How can I get Shunra to sneeze and clear out her thtuffy nose?

Poor sweetie has a cold that seems a bit more severe than we've had in the past. Last night & today, I gave her antibiotics, which I do very rarely, and it helped her quite a bit. She's breathing easily, eyes aren't runny, isn't coughing, and sneezing much less. She is pretty comfy right now, snoring away at my feet. But her nose is stuffed, she doesn't quite know how to deal with it (she keeps trying to suck it in and swallow, KWIM?) and it's obvious she would be much more comfortable if we could un-stuff it. Telling her "Blow!" has not helped  .

If I could only get a big honking A-Choo! out of her, along with all the mucous, she would feel so much better. Is there any benign substance that won't harm her or us, an herb or spice or something, that might tickle her nostrils into letting out a big sneeze? Or anything else I could try to ease the discomfort? She was suspicious when I tried to lure her into a steamy bathroom, so that's out.

More generally, I have a humidifier going and today I will start giving them Lysine as a supplement because I understand it is good for boosting their immune system. Our two kitties - first pets ever! - are former ferals who have lived indoors for about three years and are patiently  teaching us how to serve them best . 

TIA from me, gentle honk-shu's from Shunra, and M'rrrrow from Boo.

BLOW! LOL! Of course that's exactly what I was thinking. And I was wishing I could use one of those aspirator-thingies we used on the kids when they were babies, that sucked out the gunk from their noses. But my babies - the human ones, that is - didn't have ten sharp claws, LOL.

Right now, after the second dose of antibiotics, she is much improved. It's frustrating, because the antibiotics are effective and work quickly, but you can't use them too often, either.  

She stopped doing that thing you described, swallowing to get the snot down, so for now I'll leave her little nostrils alone. She seems less congested and her breathing is easier too, no sneezing or wheezing.

I have a humidifier going but I'm not sure that's the same as a vaporizer. I will check that out. I wanted a better one anyway so I'll get one that's good for the kitties too. She refused to be lured into the bathroom, so sweating it out didn't work.

She is just feral enough that it's impossible to restrain her without terrifying her, so we only went to the vet once after the first time, when she got basic shots and was neutered. She does get mild colds - this week it was out-and-out congestion and sneezing, but usually it's just some sniffles.So she might have Feline Herpes, but basically we just follow good habits to keep her as healthy as possible. So far, so good *crosses fingers*. 

I just learned about Lysine and started giving it to both of them. Maybe that will strengthen her immune system a little bit in general.

Thanks for the good advice!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anne 

Glad to hear she's feeling better. Her name caught my eyes - it was the name of my first cat website, in Hebrew Of course, technically, it's Aramaic, but everyone knows it from the Seder

Yes indeed! And you are the first person to instantly make the connection. Do you still have the site? I have found Shunra in the results when I searched in Hebrew, so I think it might be a bit more common in Israel. But IIRC, I also saw it in relation to non-cat topics, like the name of a women's group or similar. 

They were both feral, and when I had to fill in names on their TNR forms, I called them Zeeskeit and Meeskeit *. But they are both very "zees" and neither is "mees," so we had to change that. Shunra's name was instantly obvious. She is a dignified lady. The boy is Boo, but he thinks his name is Boogetdownfromthere!

* (For English-only Catsters, it's from Yiddish [and German]: Meeskeit = Uggo, and Zeeskeit = Sweetie Pie.)

And yes, Shunra is doing well and is much happier (and not dripping snot).

Thank you, Kailie! I actually have some sterile saline drops, I will keep that in mind. She wouldn't be happy about it but if it's necessary I think I might be able to dose her... once.