9 Year Old Female Cat is Constantly Sneezing and Congested. Help Please!

brittanymaria23

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Hi there,

I am new to this website and forum and have a question about my 9-year old female Siamese-mix cat.

In the past year or so, she has developed a sneeze and congestion on and off. I did research on it and assumed that she probably had a cat cold, as she wasn't displaying any other symptoms and it would go away before coming back again throughout the year. She is an indoor cat and has been for her whole life but we also have another cat who does go outdoors and he has never caught this illness.

Recently, in the past few months, my female cat has had sneezing fits and nasal congestion more frequently and it hasn't been going away. I have also noticed that she seems a little thinner around the hips area, even though I observe her eating and drinking when I am home. She also makes a weird sound when she eats sometimes, almost like her teeth are grinding against each other.

I have tried giving her homeopathic drops on her treats a few times per day (from HomeoPet brand) and I also keep her in the bathroom with me when showering, in hopes that the steam will clear away her congestion, but these home remedies haven't really done anything to help her condition.

I am reluctant to take her to the vet because I don't have a lot of money to spare and I am not sure how expensive a visit and tests would cost, but I am willing to do so based on the advice of people on this forum.

Does anyone have experience with a car with these types of symptoms? Any suggestions for what I should do and how to proceed?

I would really appreciate some advice.
 

abyeb

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Could be a Feline Herpes flare up. A vet trip would be a good idea.
 
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fodder

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My advice would also be to take her to the vet. Especially if you are noticing any greenish discharge when she sneezes. That means she will probably need antibiotics.

It could be a lot of things, herpes is very common in cats. Sometimes they can get a foreign object trapped in their nasal cavity. Tooth problems can also cause sneezing. They can get pollops or tumors in their nasal cavity etc etc.  There are lots of causes and no way to really know for sure without seeing a vet. Even then, sometimes it is a mystery.

My cat has had this going on for around a year now and had so many test, antibiotics, two dental exams including 1 tooth being removed, nasal flushes, xrays, lysene, food changes, etc etc etc. Everything that can be done has been done that i know of yet the problem remains. The only thing that stops it is antibiotics and that is for unknown reasons as his blood tests show no signs of infection. He is now on his 5th coarse of antibiotics, this time it's an 11 week coarse. I can already tell it isn't going to work.

It can be a frustrating road to go down but it could also be something very simple. Only your vet will be able to give you any true insight.
 

kmoulus

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My Speedy has the same thing, she has been sneezing constantly for about 3 weeks, no discharge from the eyes/nose and no other symptoms.  I was out of town for most of that time so I only just noticed a few days ago but her babysitter confirms that it's been going on for weeks.  The onset seems to coincide with the lat time she boarded at the vet/kennel.

Speedy is almost 16 years old with severe heart disease so I am going to take her to the vet ASAP, we have to stay on top of her health. I'll let you know what the doctor says
 

stephanietx

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A trip to the vet is in order. Sounds like she could have an upper respiratory thing going on, but it could just be seasonal allergies.  If there's any discolored discharge, I'd ask for the vet to culture it to make sure you're not dealing with a secondary infection.
 
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