Allergies/Kitty Cold

If it's not one thing, it's another with our fur families, isn't it?

So my kitty Noelle has REALLY been sneezing a lot. The thing is, though, she's always had a bit of a runny nose, since I adopted her back in March. Like this is not new, just maybe a little more intense. In March or April, she had a vet appointment to update her on her rabies so I could take her across the border. I asked the vet about her runny nose type symptoms, but of course, she wasn't really doing it then, and he said she was fine. She was seen again in late August for a general check up, and she even had blood work run, as she is a "middled aged" kitty at about five years old. Everything came back great, and even her teeth were in amazing condition, and the vet was thoroughly impressed with her health. He seemed unconcerned about the runny nose/sneezing.

She never has off-colored mucus; it's always clear. She did blow a snot bubble the other day by accident, and I admit, it was sort of funny... =P She behaves normally, eats, does not seem uncomfortable, etc. I do have some Clavimox left over from a few occasions. Should I give her some? Would it help if she happened to have an upper respiratory infection? Do you think she maybe just has allergies? I know we determined Sophie probably does; my vet said her ears are a little waxier than some cats' because of her allergies. Could Noelle just be having allergy problems as well?

Generally clear snot is allergies or a virus like FHV. If you had opaque yellow or green snot, then I'd be looking for an antibiotic from the vet.

Someone else on the east coast mentioned sneezing...I'm on the GA coast and my own allergies have been aggravating me a little more than usual...

Yeah, my allergies are going crazy, but then, that is often true, and I wasn't sure if kitty allergies work quite the same way. I already feed them raw, so I'm not sure what else I can do, if anything, to make her a little more comfortable.

I remember that you fed raw, but that's not what I was thinking of. I was thinking airborne allergens. Do you feed lysine?

Check out the raw and sneezing thread. LDG had some really good advice there.

As long as there is no color to the discharge it probably is not an infection.  Cats can sneeze for lots of different reasons, one of them is if the air is too dry, and yes allergies can cause them to sneeze as well.  Clavamox does work for Respiratory Infections but it's not sounding like your kitty has one of those.  You could try adding a humidifier to your house in the room she frequents the most to see if that will help.  I have my boy Munchie who has been sneezing but he's got yellow/green snot coming out as well as eye discharge, he has an upper respiratory infection and is on antibiotics and Lysine for it.  Allergies can also cause the runny nose.  Maybe talk to your vet about putting her on an antihistamine if it seems bothersome.  I do know that Benadryl usually isn't the most effective in cats, I used Chlorpheniramine for my kitty a few years back when she was having allergy issues.

peaches08 said:

I remember that you fed raw, but that's not what I was thinking of. I was thinking airborne allergens. Do you feed lysine?

Check out the raw and sneezing thread. LDG had some really good advice there.

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Is that thread in the raw food section? Can't seem to find it.

Here it is: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/268555/raw-fed-cat-sneezing

Ah, thanks! I'll def give that a go!

If she continues sneezing and there's discharge, ask the vet to do a culture and sensitivity test on the discharge.  She could have a secondary infection going on.

stephanietx said:

 
If she continues sneezing and there's discharge, ask the vet to do a culture and sensitivity test on the discharge.  She could have a secondary infection going on.

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Alrighty. There's really not a LOT of discharge, which is why I've listened to my vets up until now when they've said "not a big deal". It's kind of the equivalent of a good human sneezing fest - runny nose, and a slight spray when actually sneezing.

Is there any mucous discharge like slinging snot?  (I call it explosive sneezing.)  Also, do you see any exaggerated swallowing?

stephanietx said:

 
Is there any mucous discharge like slinging snot?  (I call it explosive sneezing.)  Also, do you see any exaggerated swallowing?

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I mean, sometimes, it's more like a spray as I said, like there might be a little bit of spray on my computer or my hand. But not long "snot strings" or anything. No swallowing, but she does lick her chops a lot even when there is no food nearby and she hasn't just eaten. Dunno if she's just trying to clean up her own nose? I mentioned that to a vet as well, and again, no real concern about it.

My cat sneezes A LOT, but she's got feline herpes and severe airborne allergens.  Like others have mentioned, as long as there is no colored discharge (yellow or greenish), then it's probably "just" allergies.  You can give her lysine daily to see if that helps (500mg/twice a day for a flare up or 250mg/twice a day during no flare ups).  I use the powdered variety and mix it into wet food, but you can get tablets or capsules from the store.  You can also give her a daily antihistamine.  I give my kitty Claritin (Loratadine) 1/4 - 1/2 of a 10mg tablet once daily.  It dissolves well in water, so I add a bit of water to wet food, smash it in the bowl with the back of a spoon and mix in. 

I second the lysine idea. There is a cat-designed version that comes in a tube as sardine-flavoured paste. I give two squirts daily to my boy who suffers from Feline herpes. But you can give it in any form that you can get into your cat - gel, paste or powder. Try it for a month and see if it makes any difference. It is not a medicine as such but a supplement that boosts the immune system against the herpes virus. You vet can explain how it works exactly.

stephanietx said:

 
My cat sneezes A LOT, but she's got feline herpes and severe airborne allergens.  Like others have mentioned, as long as there is no colored discharge (yellow or greenish), then it's probably "just" allergies.  You can give her lysine daily to see if that helps (500mg/twice a day for a flare up or 250mg/twice a day during no flare ups).  I use the powdered variety and mix it into wet food, but you can get tablets or capsules from the store.  You can also give her a daily antihistamine.  I give my kitty Claritin (Loratadine) 1/4 - 1/2 of a 10mg tablet once daily.  It dissolves well in water, so I add a bit of water to wet food, smash it in the bowl with the back of a spoon and mix in. 

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Did you give your kitty Claritin that people take? I wanna get something TODAY, whereas I might have to order the lysine.

Yep!  I use the generic form from Wal Mart.  Make sure it's the plain Claritin (Loratadine).  Don't get the Claritin-D.