Sneezy Cat

I have the same thing with one of my girls, only one of her eyes is pretty runny too, it almost looks like she is crying out of that one eye too.

I picked her up because she came being a suck and she literally sneezed in my face, I wasn't expecting a face wash....let it run its course or should she be going to the vet?

Did you bring something new into your house? It could be an allergy to something. Or it could be a cold.

sorry I can't be of much help to you, I just didn't want to start a new thread for the same thing....


I hope you (and your cat's colds) go away soon.

If the eyes are clear, nothing coming out the nose, no congestion then it could be just the start of a mild cold, or something got in his sinus today. If it keeps up over the next day then you can try your cat on L-Lysine. I always have this on-hand. I try to find the capsules as it easier to open up the capsule and just pour over wet food. The tablets I grind up in a coffee grinder. You can start your cat on 500 mg./day for five days and then go to 250 mg./day for another week. But, check with your vet first.

Two of my cats get the sneezes periodically and with the L-lysine, the sneezes go away quickly. It is an amino-acid and helps boost the immunity.

KitKat81,

It sounds like your cat has reoccuring upper respiratory infection (URI). It's caused by a virus, usually the rhino virus (also called herpes) or the calici virus. When a cat gets one of these viruses it stays in their body forever and in some cats it will cause re-occuring URI. Stress can be a factor in causing an outbreak but sometimes it happens for no apparent reason.

Since it's a virus there is no medication that will cure it. I just has to run its course. However, when cats get a flare up of URI it sometimes leads to a bacterial infection and when that happens cats can need antibiotics to help clear it up. There is no way to know, short of blood work maybe, if the symptoms are caused by a virus or bacteria so vets usually prescribe antibiotics to be on the safe side, usually Clavamox.
If your cat just has a viral infection the antibiotics won't do anything and since it normally clears up in a few days I would guess that it does not lead to a secondary bacterial infection.

With URI there isn't much you can do other than give supportive care and treat symptoms. If the cat has an eye infection you can give eye drops. If he has a cough you can give cough medicine. If the kitty doesn't eat he may need sub-q fluids and supplements. Since your cat is just sneazing though I would just let it run its course and treat with L-Lysine whenever a flareup starts or when something stressful, like a vet visit, is planned.
L-Lysine is an amino acid that is believed to boost the immune system and break down the herpes virus. It won't do much if your cat has the calici virus but it definitely can't hurt. Adult cats should get 250mg twice a day. Some people give their cat L-Lysine every day while others just give it when they have symptoms. If something that can be stressful is planned for your cat I would start giving Lysine about a week ahead of time.
I use a Lysine flavored gel for my cats that is made specifically for cats. There are two main brands - Enisyl and Viralys - that you can get online. You can also get pills made for humans, crush them up and mix it with your cat's food. It's sold anywhere vitamins are sold.

The most important thing to look for when your cat has URI is that they are eating and drinking okay. If they are not it can get serious and they should see a vet.

Good luck!

Sassylemon,

If your cat has an eye that runs all the time it's probably not related to URI. It could be several things but one common cause is a blocked tear duct. When a cat has a blocked tear duct the tears has nowhere to go and has to run down the face. For the most part a blocked tear duct is not harmful and is only a cosmetic issue. In some cases though the cat will have re-occuring eye infections. In severe cases surgery can be performed but, according to my vet, it's not always successful.
There isn't much else you can do about it. Just keep her eye clean by wiping it. If the discharge becomes thick and miscolored, yellow or greenish, it could be an eye infection and kitty will need antibiotic eye ointment.

Ziggy'smom- thanks for the help, I only started to noticed it because she was looking at me funny, kind of like she was squinting and she was cleaning lots more then she usually cleaning her face, the area is slightly pink around that eye, and I noticed it start after she started to sneeze

Oh, that sounds like conjunctivitis, not a blocked tear duct. Conjunctivitis is kind of like pink eye - an eye infection. If she's sneazing along with it is probably a URI. I would recommend that you take your cat to the vet to get some antibiotic eye ointment or drops for your cat. Conjunctivits normally won't clear up on it's own and it can be quite uncomfortable. If left untreated it can cause a tear duct to become blocked too. I'd also put her on Lysine for a couple of weeks.

Prescription eye ointment or drops is best but if you have no way of taking kitty to a vet you can buy an OTC ointment called Terramycin. It contains the same thing as the prescription ointment but the prescrition version has a couple of other ingredients too. Terramycin should be given three times a day for about 7-10 days. You can get it online or in farm stores like Farm and Fleet.
Imo ointment is much easier to give than drops so if you have a choice I'd get that.

Ziggy'smom- thanks again, I will call the vet tomorrow morning to see if I can get both cats in, I have a cat going in for a check-up tomorrow, but if I can't I will see if I can get this girl in to have her eye looked instead of my girl who was going in for a check up. Thanks again for getting back to me so quickly

Cats are susceptible to airborne allergens just like we are. If your weather has changed, a front moved in, or something like that, your cat may be responding to that. As long as your kitty continues to eat normally, play normally, use the box normally and you don't notice any lethargy or colored eye or nasal discharge, you're okay. If it really concerns you, you can add lysine (crush a lysine tablet in wet food and mix in) to your kitty's diet. You can find tablets in the supplement section of the store. Give 250 mg twice a day.

No, she doesn't have to rest. If she's energetic and running around that's a good thing. And, as you pointed out, there really is no way to make a cat stay still if they don't want to short of putting them in a small cage.

Since this has been going on for seven years with never anything more than sneezing I suggest you try approaching this as it possibly being something in your home. Clean/dust thoroughly, mop. If you have central air change the filter, pet owners need to do this closer to every three month because of fur.
Take a look at what cleaner and scented products you use. Keep the former basic and get rid of the latter entirely.

What type of litter do you use? If scented and a tad dusty, it could be part of the problem.

You can also try adding some humidifiers in your home in case this is partially triggered by dry air.

If you want to investigate it further with the vet they can check her sinuses for inflammation and see if it is allergies. Though, allergy testing isn't cheap and not always exact.

Thanks for the advice, Doola sneezed all over the vet today, when I took her. She gave her an injection that last 2 weeks and some eye drops to take care of the runny/red eyes.

Just that there's not a lot of white blood cells in the mucus meaning an bad infection and inflammation.

… thats what I said. White blood cells and other dead cells are what gives "sick" mucus it's color and indicate infection. Clear doesn't necessarily mean good, just that there's not a bad infection, yet. If there's a lot of it, it means something is greatly irritating the sinuses, even if it's clear.


If truly in doubt see a vet instead of just listening to her sneeze. The vet can look for inflammation, nasal polyps, or the possiblity of allergies.
Did you take any of the advice that it could be something in the home contributing to this? I have one that has sneezing fits from dust (dust mites specifially) and clay litter dust.

I hope changing the filter helps. Just keep a close eye on her and if you notice yellow, green, or reddish discharge, take her in. In the meantime, talk to friends, neighbors, and co-workers to see if they can recommend a good vet that may be less expensive. That's how I found my current vet. I got the recommendation from my hairdresser!

Legality issues. What if you got a wrong diagnosis and your cat died? You'd be mad, and some people in their grief won't accept their responsiblity in the situation and will sue.

Do try to get her in to see a vet, though. Putting things off doesn't save money. I don't have a lot of money to spare atm, either (and it just got worse with a sudden sewer issue- currently waiting for the plumber. Goodbye $200+), but rushed one of mine off last week for minor eye discharge.

It depends on the cat. I knew right away Midnight was sick (other then him sneezing, and his eyes watering) he was just laying down, not running around playing like he normal does. He just layed curled up, not interested in any toys, or Luna.

We knew something was wrong with Lynxxwhen he began refusing to eat his food. He always ate, always wanted more food. That wasn't like him at all.

Since your cat is running around playing, hopefully that's a sign she's feeling better!