Chronic Congestion - Any Ideas?

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namelessaria

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Hey everyone,

My 10 month old kitty Dexter stays chronically congestion (nasal/sinus) and I was wondering if maybe there is something I should be doing for him. I'm a first time cat owner and still really new to all this. Dexter's vet didn't seem too concerned since he isn't running a fever and is still eating and drinking well. Dex is up to date on vaccinations and otherwise perfectly healthy. The vet said it may just be allergies and told me I could try giving him 1mg of Benedryl per pound of body weight. I tried it and it seemed to help some so maybe it is just allergies? This has been an on-going problem for several months now.

The only reason I'm somewhat skeptical about allergies is he barely ever sneezes, it started in the winter, has been going on for months and my home is pretty allergy friendly. I have bad allergies and severe asthma so I have to keep the house pretty well dusted, free of any scented things (air fresheners and such... I don't even use dryer sheets) vacuumed frequently and all that. But if it is allergies, any ideas what he may be allergic to? And is there anything I can give him other than Benedryl? He hates me for the rest of the day after I give him any: apparently it tastes terrible. 


If it isn't allergies, what else could it be? And what would I need to try for that? 


I'm sure whatever it is isn't a big deal or the vet would have done more than just shrug it off but I still wish I could do something to make Dexter more comfortable. He sounds like I do when I have a bad head cold and that just can't be pleasant.
 
stephenq

stephenq

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Hi and welcome to TCS!

Cats who get allergies don't necessarily get seasonal allergies and just because you keep your house clean doesn't mean there isn't something he can react to, although in my experience most cat allergies relate to skin issues, not to upper respiratory ones.

What are the symptoms of his congestion?  Mucous discharge? Wheezing? Open mouth breathing?

Its possible he has a chronic upper respiratory infection like feline herpes and that can be treated long term with L-Lysine, an amino acid that blocks the herpes virus from replicating and reduces symptoms.  See this article http://www.thecatsite.com/a/feline-herpes-and-rhinotracheitis

These articles are about allergies: 

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/common-allergies-cats

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/cat-care/allergies

It sounds like you're having trouble pilling him and if giving him benadryl is really helping, you could try using a pill pocket.

http://www.greenies.com/cats/pill-pockets.aspx
 
oneandahalfcats

oneandahalfcats

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NamelessAria said:
 
Hey everyone,

My 10 month old kitty Dexter stays chronically congestion (nasal/sinus) and I was wondering if maybe there is something I should be doing for him. I'm a first time cat owner and still really new to all this. Dexter's vet didn't seem too concerned since he isn't running a fever and is still eating and drinking well. Dex is up to date on vaccinations and otherwise perfectly healthy. The vet said it may just be allergies and told me I could try giving him 1mg of Benedryl per pound of body weight. I tried it and it seemed to help some so maybe it is just allergies? This has been an on-going problem for several months now.

The only reason I'm somewhat skeptical about allergies is he barely ever sneezes, it started in the winter, has been going on for months and my home is pretty allergy friendly. I have bad allergies and severe asthma so I have to keep the house pretty well dusted, free of any scented things (air fresheners and such... I don't even use dryer sheets) vacuumed frequently and all that. But if it is allergies, any ideas what he may be allergic to? And is there anything I can give him other than Benedryl? He hates me for the rest of the day after I give him any: apparently it tastes terrible. 


If it isn't allergies, what else could it be? And what would I need to try for that? 


I'm sure whatever it is isn't a big deal or the vet would have done more than just shrug it off but I still wish I could do something to make Dexter more comfortable. He sounds like I do when I have a bad head cold and that just can't be pleasant.
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This sounds like it could be an environmental or possible food allergy or intolerance to some food you are feeding. If it was a URI, there would likely be other symptoms such as fever, swollen lymph nodes, lethargy, which your vet must have ruled out. Did you change foods at some point?

My big male cat Max was experiencing something very similar recently, but it has since passed. I attributed this to the dry air causing dust this winter as I am in Canada and this winter has been particularly harsh and long.

In addition to the Benedryl, you might want to create a steam bath for your cat by running the shower in your bathroom and putting your cat in there with the door closed for a bit, to see if this can help to relieve the sinus congestion. That said, I would look at the food you are feeding and if you have changed something, to discuss with your vet to see if there might something he is having a reaction to that could cause the congestion and sneezing.
 
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