Question

Hi--

I have an 11-month-old male cat who is breathing through his mouth--not labored breathing, and not panting with his tongue out, but not normal breathing, either. He's been sneezing for a few days, on and off, and when I noticed the open-mouth breathing this afternoon, I took him to the vet.

The vet said the open-mouth breathing was, in my cat's case, likely a sign of his fever spiking, and it stopped once the temp stabilized. The cat received an injection of Convenia at about 5:15 PM and I gave him his dose of Interferon at about 10:30 PM. About fifteen minutes after giving him the Interferon, I noticed he was breathing through his mouth again, and he still is (at about 11:40 PM).

Since I don't know how quickly either medication works, I don't know if I need to take the cat to the vet ER, or if I can monitor him through the night, try to bring his temp down with the ice-pack or lukewarm washcloth methods, and consult his regular vet in the morning.

I appreciate the help!