sneezing cat: when to worry??

Hi all,

My Oliver has been sneezing and sounds stuffy. This has been going on and off for about 2-3 weeks. When it first happened I thought he was coming down with a URI and I isolated him from the other cats in the rec room downstairs. He didn't show any other symptoms and it stopped after a few days--actually I never really noticed it much when he was down there. Anyway, this has happened again twice since then--he starts sniffing and sneezing, he's isolated for a while, it seems to get better, he comes back upstairs and then starts again. No other symptoms--no discharge, eating well, behaving normal. I think he might have a bit of a dry or sore throat as he seems to be drinking a fair bit. I've been putting lysine in his water (he won't eat much canned food). I asked the vet and she thought it could be a herpes flair up or perhaps the dry air in here. Has anyone else had a similar experience? I'm wondering if he's allergic to something but I can't figure out what since nothing has changed recently. The same thing happened about a year ago, some sneezing and stuffiness but that was it. He's an indoor cat as are all my cats. None of the others are sneezing.

It sounds he might be allergic to something upstairs...
As far as the sneezing, it can be the cold still - it can take about a month to clear it up...

I had a cat with chronic herpes (rhinovirus) that sneezed on and off his entire life. He was an extreme case, as he nearly died at 8 weeks old from it and he had permanent damage to his respiratory system. If its not allergies, then it could be something chronic like herpes.

If your house is dry, add humidifiers. Take him into the bathroom when you shower and steam him daily. Adding Lysine can help boost his immune system.

I would start to worry about my chronic cat when he started to border on lethargy and started to eat less. This told me he was stuffed enough that he couldn't smell the food and the lethargy told me he was feeling rotten. He was such a mellow cat that there was a fine line between his mellowness and lethargy. Its something I just had to watch for very closely every day of his life.

Bastet and Gozer were both sneezing here for a while.. my first thought was allergies, because mine were abit irritated too.

Bastet has stopped sneezing, but she is also on a course of antibiotics.

Gozer seemed abit "stuffy" yesterday.. no discharge or any other symptoms.. she's still her ornery self.

Today Gozer isnt as stuffed up.

Do cats get common colds sometimes like people?

Originally Posted by nekkiddoglady

Bastet and Gozer were both sneezing here for a while.. my first thought was allergies, because mine were abit irritated too.

Bastet has stopped sneezing, but she is also on a course of antibiotics.

Gozer seemed abit "stuffy" yesterday.. no discharge or any other symptoms.. she's still her ornery self.

Today Gozer isnt as stuffed up.

Do cats get common colds sometimes like people?

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Yep, cats do get colds... They are called URI, and often are caused by the feline herpes virus (about 80% of the colds are). It usually goes away on its own, but you need to keep an eye on them as they can get opportunistic bacterial infections. If their snot is clear, and they are eating/drinking/using the box normally, no need to worry - just watch them closely.
L-Lysine helps a lot in preventing onsets. You can buy it on the regular pharmacy, crush the pills and add it to their wet food.

Originally Posted by carolinalima

Yep, cats do get colds... They are called URI, and often are caused by the feline herpes virus (about 80% of the colds are). It usually goes away on its own, but you need to keep an eye on them as they can get opportunistic bacterial infections. If their snot is clear, and they are eating/drinking/using the box normally, no need to worry - just watch them closely.
L-Lysine helps a lot in preventing onsets. You can buy it on the regular pharmacy, crush the pills and add it to their wet food.

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So, basically, its something that just has to run its course, same as when you and I get a cold?

if its something that just kinda has to run its course, then that's good.. When I came home from work, Gozer seemed less stuffy, but I noticed Tabbi and Bo sneezing.. I just started back to work from maternity leave and cant afford to drag 3 cats to the vet at one time!