Ollie Update

Since Ollie is feeling a bit under the weather, I'm doing the update. :)

He's still sneezing and sniffling and has a bit of eye drainage. The sneezing/sniffling is a bit worse than yesterday and the eye drainage seems a bit better, but that's really all I'm seeing. He's still very playful, very loving and has a good appetite.

However, since I know this "cold" can be transmitted to other cats and since I've never really had any experience with this sort of thing, I called both the shelter (to give them a heads up that it was going on), and talked to Melody at the clinic to be sure I knew what to watch out for.

Basically, we're just going to keep a close eye on him and make sure it doesn't progress further. If he's not improved by Wednesday, Melody told me to call the shelter and get approval to come out and see Dr. Walthall. Obviously if he stops eating or the symptoms get worse, things become more urgent. At that point, he'll probably need to go on antibiotics.

And for now, the quarantine is definitely in force. This sort of thing is very contagious and, like Ollie said last night, I've been rather expecting it. Stress does play a part, and he did have that last Tuesday when he was crated to come home with us, so that can be a trigger.

Also, once he stops the sneezing/sniffling, the chance for transmission goes WAY down. I'll want to see him completely clear of any symptoms for at least 24 (and more likely 48) hours. Since he wasn't due out of quarantine until next Wednesday, I suspect that won't be much of a problem.

I'll update this as needed.