How can I safely induce sneezing/clear nasal passages in 6mo kitten?

He's had sneezing episodes since I got him in August. Then he'll get all stopped up where he just can't clear his nasal passages. I wish I could get him to just blow his nose I live in a very dry high altitude climate. In the past I've taken him into a steamy bathroom, and he sneezed up a few huge wads of bloody snot. (sorry to be gross). He's good once he gets it all out. Right now the steam isn't helping anymore, and I've gone through a whole tank of hot water just this afternoon (either that or the hot water heater just went out). He is going into an episode where I can tell he's about to get completely stopped up to where he has to start breathing through his mouth. That gets really scary. Yes, he has been seen by the vet who told me to keep up with the steam sessions. Does anyone have any ideas? I have a few extra sealed empty 3ml syringes, could I do a rinse and if so how?

I'm sorry to hear about what your kitty is going through.  I adopted 12-week old kittens a little over two weeks ago.  Both had slight sneezes which over several days progressed to sneezing and coughing and decreased appetite.  One started coughing and sneezing out bloody mucous.  I took them to the Vet who gave the one having bloody mucous a chest x-ray and found out he had pneumonia.  Turns out the kittens had contracted Upper Respiratory Disease at the animal shelter they were at, which can turn into pneumonia.  Feline upper respiratory disease is very contagious between cats and is common at animal shelters.  Anyhow, the Vet told me that feline respiratory disease can be viral or bacterial in nature, but that even when it's viral, it can have bacterial complications occur and lead to pneumonia.  My Vet recommended increased humidity, and moist shower air to help clear their airways, and she also put both kittens on antibiotics.  You should take your kitty back to the Vet to make sure he's not getting pneumonia and /or seek out a second opinion at another Vet.   My kittens just went back to the Vet today for a one week checkup since they started their antibiotics.  They are both improving, but will be on antibiotics for another week.

Thanks so much.  The vet believes it might be Herpes Virus   I got another slightly older kitten at the same time who has some symptoms but not as severe.  They are both on Viralys oral gel.  The vet never suggested getting them tested for Herpes Virus, but I asked and have an appointment Monday morning.   I also have a resident 13 year old that has never been exposed who thankfully hasn't shown any symptoms for the 2 + months I've had the kittens. I'm really hoping this is just an environmental/altitude thing and not herpes virus.  We know it's not bacterial, he has been to the vet 3 x and his lungs sound good. No x-rays were taken,  but I have been worried about him developing pneumonia too.  His temperature has been normal.  And dang, but my hot water heater seems to have stopped working right now of all times 

I am sorry you are going through this.  Does your cat have a specific room he sleeps in at night?  Perhaps you could set up a vaporizer in that room.  My Starbuck got a nasty URI when she was about 8 weeks old. She was not sneezing blood at all.   She was also on antibiotics too.  I did the steam room in the bathroom and also ran a voporizer in my bedroom at night for her.  She was doing the breathe through the mouth thing and waking me up sneezing my face.  How long has he been on antibiotics?  Starbuck had to do 2 rounds with too different antibiotics to get rid of it.  I do not remember which meds she was on since this was 6 years ago.  If the steam is not helping and the vet seems unwilling to try a different antibiotic perhaps you should get a 2nd opinion from another vet.  I hope your baby gets better soon.

Go to the baby isle at walmart, Dollar General, someplace like that and get a baby bulb syringe. They work great for kitties. You press the bulb to let air out, then pt it up to his nose and it will suck the snot out. Then squeeze the bulb into a kleenex to get it out. Comes apart easily to wash. Good luck!

The blood is probably from dry nasal passage due to high altitude dry air. I lived in Denver years ago and it happened to me quite often, 

Right now he's not on any antibiotics.  When I first got him he was on Clavomox (sp?) for 10 days.  He was given an antibiotic shot by the vet on Oct. 15 that was a 10 day dose. Sorry, I don't remember what drug it was.  I wasn't paying attention because my other kitten was getting neutered that day and my older cat was also there for an appointment, lol.   So that one should still be working.  He had a severe episode last weekend where he was breathing through his mouth and you could hear something rattling in his sinuses. The steamy bathroom didn't help then like it did before, only when he got a really big sneeze in and it all came out, then he was fine again.  That time he wasn't interested in food, which got really scary, but I did get him eating - luckily I had some AD on hand.  I also got two doses of vitamin B-12 from the vet and some fluids for dehydration just in case.  Other than this he's playing, has a huge appetite, no fever etc.  I don't have a humidifier but I do have steamers over the heaters and am doing everything to keep the humidity up.  I'm at almost 9000' altitude.  The vet doesn't think this plays a factor but I have to wonder.  (I once had an ailing/dying kitty on oxygen therapy)

I'm one who is slow to seek a vet and antibiotics for a cold (since they are viral) but it sounds like he could have a sinus infection and need some antibiotics.  At the very least he should probably take a lysine supplement which can help them fight off kitty colds.  Here's the one we use.....


My cats get it sprinkled on their food twice a day and it really helps them fight off kitty colds, I think. 

If the congestion is severe enough to scare you (ie...he can't breath) then I would want more answers from the vet besides the suggestion of steam (which is helpful, sure....but I'd want more answers.)

ETA:  We were posting at the same time.  I see he was on antibiotics.

ilovemia, thanks.  I have one but the opening is bigger than his little nostrils    Even the infant one.  So how do I accomplish the same thing with a syringe?  It seems it would have to have something like buffered saline in it.  How do you do this without introducing bacteria?  The nasal pasages have so many little capillaries that lead into the brain, I really worry about that.   I did try  baby saline spray with no luck.  I didn't put it into his nose, just sprayed underneath.

txcatmom he's on the Viralys oral gel.  The vet is just assuming it's Herpes (or some other virus).  I am having the PCR/URD test done this monday, which I understand is pretty accurate.  Hopefully it's environmental but these episodes usually mean a scary sleepless night ahead.   Blow kitty, Blow!  

I used the empty syringe and pulled a lot of light green mucous out.   Man, he did not like that at all!  I could have used an extra set of hands, lol.  Once it came out though, he felt better so hopefully he will be more willing to let me do it in the future.  I'm going to try to get more out later tonight. 

One other thing the vet said it could be is nasal polyps.  I will have that checked when he gets neutered.  Poor thing, one of his testicles hasn't descended yet so we are waiting for that to hopefully happen soon.  And his nasal symptoms to clear up before anesthesia.

Can anyone tell me how to do a mini plain saline rinse using a sterile empty syringe?  The syringe alone doesn't have quite enough suction to get everything out of his nose.  I tried depressing an empty syringe and then pulling out what I could, but all last night I could hear him 'honking' - thats what it sounds like.  I got a little more gunk out this morning and I supposed it tickled his nose, because he did get a big sneeze in with more of a milky colored discharge.  He's playing, eating, getting in trouble, temp is 101, but still trying to sneeze and honking.  Then he sneezed up a HUGE wad, but he ran under the bed and ate whatever was hanging from his nose (I am sorry to be this graphic) before I could see what came out.  Usually when that happens, he sneezes something significant up, he's done sneezing for a few days.  But he's still  honking  

Are you steaming him in the bathroom several times a day or do you have him in a room with a vaporizer going 24/7?  That will help loosen up the gunk in his nose.  Also, just using plain saline drops 2 or 3 times a day will help.  My girl always sneezes after we put drops in her nose.  You can put eucalyptus oil in the vaporizer and that will help open up nasal passages.  Don't put the eucalyptus oil where the kitty can get to it as it is lethal to kitties.  What kind of food are you feeding him? 
 

I was steaming him, usually just a few times a day - my water heater actually went out yesterday while I was running the shower to get the bathroom steamed up   (Dang if it ain't one thing it's another) What I'm doing until I can get that fixed is putting him in his carrier (he likes going in there) and putting the steam outside the closed door with a towel draped over it.  It's not as effective as the steamy shower.  Thank you so much for the clarification about the eucalyptus oil.  I was using mint or eucalyptus essential oil in the water, then I read both  were toxic to cats so I stopped.  

I don't have a vaporizer, I have pots of water over the heaters (I don't have central heat) and I'm boiling water to increase the humidity.  I will try to get a vaporizer over the weekend, don't they harbor bacteria? I have absolutely no room for anything other than a portable unit. 

He is on high quality canned food 2 x day (Wellness grain free chicken/and or turkey formula) plus free access to Pure Vita/Nutri Source grain free chicken kibble.  I am completely open to dietary changes including a home made/natural/raw food (I think) diet if this will make a difference.

Meanwhile he has sneezed out what ever was in there for now and is doing so much better.  This cycle just keeps repeating itself at least once a week and is very frustrating.  I am having a PCR/URD test run on Monday.  The vet thinks it's viral, but I want to find out for sure before starting him on Famciclovir.  He also thinks it might be Chronic Rhinitus (sp?) and said he might just sneeze all his life He want's to put him on Zithromyecin until the PCR test comes back. 

Since this is cyclical in nature, I would suggest that the next time this happens or if he still has some nasal discharge, you ask the vet to run a culture & sensitivity test on the discharge.  This will tell you if you're dealing with a secondary infection and what it is. The sensitivity test will tell the vet which medication will most effectively treat it.  We went through 8 months of sneezing/meds/getting well for our Hannah and finally found out we were dealing with a major secondary infection.
 

Oh thank you so much for all the information.  I have never dealt with kitty 'colds' before, and it's frightening because he's so young and small.   Do you think I need to do the PCR/URD as well?  It's probably too late to cancel the test anyway because they had to order it and have a courier pick it up, and I'm due at 9 am.  I spoke with the vet again Friday, he is convinced it is viral in nature but I think I need the peace of mind of knowing, especially if I am going to put him on Famciclovir.   Is your Hannah on Famvir?  I'm assuming since it was a secondary infection that Hannah also had a virus?

What about diet?  He's gained good weight and has a healthy appetite.  His temp. is always normal.   

I am sure when I have the appointment Monday there will be still be enough discharge to get a culture.  That has never completely cleared up.  I imagine that will take a few days or so to get results. So it sounds like I should wait until the results actually come back before starting the Zithromax?  The vet wants to start him on that I before waiting for the results.

Sorry to ask so many questions and your information is so appreciated. 

We did the PCR/URD first and she tested positive for Feline Herpes.  That was in April of 2008.  In late November, 2008, we finally took her to the cat-only vet near us (that's uber expensive!!) and she suggested the culture and sensitivity test.  We discovered all these months, we'd been dealing with a secondary infection that would respond somewhat to the various antibiotics she'd been on and then it would flare up again.  We found a medication that would treat the infection and after 2 rounds of it (30 days each), her values were on the high side of normal so we decided to stop the antibiotics so as not to develop an immunity to them.  She's been fine ever since.  She does occasionally get sneezing fits, but nothing like back then. 

We have her on a strictly grain-free diet, give her lysine twice daily as well as a daily antihistamine and evening primrose oil drops.  This has worked well for us to keep the sneezing and other herpes symptoms at bay.  We also run feliway diffusers 24/7 to help reduce stress, which is the major contributor to flare ups. She is not on famvir as what we're doing is working well. 

Go ahead and get the PCR test done.  That will help you find out if you're dealing with Herpes and/or another of the common upper respiratory diseases.  Have you looked at the IDEXX site for a description of what's tested?  http://www.idexx.com/view/xhtml/en_...sts/real-pcr.jsf?selectedTab=Tests&SSOTOKEN=0  
 

Wow, now I feel better about the cost of the test   I knew about Idexx for human diagostic testing.  Thanks for that link. 

When I lived in another state I used to go to a Cat Only practice.  They were so wonderful, but that was like 20 years ago (and when I had a real job, lol)

Right now I live in a rural mountain area.  The local vet I use never even mentioned Herpes Virus when I brought him in for his final vaccine series and rabies shot. He was sneezing then, and he put him on Clavomox and vaccinated him, which I now regret.  I should not have had this done when he was showing symptoms and I wonder if this didn't contribute to it.

Every two weeks a visiting vet from Denver comes up.  He gets to see far more things than the local mountain doc.  He was the first one to mention this being a probable Herpes or other virus but never mentioned testing.   I don't think he is all that familiar with the PCR test because he told me it wasn't all that accurate.  But he is convinced this is viral in nature and wants to put him on Famvir and/or Zithromax.  I do trust this vet because he's been spot on before.   So I try to use him as my primary vet when he's up here. 

Rufus is on lysine twice daily.  Is the antihistamine you use benadryl and if so how much?  What is the evening primrose oil dose?   I would sure like to at least try these before going on the anti viral meds.  The vet is concerned the virus could be causing changes to his nasal passages and wants to take a more agressive approach.  What should I do?

I am really concerned that my 13 year old Cricket, who has never sneezed in his life, could contract this.  Is it too late for him to be vaccinated (he had all his kitten shots.)  The vet has never mentioned this and only said that Cricket was lucky to be showing no signs.  The other kitten that I got at the same time, Clancy, has only shown mild respiratory symptoms, nothing like Rufus. 

I am going to get a cool mist vaporizer today.   Thanks again for the great information and please give Miss. Hannah a kiss from me!

Get a warm vaporizer, not the cool mist kind.  You can get one pretty cheap at the drug store.  You need the kind you'd use with a child.

There is a link on the IDEXX site that takes you to a PDF document that you can print out and take to your vet with info on the tests.  It's very informative.

I give Hannah plain Claritin (loratadine).  She gets 1/4 to 1/2 of a 10 mg tablet once daily.  We get the generic WalMart brand.  It dissolves easily in water, so we add a bit of water to her wet food and it gets mixed in.  The evening primrose oil is an anti-inflammatory.  It helps decrease the swelling/inflammation in her nasal passages and ears.  We just started this last year.  We use the powdered form of Lysine.  I buy it in a 1-lb jar from Amazon.  500 mg = 1/4 teaspoon, so she gets one 1/4 t twice a day. 

The best thing we did is change over to a grain-free diet.  Once you get your kitty healthy, nutrition is the best way to fight off subsequent outbreaks. 
 

You have been so helpful, thanks again. 

I'm glad I can get the hunidifier at Wallmart, I was thinking I would have to make a trip down to Denver to Bed Bath and Beyond 

Rufus has been on a grain free diet since I got him at 11 weeks old.  No fish either except for an occasional treat of leftover baked salmon or tuna water.  Is yours on a commercial diet or homemade?  Right now I'm using Wellness and PureVita, any suggestions?  I am interested in possibly exploring raw, but I would llike to figure this out and get it under control first.   I need to pick up some canned food today while I'm out so if there is something you suggest I can get it then. 

I'm using the lysine oral gel from the vet.  Same 1/4 tsp dose 2xdaily.  It's probably more expensive in the oral gel form, but both Rufus and Clancy eat it readily from my finger.  I will pick up some evening primrose oil, how much do you give her?