Cats and Kittens

Stacey M asked:


He had his first vet check up and all of his vaccinations are up to date at this point. He had fleas, so I applied Advantage on him. We also have two other cats already and they were treated also. A day or so later I realized his ears had brown stuff in them. The vet thought these may be earmites, so I am treating them with a gel like ear drop every other day and cleaning them with a cotton ball. He seems to be shaking his head a lot after the first cleaning and one of his ears even tucks down close to his head. He is also sneezing/coughing making a gruff noise when he is lying down, almost like he’s been smoking for years. My question is, are all of these things normal? How contagious are earmites? Does he have an URI? What can I do for him? He seems to still be eating and drinking well and there is no sign of conjunctivitis or a lot of nasal discharge yet. Please help. I’m a little overwhelmed.

H3 asked:


My mother and daughter cats are indoor cats with almost no contact with other cats or the outside world. The daughter is about six weeks old and I’m planning to get them both vaccinated next month, since mommy cat had no previous vaccinations from her former owner. What vaccinations do you recommend? I read about some vaccinations causing diseases in cats, and experts recommending to stick to the really vital vaccinations only such as panleukopenia. Thoughts? Thanks!