Sneezing & Stuffy Nose!

Hi, I'm new here, and I'm at the end of my rope. Bear with me please, as this is long, but there's some back-story.

I am a lifelong lover of all animals (3 cats, 2 lizards, 1 turtle, and plenty of fish (and a boyfriend!)), and when my long-time friend died at age 11 in November 2009 from a massive heart attack (she had just been diagnosed a few months earlier with a stage 4 heart murmur), it took a few months, but I knew my house was too empty for my boyfriend and I, but also for Domino, our 2 year old cat.

So after months of looking on Petfinder.org, rather than going to the shelter to sift through dozens of cats and feeling terrible that I can't help them all, I picked two cats from two different shelters to come and live with us.

Rosalita is in perfect health, and she and Domino are the best of friends. However, 2 weeks after adopting Butters from a different shelter, he's still not met everyone, because he's still quarantined. This breaks my heart.

When I went to the shelter, it was dirty, cold, and all the cats were sneezing and coughing. I couldn't get away from there soon enough, but I knew this wasn't Butters' fault, and I said I'd take him and care for him anyway. They said he would be treated for a URI, because they are "common" in shelters and harmless. 1) I know this not to be true, because I've adopted from two other shelters in the past two years, and those shelters were clean, and the animals perfectly healthy. 2) I think a URI CAN be harmful if left untreated, and Butters has been at the shelter for 7 months. 7 long months of nothing but sneezing and coughing...that doesn't sound good. They said they don't bother treating the animals unless one gets adopted, and then they treat and quarantine him, fix them, and send them home.

After finishing the antibiotics given to me by the pound, he started to sound better, and I had lots of hope that he would get to meet his new brother and sister. But then he got worse again. After another day of him starting to get stuffy again and more sneezing, I took him to my personal vet, whom I love and trust. She gave him a different antibiotic, treated him for worms, treated him for ear mites, and gave him Revolution. This is all out of my pocket -- and if I didn't have that money, I would have never adopted, so I'm not upset about it, but at the same time, I was told he would be just fine when I adopted him, so I am angry...but realize this is not his fault, and the shelter is seriously lacking funds from the county.

After 5 days, he's still sneezing and stuffy. It's just not going away. He's eating, playing, sleeping with us, purring, using the litterbox, etc. But he's just sneezing up a STORM, and huge boggies (sorry!) are coming out of that tiny little nose (he was seriously tiny when we brought him home -- only 6 pounds, and he's a year old). So I just now called the vet, and she had to call in a prescription at my pharmacy, which won't be available until tomorrow.

But I'm extremely concerned. This is the 3rd antibiotic we've tried. I'm worried that it will never go away, and that he has something very serious. I didn't adopt this cat just to live in my bedroom -- I want him to have the full reign of the house, but I can't let him meet the other cats for fear of them getting sick as well.

Does anyone have any advice? I trust my vet, but I'm also anxious, so I've been looking things up online. She did mention that there's a possibility that it's the Herpes virus, which REALLY scares me. Does anyone have any advice?

Yes, this does sound like herpes... But do not get scared... It is not that bad... It is very very common... It is estimated that up to 75% of shelter cats have herpes virus, and he is likely going through a flare up.

URIs ARE common in shelters. And most of them are caused by herpes.
I do have a herpes cat, and many many of us have too... not a big deal, once we have it controlled...
You got to put this cat on a L-Lysine supplement ASAP, immediately.
This one is the one I use. Many of us here use this as well, as it is pretty much the most affordable one, 100% pure, and you can mix it right in the water. The vets sell one that is 3.5 oz for a lot more than this... this one is 1lb, it has 822 doses of 500mg. It is no problem for the other cats to have it as well - ALL my cats are on it, herpes or no herpes, it is good for all of them... But for the one that has herpes, it completely prevents these attacks. Since he started on Lysine, he hasn't had another one. He used to have them back to back, non stop.
Lysine does take about a month to have a full effect though... it will make him better before that, but only after a month or so you will really see him completely improved (if it is herpes).

I know the sound of the word HERPES sounds scary and gross... That is how I felt too, when I heard it for the first time... But it is really not that bad when you know how to deal with it. VERY common, and not at all like the human virus...

For now, take him into the steamy bathroom and stay there with him for a while, a few times a day... Steam sessions are very good for him. Do you have a vaporizer? You can use that too, to make him breath better.
Warm up the food to make it stinkier, so he can smell before eating - cats are guided but scent, and being stuffed up is making food not as appealing to him.

A very stinky and caloric food you might want to try right now is hills a/d, since you are going to the vet tomorrow... If he is not eating well, this might be a good way to complement his diet during his recovery.

Ask your vet if he can do a quick herpes test on your boy - he just takes a sample of the eye mucus and runs a test.

Good luck,any questions, we are here!!

URI is the most common disease in a shelter, even a clean one, my local shelter has the floors, cages and surfaces cleaned twice a day and URI still spreads on occasion.

Antibiotics generally do not fix URI, they are given to the cat because URI lowers their immune system leaving them vulnerable to other diseases and the antibiotic is more effective against the other possible diseases/illnesses.

URI can also be stressed based (and the reason so many shelter cats get it) but like Carolina said above, those tend to be herpes based (its not the kind of herpes people get) - Carolina covered the majot points on herpes so I wont bother repeating them but Lysine is good for all cats so you can give it to the others too once they are introduced

Bless you for bringing Butters into your home and nursing him to health. It can be a daunting task. We adopted Hannah from the pound and she was like your guy. She had to stay in isolation for about a month due to illness. After almost a year of chronic URIs with snotty discharge and incessant sneezing, we finally did the Real PCR URD test and found out she has herpes. That was almost 2 years ago now, and she's doing great!

First of all, have the test done for herpes and other common upper respiratory diseases to find out if he does indeed have herpes or if you're dealing with something else. Secondly, have the nasal discharge, especially if it's yellow, green, tinged with red, or any other color combination, tested. Ask the vet to do a culture and sensitivity test. This will tell you exactly what type of infection you're dealing with (bacterial, viral, or fungal) and which drug(s) will most accurately treat the infection. So much better than trying antibiotic after antibiotic. I think both of these tests will really help your kitty and help your peace of mind.

One other thing that might really help him is to invest in a Feliway diffuser. They are quite pricey, but you can find them fairly cheap online. I wouldn't wait, though. I'd go to the pet store and get one today. Since URIs and herpes are both triggered by stress the pheromones in the Feliway might help his stress level decrease, which will help his body better fight whatever it is he has.

If your guy tests positive for herpes, the best thing you can do for him is to get him healthy, keep his stress level down, and do some preventative care like diet changes and adding lysine to his diet. Herpes is not a death sentence and your guy can live a very long and happy life. However, if he does have herpes, then when he does get sick, it will take him a bit longer to get well since his immune system is already compromised. With the foreknowledge of this, though, your vet will be better prepared to prescribe a longer round of antibiotics to treat secondary infections and you'll be prepared for it as well.

Take a deep breath and relax. Your guy will pick up on your frustration and stress, too. Just give him lots of love and time to get well. If you're not running a vaporizer 24/7, start doing that. When you take a shower, take him into the bathroom with you and close him in the bathroom with you. The steam will help his stuffy nose tremendously. This in turn helps him eat better, feel better, and sleep better.

Here is a link for the Feliway diffuser... It costs over $30 on the stores, so this is really a great way to go... Feliway Diffuser - it lasts one month.

Thanks for all of your help. I just feel so taken advantage of. The shelter said he would be fine, but he's not. I didn't sign up for a lifetime of taking care of snot and coughing fits. If I wanted that, I would have had a baby. That sounds harsh, but it's the truth.

THAT BEING SAID -- I picked him. This isn't his fault. If I couldn't afford or didn't want to care for him in case he DID get sick, I never would have adopted him. We're not all perfect, and he had a rough start to life. He's a sweet cat who deserves a loving family, and we will be that family for him.

I wish I could just get him past this flair-up, if it is herpes, and then I think I'd feel more positive. It's heartbreaking to hear him coughing and sneezing, although he seems very happy and has already put on weight in the week he's been with us.

I also feel badly for my other two cats -- I will be introducing THEM to herpes, which isn't fair. But I don't see any way around this.

We just started a 3rd antibiotic today, and we are to do it for 10 days. If he doesn't get better, I think I will have the test done. It's a $200 test, which is why we didn't immediately do it. I don't mind spending the money, but the vet suggested trying the antibiotics first.

When she does do the test, I will definitely ask about the L-Lysine (sp?) and adding it to the water. I'm still hoping against hope that it IS just a URI like the shelter told me...although I realize this isn't realistic to hope for.

Originally Posted by Staceyloobug

Thanks for all of your help. I just feel so taken advantage of. The shelter said he would be fine, but he's not. I didn't sign up for a lifetime of taking care of snot and coughing fits. If I wanted that, I would have had a baby. That sounds harsh, but it's the truth.
ok... I think you need to calm down that take a breath... If this is herpes, and you put him on Lysine, chances are, he will be fine. You are overwhelmed now, and rightly so... But he will not be like this for life... At least the great majority of Herpes cats aren't... My herpes cat... I don't even "know/feel" that he has Herpes, except for when he first came home, until the Lysine kicked in.
THAT BEING SAID -- I picked him. This isn't his fault. If I couldn't afford or didn't want to care for him in case he DID get sick, I never would have adopted him. We're not all perfect, and he had a rough start to life. He's a sweet cat who deserves a loving family, and we will be that family for him.

I wish I could just get him past this flair-up, if it is herpes, and then I think I'd feel more positive. It's heartbreaking to hear him coughing and sneezing, although he seems very happy and has already put on weight in the week he's been with us.

I also feel badly for my other two cats -- I will be introducing THEM to herpes, which isn't fair. But I don't see any way around this. If they came from a shelter, chances are, they have already been exposed to it. Most of us have multiple cats - I have 3, only one with Herpes... Do not worry about the other ones... They will be fine. If you are concerned, the Lysine in the water will protect all of them.

We just started a 3rd antibiotic today, and we are to do it for 10 days. If he doesn't get better, I think I will have the test done. It's a $200 test, which is why we didn't immediately do it. I don't mind spending the money, but the vet suggested trying the antibiotics first.

When she does do the test, I will definitely ask about the L-Lysine (sp?) and adding it to the water. I'm still hoping against hope that it IS just a URI like the shelter told me...although I realize this isn't realistic to hope for.

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Want an advice? Put them on L-Lysine IMMEDIATELY. I can not stress this enough. If you don't have the cash for the test now, skip the test, but do yourself and the cat the favor of the L-Lysine... It will be the BEST thing you will be doing for this cat's immune system. And if you are at all worried about giving it to him if he doesn't have herpes, it is ok to do so, not a problem, not at all... consider it a kitty's vitamin, it will strengthen his immune system, and of the other cats too.
This will cost you $15 shipping included, and it is Herpes, it will take care of the problem for life - a good chance to take, IMO??
Lysine is an amino acid, and whatever he doesn't need he will eliminate on his urine. Give him 1g during the flare up, and 500mg for life - this will keep a herpes kitty healthy...
If you are at all concerned about the safety of this, please talk to your vet, but I would not skip this.

Thank you...I did order the L-Lysine from the link provided above, so I should have it by the end of the week. I will put it in his water (this is good?).

I add the lysine to my girls wet food and she never knows it's in there. I get the NOW brand powdered kind. Also, if you decide to get the Feliway diffuser, order from Entirelypets.com. They're the least expensive I've found online. I probably have a savings code in my email. If you'd like to use the discount, just inbox me and I'll send you the code.

I don't remember the PCR URD test being $200, though. I think I paid $75 for it. I would, however, encourage you to get the culture and sensitivity test done rather than just shooting in the dark with the antibiotics. Our vet put Hannah on an interim antibiotic while we were waiting on the results from the tests to come back.

If your other cats haven't shown any symptoms of being sick, most likely they'll be fine. Take a deep breath and slow down a bit. Just enjoy your kitties and play with them and love on them for right now. Worry about the herpes thing when he's diagnosed with it.

I just want to thank you all for your help. I've already ordered everything mentioned (I didn't even stop to think about it -- I just clicked "add to card" and went with it).

I had Butters (my little sick boy) in the bathroom today while I took a shower. I had the water as hot as I could stand. He seemed to breathe better after that, and we also started the 3rd antibiotic today (raspberry flavored, and he thinks it's delicious).

Since I've gotten him, he's filled-out (he was SO thin), so that gives me hope. I need to get him calmed down (he's a sweet boy, but he's very afraid of sudden movements...I'm wondering if he wasn't kicked, because when someone comes at him standing, he hides, but if you sit down and let him come to you, he will come) so that I can clean his ears from the ear-mites and general filth of the shelter. The Grime just seems to be caked on the ears (the tips even), and I don't want to hurt him by rubbing too hard, but I need to get that off of there.

How long does the L-Lysine take to work? I'm thinking I should call the vet just to run it past her before I give it to him -- I will be seeing her Monday (probably the day it comes in the mail) when I take my little girl to get her spay stitches out, so I will ask then.

Everyone advises just giving it to all three cats? Via the water would be my best chance, I think...as I don't give them wet food more than a few times a week.

Thank you all so much -- I think this website is going to be a godsend.

Some vets are not familiar with Lysine for cats but give a medical version of the exact same suff in a paste formula (called Viralys) - the dosage is even the same!

If she is not familiar, you might want to print some info to bring with you

http://www.vetinfo.com/cherpes.html also has a lot of info on herpes you may want to read so you can chat with your vet about treatment

I think Lysine takes a couple of weeks to help, at least at the shelter but its a higher stress level there and more cats

Originally Posted by icklemiss21

Some vets are not familiar with Lysine for cats but give a medical version of the exact same suff in a paste formula (called Viralys) - the dosage is even the same!

If she is not familiar, you might want to print some info to bring with you

http://www.vetinfo.com/cherpes.html also has a lot of info on herpes you may want to read so you can chat with your vet about treatment

I think Lysine takes a couple of weeks to help, at least at the shelter but its a higher stress level there and more cats

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Thank you so much! The vet did already mention putting him on the Lysine if the antibiotics didn't work, so she's already pretty well-brushed up on herpes, I think. But I'm going to read through that site you gave me for sure...It just sounds so scary...

ensyfl F is another that many vets carry but amazon has for a fraction of the price... I have one that prefers her lysine this way

Originally Posted by Staceyloobug

Everyone advises just giving it to all three cats? Via the water would be my best chance, I think...as I don't give them wet food more than a few times a week.

Thank you all so much -- I think this website is going to be a godsend.

Click to expand...

Yes, IMO in the water is the way to go... In my house, I just put it on the water fountain; I have three cats, only one has herpes - all of them get it. It is a life saver for the herpes kitty, and a great immune system booster for the other kitties too... so all of them are winning.
It does take 2-4 weeks to work to its fullest, but if he has herpes, it can work so much that you will rarely see another flare up. Bugsy used to have these attacks back to back, and since the Lysine, he has not had one, not a single one... Once, when He had his vaccines, he started a very faint flare, sneezing a bit, and his eye started to run - a couple of days on double Lysine was all it took for him to get back on track.
The rule of thumb is, during a flare up, double dose, then a maintenance dose for life.
Now that he is in a flare up, I would give him an extra dose in the wet food as well, in addition to the regular dose in the water.


As for the Feliway: Since he is upstairs, in one room, one refill should be fine... I would not buy it for the whole house... You want to put it in the room where he spends the most amount of time...
I think the feliway on his room, coupled with the lysine will be of great help. The vapor baths are great too!

I have strange cats...lol.. they like it on for the boys wet food the girls like it on dry food ... water here did not work

One more thing to note, that was touched on briefly...

If you're worried about exposing your other cats to herpes - don't worry. More than likely they have already been exposed to it. It's said that anywhere from 75 to 90% of cats have been exposed to herpes! It's just that many of them have a natural immunity or never have any problems with it. Like others have said - it sounds very scary but with proper diet, low stress and Lysine, can be controlled relatively easily.

To put your mind at ease, here's a photo of my girl, Helen - who has herpes - licking Walter's face. They share food dishes, water bowls and bedding and he remains herpes free!

BrookeSphynx, you have beautiful cats! That picture melted my heart!

Now that that is out of the way, I've done some more thinking. I think I need to invest in a humidifier/vaporizer for when he will have flair-ups. Plus, we just moved to this new house last summer, and this was our first winter with gas heat...and I was blowing my nose quite a bit -- and I never ever have nose problems. So it might be a good idea for me, too, even.

But my question -- what's the difference between a vaporizer and a humidifier, and which would be ideal for him?

This list of things I am buying for his well-being keeps growing, but I feel good knowing I can provide things he needs...I know a lot of people wouldn't bother. But I want to give him the longest and best life possible.

And P.S. Everyone keeps telling me to make sure he leads a stress-free life -- this house is quickly turning into a cat spa with kitty music (yes, actual cat music) playing on my computer while we are away from the room, the electric blanket cranked up to high on my bed during the day for him, fresh food/water and so many kinds of treats (just to see which he will gobble up!), now the Feliway and Lysine (which has already shipped!) and humidifier/vaporizer--oh, and toys GALORE, plus his favorite is the 30 gallon fish tank to watch...his life is going to be so stress-free, but making his life stress-free is stressful for this human right now! I guess it will all be worth it when he is healthy and playing with his brother and sister.

Originally Posted by Staceyloobug

BrookeSphynx, you have beautiful cats! That picture melted my heart!

Now that that is out of the way, I've done some more thinking. I think I need to invest in a humidifier/vaporizer for when he will have flair-ups. Plus, we just moved to this new house last summer, and this was our first winter with gas heat...and I was blowing my nose quite a bit -- and I never ever have nose problems. So it might be a good idea for me, too, even.

But my question -- what's the difference between a vaporizer and a humidifier, and which would be ideal for him?

This list of things I am buying for his well-being keeps growing, but I feel good knowing I can provide things he needs...I know a lot of people wouldn't bother. But I want to give him the longest and best life possible.

And P.S. Everyone keeps telling me to make sure he leads a stress-free life -- this house is quickly turning into a cat spa with kitty music (yes, actual cat music) playing on my computer while we are away from the room, the electric blanket cranked up to high on my bed during the day for him, fresh food/water and so many kinds of treats (just to see which he will gobble up!), now the Feliway and Lysine (which has already shipped!) and humidifier/vaporizer--oh, and toys GALORE, plus his favorite is the 30 gallon fish tank to watch...his life is going to be so stress-free, but making his life stress-free is stressful for this human right now!

I guess it will all be worth it when he is healthy and playing with his brother and sister.

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LOL.... I know how it can feel at times... pretty overwhelming...
The stress is really from the new environment, new kitties, new home... This is a lot of stress for a kitty... Feliway and time will take care of that for you. The Lysine will take care of the Herpes virus... And you take care of living your life
As far as the vaporizer or humidifier, for flare ups, vaporizers are better to help him breathing...

But seriously, It is not going to be like this all the time - he will be a normal kitty... you will get to relax...
Don't stress out anymore - you are doing everything that has to be done already - you already got everything that had to be gotten... Now take you shoes off, prepare yourself a nice bath, put that music on the bathroom, and go take a nice long warm bath... momma needs to relax!
You are an excellent, kind and loving kitty momma... We are all here to help you with this... Many many many of us went through this, and our cats are doing just fine... Are normal, healthy kitties enjoying life just like the other non herpes ones.
If this is herpes, which I really think it is, he will be just fine...

I just had to giggle at your description of your shopping and efforts at turning your ho me into a kitty spa. I just kept thinking to myself, "Some people would think you're spoiling that cat. We just think you're normal!"

Carolina's right. He won't always be this sick and you won't always be this freaked out. I think that once you get over this hump and look back on this time, you'll see how much of a fighter Butters is and just how much more of a bond you have with him because of how you've nursed him back to health.

You're such a great kitty meowmy and you're doing all the right things, you just need to let everything start working. He already knows how much you love him just by all you're doing for him. If and when he has flare ups in the future, you'll be better prepared and know exactly what to do.

You're almost in the same spot I was in 4 years ago when we got Hannah. I'd never had sick kitty to tend to and was freaking out! My DH told me we could take her back to the city pound where we'd gotten her (they had a 2-week return policy), but I knew she'd only get put down. I'd already given her my heart and I was in it for life, no matter what I had to learn or do. The things that I've learned and the changes we've made for Hannah have only made the life of my other cat more healthy as well.

Here is a before/after pic for you, hopefully to encourage you in your journey.

This is after she'd spent a week at the vet's where she almost died because she was so ill.


Here she is now:

Wow that was fast! The Lysine's here!

Should I wait to start him on it (after speaking with the vet Monday, or after he's done with his antibiotics (8 more days)), or just go for it? I can't see how it would do any harm, but just in case it would react weirdly with antibiotics, I thought I'd ask.

1/4 tsp once a day (500mg), yes?

I have so much hope!