Miss Kitty has been sneezing the past couple of days. The last time she did this, the vet said unless she had a discharge from her nose there wasnt' much they could do...not that I want to take her to the vet. Is there anything I can do for her...any suggestions.

Thanks.

D

Try crushing some Lysine (found in the vitamen section of your local drugstore) and sprinkling it on Miss Kitty's food Every day or each time she is fed.

Hello, D.........

My cats are sneezing right now, too. This time of year is "cold" season for more than just people. Rhinotracheitis can be going around for cats, too. Does your cat go outside? Or have you been in households with other cats who were perhaps sneezing?

How old is your cat? Does she seem ill at all? Maybe just a little bit under weather and sleepier than usual? Is she vaccinated?

Mine that have caught this are just a bit lethargic from it.....not unlike how I feel with this cold I am fighting! As with most viruses, this is running its course through my tribe. The sneezing is lasting maybe a week and then subsiding. Mine are all adults cats....the youngest is 1-1/2. They are vaccinated for rhino, but that vaccine is far from perfect. At best it will lessen the severity of symptoms, but rarely would it actually protect from the disease.

If your cat does not seem overly ill, is still eating/drinking and using the litterbox normally, not a kitten or geriatric cat, and sneezing is her only symptom, I would hold off and see if this seems to be a virus that runs its course in the next few days or so. If you have a very young or very old kitty who isn't eating/drinking normally or is showing litterbox problems or if you see other symptoms (such as a thick discharge from the nose or eyes or dehydration or marked lethargy), I would consult a vet.

There are, of course, other reasons your cat might be sneezing......allergies, a foreign object up in the nose/sinuses, tooth infection, etc.

How is your cat's breath? Is it pretty good or is it stinky and foul? Bad breath in a cat might be due to bad teeth. The roots of some teeth reach right up into the sinuses of cats and a badly infected one can cause a sinus infection. A vet can easily tell if your cat's mouth needs attention.

A foreign object up the nose can cause the same sneezing, but without the oral inflammation. One of my cats was having sneezing fits this summer where she would sneeze 8-10 times in a row numerous times throughout the day and be rubbing her face with her paw. My husband suspected a foreign object that would eventually break down enough to be sneezed out. He couldn't see anything up there, but cat nostrils are so tiny! Eventually, she must have gotten it out because one day I realized she wasn't sneezing at all. Must have been a piece of dry grass or something. Who knows?

Allergies....difficult to diagnose. Talk to your vet if you need help on those.

Sorry this is so long.

Hope it helps!
Janis

Kitty seems to be okay otherwise...not particularly lethargic. Usually if she's feeling ill she will go nap in the closet. But she seems okay...I think its just the change in weather. She's eating okay and litter box seems normal.

Thanks for your thoughts.

D

Samson is going through the sneezing thing right now, too. His vet recommended an antihistimine, Tavist (4 mg, 1/2 tablet twice per day) or Clortrimitin (I think that's what it is called) 1.1 mg, same dose. The 2nd one will make kitty very lethargic, but it seems to help the sneezing.

Good luck--hope Miss Kitty is feeling better soon. Doesn't it just make you feel bad when your sweet furbaby isn't feeling well?!

Sue

Hi Janis--

I read your post. Thank you for mentioning that the cat's teeth has roots that go up into the sinus cavity. My cat has had nasty breath for a while & is definitely going in for a cleaning--very soon. The vet thinks that Samson might have a little sinus infection. The worst part is having to give them the antibiotic--he gets soooo mad at me!

Did your vet give you pills or liquid for Samson? I prefer pills, but my husband prefers liquid. It all depends on your technique. He medicates cats in the clinic. I medicate our pets at home. He has trouble getting pills down cats, but I end up with liquid medicine all over me, the cat, and the floor, so go figure!! :)

I think I will start a separate discussion on medicating cats. This might be something that others have questions about, too.

Janis

I felt the need to respond to your message. I also had a cat with the name of Miss Kitty. She started to sneeze constantly and I took her to the vet. She had developed a cancerous tumor between her eye and her nose. When he opened her mouth the top of her gums had turned almost to sponge. She never complained at all and the vet told me cats do not announce when they don't feel well like dogs do. She evidently had this growing for a while and I never had a clue. Long story short she was gone in a week. I still cannot believe it and although I now have a new kitty, I am still not over my Miss Kitty. Please do not hesitate to take your Miss Kitty to see the vet. If it is only upper respiratory problems he can fix that real quick. Good luck!

He has liquid medicine. Thankfully my husband helps me. We tag-team the cat. He holds Samson still & I do the dirty work. Samson doesn't like it but he usually gets a treat afterwards, his turkey baby food. It's his favorite.

I made his "dental appointment", too. He has a date with the vet on the 30th. Hopefully this will take care of a lot of things.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

I just joined, so this is an answer to an old posting.

When I took my cat to the clinic of the Cornell School of Vet'y Medicine, back in the 70s when I was in college, the doctors told me a cat can catch a cold from a human, but people can not catch a cold from a cat. Hm-m-m. I am not sure I ever totally bought that, but that is what I was told back.

The other thing I want to mention is the product called Pill Pockets. My cats love them, and giving pills is much easier now that I use them. Simply put the small pill into the soft pocket, squish the pocket all around it, and give it to the cat. My cats gobble them up. They think they are getting treats. My cats are not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but they are lovable and mine.

They come in salmon and chicken flavors for cats, and chicken and beef flavors for dogs. I have recommended them to several people who also had good luck with them. They are not cheap, but they make our lives a lot easier.

I've had a problem giving pills to Zeus. At the vets. it takes 2 professionals to wrestle this cat to the ground and he still wins! I have tried every method mentioned on this site and many more EXCEPT, until today Greenies Pill Pockets. I would have bet anything that Zeus would not eat these, as the boy is the most strong-willed, finickie cat I've ever seen. I just want to let anybody out there that has had this problem to at least try them. We were at our wits-end. Zeus has been sick and I thought I was going to have to take him back to the vets again. It is such a tramatic experience for him, I was dreading it.