She has begun vaccinating, and has had healthy kittens since. Pneumonia can develop rapidly, with the cat seeming fine one minute, and near death 12 hours later. Young kittens are the hardest hit. They can seem fine when you go to bed, and be dead from pneumonia the next morning. A small sniffle, cough, or runny eye can progress rapidly in 12 hours to a dead kitten.
Older kittens can have copious nasal discharge, be unable to smell or eat, but seem fine otherwise.
Diagnosis is made by your veterinarian via a tracheal wash and a culture and sensitivity. Bordetella can appear by itself or in conjunction with other respiratory viruses, so individual catteries may experience varying symptoms. Bordetella is resistant to Amoxicillin, but seems to be sensitive to just about every other antibiotic. The most commonly used are Clavamox and Baytril, either in conjunction, or alternating weeks. Some veterinarians recommend a 21 day treatment period.