysine powder you use ?
@Yoda mom He seems to be doing better today! I have only seen him have one small sneeze this morning. I wiped his eyes with a cotton ball and water, but his eyes don’t seem to have excess drainage or anything to me (maybe I don’t know what I’m looking for). I attached a picture of his face so you can see his eyes.

We started him on lysine last night. I contacted the breeder and she says all the kittens at home are still symptom free, so I’m still thinking it is stress related. She also said she would do anything we wanted to do (refund money, new kitten) but i want To wait a few days to see if it really is something serious or not. Plus, we already love him!
 

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Yoda mom

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@Lcabanilla9 sounds like he is doing fine and settling in .
It’s not uncommon for new kitties to sneeze a little ... he got vet checked and you mentioned perhaps litter change.

Glad you have good communication with your breeder .
He looks adorable and his nose and eyes ! Soo cute bright eyed and clear amd healthy looking !
Big smooches to that adorable face!

Look forward to lots of pics and tales of Your sweet Ramses growing up
 

Lcabanilla9

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@Yoda mom
Another update: his sneezing seems to be the same today and he did this weird cough thing a few times in a row, I can’t explain it exactly, but it did not seem healthy. He also started having diarrhea.
The breeder is willing to refund us. I think she has good intent, but she obviously let him go too early. I even kept asking her if she was sure he was old enough, and she kept “reassuring” me.
We really love him, but I don’t wanna start off with a sick cat when we spent so much money. I’m not sure what to do.
 

Lcabanilla9

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we also called the vet to see if we could get some antibiotics so we are just waiting to hear back. The breeder said she will extend out the guarantee for 14 days so we have some time to decide luckily.
 

denise irwin

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I feel so bad for you , I wish I could help. It must be so difficult to make a decision after falling in love. Good luck and hugs

Sent from my EML-L09 using Tapatalk
 

Sheldon13

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That’s nice that she’s giving you time to decide. It is a difficult decision for sure.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 

Yoda mom

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@Lcabanilla9 To make the best informed decision definitely consult with your vet . the sneezing coughing these can be signs of of a URI .
It certainly is not uncommon for a newly homed kitty to develop a URI .
Coughing can come from litter too . I know so many things to consider and think about .
Is your new litter less dusty no febreze ?

From the posts here , you will see this mentioned . I am not a vet amd can’t diagnosis but I definitely would consult with your vet perhaps with a follow up visit rule to out a URI, discuss their honest health assessment , also would encourage a good listen to the heart for any murmurs .(Kittens can have ghost murmurs that can be gone on subsequent visits .)

A poo sample to the vet to rule out Giardia or any parasites is seen here on the threads too is often done on wellness checks .

Have you changed his food from what he ate at the the breeder , treats , human food etc?
Do you know if he was dewormed ? Something to discuss with vet too during wellness check These can poo issues . Too soon of a switch in food without a slow transition over a few weeks can cause poo issues .

We do see poo issues , sneezing etc on some newly brought home kitties amd a vet visit with diagnosis and treatment often clears things up amd no other issues . Some take a little more time to settle in . We have seen the other side of the spectrum too .


Only you can decided what is best amd I know there is a lot on your mind and heart making the decision . No guarantees either that another kitten could present. With similar symptoms or something else or worse .

Talk with your vet and make an informed decision .
We support you in whatever you decide is best
(((Hugs and head smooches))

Following closely for updates
 
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Lcabanilla9

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@Yoda mom
We went to the vet today to pick up a couple dewormers. He decided that was the best course of action at the time and said sometimes the first dewormer needs another boost and that it can cause the kitten to have swelling, therefore causing the sneezing symptoms and what not. He said if it’s not working midweek next week, he will give doxycycline or clavamox.

The kitten really is acting great other than a few sneezes (I maybe counted 5 today). I think my husband and I are just being extra and maybe too cautious because of our Horrible experience with our last Sphynx. I know it could definitely be worse! I have seen kittens on here and other Sphynx pages that look very sickly, and that is not the case with Ramses.

We have kept the same food to help the transition! We ended up switching the litter to Ultra Unscented Fresh Steps and it is much better than the last one we had. I asked my vet what he would honestly do if he was in the same situation and he laughed and said “well I would never buy a $1000 cat”. But of course nobody can make the decision but us. Our plan is to do everything we can before giving him back.
 
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