Shelter Kitten sick after vaccines and flea bath

I adopted a kitten 4 months old from a shelter. He came home and he was happy and playing around. 2 days later, I decided to give him a bath with "four paws" fleas and ticks shampoo, as well as providing him with a flea collar. Saturday he woke up a little sneezy, didn't eat or drink anything until later on that night. Sunday he woke up fine and then by the afternoon he wasn't acting his usual self. He was moving his mouth like "meowing" but nothing was coming out he was sneezing a lot more, with bubbles coming out of his nose. Someone suggested I remove the flea collar and I did, and I researched it and found horrible reviews for those collars. I washed his neck with lukewarm water. I will be taking him to the vet tomorrow.

At the shelter they gave him some shots. Is that maybe the after affect of the shots? Or the shampoo? Or the flea collar? I'm really worried. His gums are pink, he ate today and drank water, but he's still moving his mouth with a silent meow and he’s acting a bit lethargic. I added the humidifier, keeping his nose moist, and keeping fresh water by his side. He's blinking his eyes super slow, and just wants to lie down. And I put my ear on his belly and heard maybe a bit of congestion going on.

Please Help!

Sincerely,
T- Rex's Mom


Dear T-Rex’s Mom,

These cat illness symptoms you described are serious, and could be a reaction to any of the things you have mentioned or, quite likely, all of them in combination. Your kitten was in a cat shelter and exposed to cat viruses, on top of that he received cat vaccines which cause lethargy and inappetence. Then your kitten received possible toxic flea treatments. If you haven’t done so already, please take him to a veterinarian immediately. He could be suffering from a cat upper respiratory infection coupled with a vaccine reaction AND a toxic reaction to the cat flea products.

In the future, avoid cat flea and tick shampoos and dips. If dander, shedding, and hairballs are the primary concern and the primary reason for bathing your kitten, I would recommend use of a shampoo product from FURminator made specifically for cats. They offer both a standard shampoo and a waterless spray. And for flea and tick preventatives in the future, I would recommend using Frontline or Advantage for cats.

All the best,
Dr. Neely