Vet Says Cat Cannot Have a Cold Without Sneezing

One night ago I noticed my cat was breathing funny as we were getting ready to go to sleep, it almost sounded as if she had a stuffed up nose. She seemed a lot more tired than usual and was extra cuddly. The next morning before I went to work I told my boyfriend I needed to take her to the vet as I thought she was sick. He then told me that the day before she had hacked up some liquid that looked like flem. When I got out of work I picked her up and took her to the vet. Normally she meows the whole car ride there, but this time she did not meow as much and when she did meow it sounded like she was losing her meow. My boyfriend also said that she hacked up some clear flem looking stuff 3 times yesterday.

I told my vet these symptoms and he said that he does not think it is a cold because she is not sneezing. He said she was purring to loud to hear if anything was wrong with her lungs, but that her heart rate seemed high, but it may be because she was anxious to be at the vet. He felt her stomach and there were no signs of pain. He then really pushed the issue of getting X-rays which would be $120.00 alone but that if she ate a foreign object we would know and she might need surgery.

 I am all for spending money on doing whatever it takes to get my cat better, but I do not think that she ate a foreign object. My instincts are telling me that she is sick as she sounds like any other human being who has a common cold. I know cat colds are obviously different, but she is not actually vomiting, she is eating normal, drinking normal, and going to the bathroom just fine. She has just been hacking up the flem stuff, seems tired, is more affectionate, has lost her meow, and appears to have a stuffy nose.

The vet told me that I was in other words stupid and that there is no way she has a cold because in order for a cat to have a cold she must be sneezing. I asked if there was any way to test for a cold in a cat and he said it is just kind of trial and error with medicines. He also said it might be a repertory infection or asthma.

I ended up telling him that I was going to follow my instincts and opt for some antibiotics. When the vet left the room the vet tech had told me that he thought I was making the right decision and he would have done the same thing.

She was given two shots while at the vets office, one was an antibitotic and one was an anti inflammatory. She was also given medicine to take home, a 25 ml bottle of amoxiclav, and prednisolone 5mg pills. Since then I have gave her one pill this morning and one dose of the amoxiclav, she has ate and had a bowl movement. She does seem a little bloated though and this worries me. She has not yet hacked up any flem since yesterday.

I know cats are not humans and we obviously have different in the way our bodies handle different stresses, but if I were to compare myself to any other living being on this planet it would be my cat we are the exact same but just in different bodies. I know that when I am sick and go to the doctor I ask many questions and do research so I can determine what is best for me as well, I also know that when I am sick and go to the doctor that they do not say well you’re not sneezing so you must not be sick, even though you are coughing up flem, your voice is gone, and you cannot function normally, they also do not tell me I need x-rays because of something like this, if they did..I would probably find a different doctor. Now had I came in with bowl problems, nausea, etc. I would be almost concerned if they did not send me in for an ultrasound or something related.

So I guess I really just wanted to rant a little bit, which did make me feel a little better about my decision. But I am still not dismissing anything else and am monitoring her closely in case any other symptoms occur or if she gets worse. What do you guys think though? Can cats be diagnosed with a cold even if they are not sneezing? Have you ever experienced anything like this with your cats? Do you think I made the right decision?

Well, colds are usually viral infections but secondary bacterial infections can certainly occur. While I wasn't there and I don't agree with how he treated you, it sounds like he was on target with how he was trying to diagnose and treat your cat.

What shots was she given?  If she sounds stuffy, you can steam her in the bathroom.  Just get the bathroom nice and steamy, then sit in the bathroom with her until the steam dissipates.  You can also use a vaporizer to help.  Also, be sure she eats.  If needed, you can syringe feed her.  You can pick up syringes at the pharmacy or a feed store.  In a pinch, you can use a baby medicine dropper.  Use wet food and add warm water until it's very water, yet still a bit thick (think runny oatmeal).  Draw it up in the syringe, then put the syringe between the jaw and the cheek and slowly squirt the food into her mouth.  Don't go too fast because you don't want the food to get into her lungs.  It's important she eats so her body gets the nutrients it needs to heal and to protect her liver from damage. 

She was given two shots,  one was an antibiotic and one was an anti inflammatory. She has been eating just fine, no different than normal, and had a bowl movement this morning. She seems like she feels a lot better and has been up and moving around a lot today. 

Thank you for your advice everyone. I noticed a big improvement the next day after I gave her the medicine. Friday will be a week on the medicine and she already seems to be back to her normal self, she has her meow back, she is going to the bathroom fine, isn't sleeping like crazy, and is eating good..if not better since every time I give her the medicine she knows she will get a can of cat food to get the taste out of her mouth.