URI or allergies?

Little Olive has a vet appointment Friday morning but I was hoping to get some insight from you guys.

She woke me up in the middle of the night on Sunday with some sneezing. Sneezing has continued all week with some clear eye discharge. She's eating, drinking and playing just fine. No loss of appetite and isn't lethargic.

She is an only indoor cat that hasn't been around another cat for maybe a year or so.

Vet thinks it might be allergies but can't say for sure till she sees her.

Thanks!

Yeah without being able to see her I'm inclined to say the same thing as your vet. Sneezing and ocular discharge can easily be a sign of either a URI or allergies, and only a vet exam is going to tell you which one. But, just going off the little bit you have said my guess is going to be allergies as well. The reason for this being that she is an indoor only girl (meaning she is way less likely to be exposed to a URI) and because the eye discharge sounds like it's pretty clear. With a URI you tend to get a pretty heavy, "goopy" eye that is more yellow/green in color. Another possibility is that if you adopted her from a shelter she just may be a carrier of a URI or feline herpes (aka recurrent eye infections). It's relatively common in shelter cats and can be easily treated so don't worry if that is the case

Regardless of which it is, good for you for erring on the side of caution and making her a vet appointment so quickly.  Vibes that it is nothing serious but if you have further questions after the appointment don't hesitate to ask them here in this thread. Thank you for being such a good cat parent and for taking such good care of her!  

I was about to offer the same advice!

If your cat came from a shelter or similar place as a kitten, there is a great chance she caught a uri back then and was treated with an antibiotic and it was all cleared up.

The thing is, although the initial 'cold' symptoms are gone, the cat will always harbor the virus in her system.

Then on occasion, usually in times of stress, changes, etc. she will suddenly have these 'cold' symptoms return.

Then again, it is spring now, and cats as humans, do get allergies to pollen and other irritants.

I have had some with uri's only have watery clear draining eyes, others are goopy, but the vet can test for rhinotracheitis and calicivirus, which will be more definitive then we can be without seeing her.

It is easier to test for those than it is for allergies. (pretty costly)

Good luck!

Thanks! She just had some pretty heavy sneezing and it just breaks my heart. I'm unsure of where she came from because I got her when a friend's roommate left her when she moved out so I don't know if she could have been exposed to the virus.

Coloratura said:

Thanks! She just had some pretty heavy sneezing and it just breaks my heart. I'm unsure of where she came from because I got her when a friend's roommate left her when she moved out so I don't know if she could have been exposed to the virus.

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The good news is she will be fine with treatment!

Starting to think its allergies as well. On a hunch that she might be allergic to her litter, I purchased a respiratory relief litter. Have heard maybe one or two sneezes and sniffles all night which is a huge change from the last couple days.

Vet diagnosed as URI. She got an injection of convenia and tobramycin eye drops. She has a follow up appointment in a week.

OK, keep us updated.  Sometimes cats with URI's cats loose appetite so monitor this and if her appetite start to fail call your vet and/or let us know.  Allergies never really go away but most URI's do so this is probably the better of the two possibilities.