Animal Welfare Professionals

Hey!

So my roommate and I just adopted to 5 month old kittens from MEHS. They are so adorable and so kind and we are in love. We noticed a couple days ago that they began to sneeze excessively, and my kitten sleeps for a majority of the day, although when he isnt sleeping he is meowing CONSTANTLY for attention..and always hs to be in direct physical contact with me (Which I usually don’t mind but is extremely difficult when I’m trying to get work done). Hes also not really interested in play at all.. and really hasnt eaten much other than the wet food I give him. I have a vet appointment scheduled for today. But do you think this could be an upper respiratory infection?? Also if so.. I read that they could have been infected many days prior to signs showing, does that mean they were infected at the shelter? Just worried because Its contagious and there were lots of other cats there that may be infected. Please let me know what you think :) 

I'm glad you have a vet appointment-- it's unusual for a 5 month old kitten not to want to play, and the sneezing would make me suspect an upper respiratory infection.  URIs are really common at most shelters because there are lots of pets in close quarters and the stress of being in a shelter can inhibit their immune systems sometimes. If your vet tells you he has a URI, it might be a good idea to give the shelter a heads-up (although I think most are kind of always on the lookout for the symptoms in pets since they're so common). Most likely you'll get an antibiotic and he'll start feeling better within a couple of days. I was on the board of a rescue that pulled pretty much only kittens who were sick with URIs straight out of their isolation ward, and most cleared up really quickly (one or two just needed a different antibiotic than the one that was given originally). The antibiotic combined with the lessened stress of living in a home can do wonders for them.