How long for antibiotics to kick in?

19 years ago

Hi Everyone,

A little background: My cat Monkey is about a year and a half old, he's normally extremely friendly and annoyingly affectionate (the type that will headbutt you for hours on end until he gets petted enough!), purrs like a motorboat, very vocal, extremely playful, not afraid of anything or anyone, even plays with his toys at the vet. He's great and I love him to death.

We moved across the state last weekend. It consisted of putting him and his brother in a large crate with food, water and a litter box for the day while the movers moved our furniture. Then we went for a 4 hour drive across the state (Monkey does NOT like cars) where we spent the night in a hotel. Then to a new place where he was locked up in a bedroom while the movers moved everything in.

While locked in the room, my brother put him on a shelf about 6 feet high that flipped over, throwing Monkey on the ground and the shelf and misc. objects on it may have landed on him (I'm not sure, it happened so quickly). He was terrified for like an hour which isn't like him. He wouldn't get near anyone and huddled in the corner. He seems ok, not limping or anything. It was probably the accident combined with so much stress that bothered him.

I noticed at the hotel that he seemed really warm in his ears, and I could feel the heat of his paws through my clothes. My family thought I was nuts, that it was just stress, but he was much warmer than usual for about 3 days. I took him into the vet (he had no fever) who looked at him and tested stuff in his ear and said he had an ear infection (lots of bacteria and some yeast) and the beginnings of a URI that may have been triggered by all the stress over the weekend.

This was on Tuesday morning, and she prescribed 25 mg of Zeniquin to give once a day, plus Chlorpheniramine for congestion. I also have medicine to put in his ears, Panolog, that I put in once a day. I also have OtiRinse ear cleaner. I clean his ears out every other day.

Here's my question: He's now had 4 of the antibiotic pills, and he's still very lethargic. He doesn't want to be petted much, he doesn't purr very much, his eyes are very bright and he's just not himself. He seems to be eating fine, and drinking. His ears are no longer hot...they're actually quite cool. I thought antibiotics usually kicked in between 24-48 hours? Shouldn't he be feeling better by now? Is this a strong dose of antibiotics? He's nearly 14 pounds so he's a big cat. He's only ever been on Clavamox and Baytril, last year.

Am I overreacting? He's supposed to take the antibiotics for 10 days, but if it's not working, I want to get him something stronger. I understand that some of his behavior may be adjusting to the new house, but like I said earlier, he's normally so cheerful in any situation, and he LOVES new places...he can't get enough of life.

Any advise? Thanks.

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Comments (9)

jean001
19 years ago
Your questions should be asked of the vet.
Chi
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks for your response. Ideally, yes, I'd love to ask a vet but it's Friday night and his condition is far from emergency so I don't have a vet to ask. I thought that maybe some of the knowledgable people here would know how long it usually takes for an ear infection to start to improve with antibiotics so I don't worry unnecessarily over the weekend.

I should mention also that he walks slower than usual and doesn't run and jump as much. He also lays down a lot instead of sitting when he wanders around the house. I guess this could also be attributed to the ear infection affecting his balance?
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Elly_NJ
19 years ago
Friday or no, he needs to get to the vet. Antibiotics take about 2 days to work. You are not worring unnecessarily. He needs to see a vet tomorrow.
Chi
Original Author
19 years ago
Okay, he's at 3 1/2 days so I'll call her tomorrow morning and see what she says. Thanks.
Elly_NJ
19 years ago
Good luck.
Chi
Original Author
19 years ago
He seems better today, actually. He woke me up at 4 am to insist on 20 minutes of petting while he purred madly the whole time, which is definitely his old self. He also seems a little more active, though he's still laying down a lot.

I talked to the vet and she said it should have taken effect by now, but she's having me stop the Chlorpheniramine since he's not too congested anymore, since that can cause drowsiness like Benedryl which may explain why he's lethargic. She said if he doesn't improve by Monday, to bring him in.

Thanks.
sue36
19 years ago
Could be that the pills are making him not feel good? I am not a vet, but as a person who has been on antibiotics for the last week, I can tell you that sometimes they make you not feel too great.
scryn
19 years ago
usually takes 48 hours for antibiotics to really start working. However that doesn't mean your cat will be feeling right by then! My dog is prone to bladder infections. the first day of meds he sleeps and sleeps and sleeps. The second day he is much better but not really "right" and by the third day he is his happy self again.
I assume cats may take a little longer than dogs because they seem to not handle stress as well as dogs.
Also, antibiotics can cause stomach-aches!
Chi
Original Author
19 years ago
Thanks everyone. Over the weekend he was at 90-95% of his old self so I was happy. But then late last night he threw up yellow foam. I have been watching his bathroom habits the last few days and I haven't been able to see him poop. I have 2 cats and a litter maid so it's hard (seperating them doesn't work well). I took him in this morning and they did x-rays and he's moderately constipated and he has some trapped gas. The decongestant that they gave him apparently sucks moisture out of mucus membranes so it may have caused it. He had an enema and an IV for some fluids as he was a little dehydrated.

I got home and he was foaming at the mouth a little. I don't know what's up with that, guess he tasted something bad. He ran to the litter box then 15 minutes later he threw up his breakfast. The vet said the constipation probably caused the vomiting cause there's not a lot of room for things to go. I'll mention this latest vomiting when I call this afternoon. I forgot to ask if I'm supposed to start his medicine today, or if they gave him some already

So I guess that's why he's been lethargic. Poor thing was all cramped up and probably didn't want to move much. Hopefully we'll get all this straightened out.

I'm so glad I have pet insurance...I'm almost at $400 and she wants to see him again tomorrow if he doesn't poop more.