Young cat died after sneezing.

Dr. Marie replied:

I'm sorry to hear about this poor little kitty.

I am suspicious that there was something other than a respiratory infection that was responsible for this cat's death. While a respiratory infection can be fatal, you would see a lot more than just a little sneezing.

If a young cat dies suddenly I wonder about a heart condition such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This would be something that he would have been born with and there really is nothing that you would want to do with the other cats as it would not be something contagious.

Antibiotics are not necessary for these cats. If there is a respiratory virus, the virus won't be killed by antibiotics. However, if a cat gets a virus and it gets to the point where there is green nasal discharge it may be that there is also a secondary bacterial infection. If that happens then you can talk to a vet about getting some antibiotics.

It is possible that the deceased kitty had a virus that was affecting his immune system such as FIV, FIP or Feline Leukemia virus. If this is the case then it is possible that the other cats have this too. You could have them tested, but there is no cure for these viruses so testing would not change much. However, once again, even with one of these viruses I would not expect a cat to die without seeing severe illness first.

I'm sorry that I don't have an exact answer for you, but the odds are high that this was an isolated event and the other cats should be ok.

They may still get an upper respiratory virus so keep an eye on them. If you are noticing green nasal or eye discharge or reluctance to eat then a vet visit is a good idea.

Dr. Marie



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