Question:

The thing that strikes me here is that you said the antibiotics helped.  If they helped then there must be some kind of bacterial infection.  This is obvious.  We need to remember when using antibiotics that the FULL course must be given otherwise the bacteria "learn" and grow stronger.  Always, always, always, give the whole course and keep the time schedule between the doses regular.  It’s also quite possible your kitty has allergies as well. Have you asked your vet about a low-allergen food?  Do you use fragrances in the house?  Any smokers?  Incense is bad for allergies.  I can’t believe this is incurable.  I’d be skeptical about that.  Sometimes we can "kill" ourselves and our pets with "kindness".  Not taking medications when needed, not eating certain foods, etc.  I went that route once before and was never so unhealthy in all my life.  I’m all for natural methods when practical but I never shun allopathic medicine when it’s indicated.  Your kitty may need more than one course of the antibiotics.  Give that a good try.  Make sure his diet is good.  Maybe an air cleaner will help if he has allergies.  A second veterinary opinion is a good idea. Best Wishes Mary

Response:

I got desperate with the same on-going respiratory symptoms in my cat "Goodness" so, after several rounds of liquid antibiotics that my sweet kitty objected to taking, I talked to a holistic doctor who recommended "THUJA," an immune system booster.  You can get it at the health food store for about $5.  I give my cat 4 pellets morning and night for two days whenever a cold comes on.  The very low concentration can’t hurt your cat. I also boil water for hours with essential oils in it to boost the immune system and relieve stress — a few drops of eucalyptus, lavender, fennel, coriander, rosemary, tea tree, grapefruit, and geranium — about $7 each from the health food store. More importantly, I had to look at what is causing the cat’s weakened state. She’s a feral kitten almost a year old, only with me for two months.  In that time, I’ve had her spayed which caused a hernia which caused constipation so she had an enema after three days of being backed up and vomiting her stomach contents and yellow bile.  She also had antibiotic pills for a skin condition that cleared up.  Then she got this cold that wouldn’t end.  She snores at night and purrs through phlegm.  The vet warned me that this could be potentially fatal.  IF the cat loses its sense of smell, it won’t eat, and then the infection wins.  Since I love this cat, I just keep shelling out the money. Loving Goodness is the most efficient way I’ve found to turn cold, hard cash into dirty kitty litter… The expense is tremendous!  I could help my vet retire 10 years early.  I resent the cost of some of this stuff.  For example, if I wanted one, I could get an enema cheaper than this cat  –  $93!, and I could get it done by a fat lady with a French accent in a softly lit private suite with New Age music against a background of ocean waves and loon song.  And my lower cost would include some concoction of organically grown herbal stimulants and aromatherapy…  Plus I’d get a gift bag to take home, filled with three kinds of laxative herbal teas and a meditation candle, the fragrance of trees and spice.  And I could keep the damn bag!  Ha!  Get one to match my shoes even! I finally resorted to calling an