# Pasteurella in cats



## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

I took my cats to the vet Tuesday morning, but Tuesday is surgery day so they asked me to drop them off before work that morning and the vet would see them in between surgeries.

Casper has a mild UTI and she gave me some amoxicillin drops (the bubblegummy scented pink liquid kind) for him.

She said they both have flea allergies and gave them both a steroid shot for that. She also gave them a shot called Convenia. I've looked that up online and it says it's for Pasteurella multocida but I can't find any good information about it. The only info I can find about Pasteurella multocida is that most cats carry it, what it does when humans are infected, and that it's the same strain as the Pasteurella that infects rabbits. I'm trying to find out what the symptoms of it are if a cat is actually sick with it (as opposed to just being a carrier). I really would just like to understand why the cats needed that shot. If all cats carry Pasteurella multocida anyway, then what does the shot do for them? Is it given when they are actually _sick_ (and if so, then what symptoms should be aware of to know if they might ever need the shot again in the future?), or is it a preventative type shot, or??

The vet was not available for me to talk to, she didn't call me when she saw the cats (like I requested multiple times), and the receptionist really didn't know the answer. I'm not trying to argue that they shouldn't have had the shot, but I really don't know why they needed it.


----------



## Pyrenees (Oct 23, 2004)

It's a broad-spectrum antibiotic. Covers a lot more than just pasteurella.


----------



## lasergrl (Nov 24, 2007)

Its like clavamox but injectable and long lasting. That is how the drug rep. Described it.


----------



## Minelson (Oct 16, 2007)

Like they said...long acting, broad spectrum antibiotic. Not always the best but great for situations where it is so hard to treat a cat. It's usually priced by the weight of the animal. I have an outdoor cat that was showing signs of a UTI and I gave her 2 injections 2 weeks apart. It would be too hard to consistently treat her orally twice a day for 10-14 days. She would disappear. So this is a great alternative. I do feel that Amoxy or Ceph in liquid, given bid is more effective though..nothing concrete to base that on. Just a feeling.


----------



## rabbitpatch (Jan 14, 2008)

Minelson said:


> Like they said...long acting, broad spectrum antibiotic. Not always the best but great for situations where it is so hard to treat a cat. It's usually priced by the weight of the animal. I have an outdoor cat that was showing signs of a UTI and I gave her 2 injections 2 weeks apart. It would be too hard to consistently treat her orally twice a day for 10-14 days. She would disappear. So this is a great alternative. I do feel that Amoxy or Ceph in liquid, given bid is more effective though..nothing concrete to base that on. Just a feeling.


That makes sense. Ms. Kitty was having some mild respiratory issues (see my other post) so the antibiotic shot was probably all she needed. I did notice that she sounded much better yesterday (day 2 after the shot) so it must be helping her. And I guess it was kind of a "kick start" for Casper's UTI with the amoxicillin drops to follow. They didn't say how long to give him the drops - written instructions just said "until gone" but there looks to be about 14 days worth in the bottle. I'm mixing it with a spoonful of canned food and I hope that's okay. He eats it up with no fuss that way and I figured it would be way easier and less stressful on both of us to medicate him that way.


----------

