My cat is sick after new kitten. Is it a cold or stress?

Question

My 9-year-old Devon Rex, Archie, began acting different yesterday. (August 15th, we adopted a new kitten.) Archie's skin feels warmer than usual. He simply wants to sleep and not move from my bed or his. His meows are raspy and short. He is not eating as much as usual. He randomly will dry heave/gag - but nothing will come out. Him and the kitten have been getting along - they sleep together, Archie cleans the kitten continuously - I feel like his symptoms could be stress but want to confirm. Pet's info: Cat | Devon Rex | Male | neutered | 15 lbs

Dr. Davis · Accepted Answer

This sounds like Archie caught a cold from the new kitten. This does not sound like stress to me. Just like when kids go to school for the first time they catch things from other kids that they had not previously been exposed to. So even if your kitten appears to be healthy he may have given an upper respiratory infection to Archie. It can cause a fever, lethargy, and often coughing and clear discharge from the nose and eyes. Just as we get colds and are miserable for a few days then recover it's the same with cats. If he gets green nasal or eye discharge and stops eating he may have a secondary bacterial infection that should be treated with antibiotics. I'm glad they are getting along so well and Archie is so attentive to the little one. He should be feeling better in a week or so. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Archie.

My cat is sick after new kitten. Is it a cold or stress?

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