Cold?

We adopted a new kitten about two months ago. He is about 6 months (nobody knows for sure), neutered male. The problem is he was diagnosed with cold and put on antibiotics. The only symptom he ever had was stuffed nose. Not runny nose, no discharge, just stuffed. No runny eyes, no cough, very little breathing through his mouth, usually he only exhales through it. I don't even remember to hear him sneeze. He just makes that i-really-have-to-blow-my-nose sound. He eats A LOT, drinks constantly, he is very active, he is getting a bit fat around the tummy, but I don't want to put him on the diet while he is still growing (people tell me it's normal for kittens to take funny shapes). I try to feed him good food, the only dry he gets is Orijen (I couldn't afford to feed him just wet, because of his appetite), when picking wet I look for meat only options.

After two months of treatment the condition remains the same. Aside from occasional diarrhea.

From the internet I got some good advice to help him with humidifier, which I do and it helps, but of course humidifier can't cure the  cold.

Now I need some advice from people who have had cats for years and have some experience. Did you ever had a cat who has cold? How long did it take to cure? Is there a way to make him sneeze? Really any advice you have other then to go see a vet (which he will anyway) will be appreciated.

I have a cat who sneezes constantly and has cold-like symptoms.  She's now 10 yrs old and has Feline Herpes.  It's very common in shelter kitties.  You can always ask the vet to test your kitty for herpes or you can just treat him like he's got it.  I give my girl L-Lysine daily, 1000mg daily divided in 2 doses during flare ups and 500mg daily divided into 2 doses if not in a flare up.  You can also use Little Noses nose drops to help clear out the snot, just a drop in each nostril daily for a few days and then as needed in the future.  Another good thing would be to put him on a grain-free diet both canned and dry.  That will help overall health and might even help him slim down some as well. 

If it's herpes it tends to be chronic, so you won't cure her, but rather the symptoms die down and sometimes flare up again. It's an ongoing thing.

I found the following about feline herpes:

What Are the Symptoms of Feline Herpes?

• Sneezing “attacks”
• Discharge from the nose and eyes
• Conjunctivitis or pink eye (inflammation of the eyelid)
• Lesions in and around the eyes
• Eye ulcers
• Congestion
• Fever
• Depression
• Loss of appetite
• Drooling
• Squinting
• Lethargy
•  

Link: http://pets.webmd.com/cats/feline-herpes-symptoms-treatment

My cat has none of the symptoms. I actually wish he sneezed! (And it wouldn't hurt if he lost some of his mammoth appetite too).  Some people are quick to assume he has asthma, but asthma symptoms are a lot worse. But maybe this is how it all starts? Did anyone ever had a cat that just had stuffy nose and then turned out to be asthma or herpes?

The vet said it was cold, now I have to assume that either the cold takes a long time to recover from or the vet did a sloppy job and the cat never had cold at the first place. My best guess in that case is there is something stuck in his nose. But I can hear the familiar snotty sound even though nothing ever comes out of his nose. Sometimes the sound gets worse then he suddenly looks like he is about to cough and then he swallows something. So it does look too me he is producing exes mucus. But this has been going on for almost two months and it's not getting any better. I was not there when he was visiting the vet, he did that examination with his temporary owners so I couldn't ask questions like how long before his nose is clear. I know the vet said he has to take antibiotics for at least six weeks.

Also, my cat already is on grain-free diet. At least most of the time. I believe it's always beneficial for the organism to eat a very small amount of not-so-good food. So I sometimes turn a blind eye when he sneaks up to the kitchen where other cats are fed (I have flat-mates and we have somewhat different approach to feeding). I pay for that with having to tolerate horrible feline flatulence.

So I got in contact with the previous owner and the vet today. I thought I would share some tips, since I was too in a position when I searched the internet and struggled to find something useful.

Most importantly ... do not take your cat off the medications just because it has stopped showing the signs of illness without consulting the vet first. It should be taking the antibiotics for at least three weeks. My cat's foster guardian did that mistake (probably didn't want to feed the cat antibiotics for what they thought was nothing, since it can give them diarrhea among other side effects) and the stuffy nose was back the minute the cat moved to a new home. That is in the case your cat already has medications. If not, take it to the vet. Even if it's just stuffy nose. It's probably a bacterial infection and it's crucial the cat gets antibiotics.

Then it is important to get that cat daily therapy to help him or her breath. There were many tips on the internet about humidifying the room the cat lives in, to put some eucalyptus oil in vaporizer and to wipe the cats nose. These are all good tips, but my vet has instructed me with a more direct approach, to rinse his nose multiple times a day with 0,9 saline solution. I took a syringe and carefully injected about 2ml in each nostril and it really does the job. He swallows some of it, coughs or sneezes, but most importantly, the stubborn snot breaks and lets the kitty breathe. It's easy and very effective. The only problem is to make your cat let you do it.

The vet recommended I take a towel and make a cat strudel, but my cat catapulted itself out in milliseconds. I tried a few times and it wasn't until I poured all the saline on myself when I decided that no matter how much I like the idea of cat strudel (remember Beatrix Potter and Tom Kitten in Roly-Poly Pudding?) it's just not the best solution for our kitten. So I just grabbed him by the scruff and injected the solution and it was over quickly. He didn't hold a grudge for very long.

I hope this helps someone, and thank you stephanietx and pushylady for your tips too.

That's interesting information ferocioussamo . I hope your kitten finally beats this cold into submission!