Sneezing, Huffing, Cottonmouth?

Just stressing so I was hoping you fabulous people could help me out...

I know that a lot of cats that come from shelters also come with URIs and I've been a bit nervous about that. Max has been isolated in the bathroom since he came home with us on Sunday and I've been paying a lot of attention to his habits (eating, drink, litterbox, etc). But I noticed he sneezes a lot (last night it was 6 times in a matter of seconds) and makes this weird huffing noise. Kinda like you would do if you were saying "Huh" forcefully blowing air out as you were saying it. Doesn't do it often or repeatedly, just every once in a while.

Lastly he does this thing that looks like he has cottonmouth. Kind of like he's smacking his lips or something.

He's eating his recommended amount of dry food now, drinking enough water (I'd say), using the litterbox well for both. (I've never SEEN him use the box but he does use it.)

I mentioned this to the vet on Monday and she didn't seem too concerned... said to be concerned and bring him in if he gets goopy eyes or a runny nose. He has neither. And of course I couldn't recreate the funny noises he makes...

Anyone have any idea what this is?

By the way... not only did he go to the vet on Monday, but the adoption agency (SCAT) took him not even 2 weeks before I took him. Just so you know he's been checked out.

If your vet isn't worried I wouldn't worry. If his "huffing" gets worse and turns into a cough- he may be developing pneumonia so I would take him back in. Your vet probably listened to his lungs though and she would have picked up on that. I would keep him isolated for at least 10 days and make sure he is not sneezing anymore before you introduce him to Bailey. Remember too that FURV can spread on your hands and clothes so wash and change after playing with him.

My cat suffers from allergies and his nose will run sometimes. So what I'm suggesting is that you wipe his nose with your thumb.

I also wonder if he sniffed in a dust particle or some type of irritant that is making him sneeze. Just a thought since I've seen Angel do that a few times.

Originally Posted by Dr. Doolittle

If your vet isn't worried I wouldn't worry. If his "huffing" gets worse and turns into a cough- he may be developing pneumonia so I would take him back in. Your vet probably listened to his lungs though and she would have picked up on that. I would keep him isolated for at least 10 days and make sure he is not sneezing anymore before you introduce him to Bailey. Remember too that FURV can spread on your hands and clothes so wash and change after playing with him.

Click to expand...

Yikes pneumonia? How can I not worry after you mention that? And yeah the vet did listen to his lungs and heart...

Originally Posted by ccoccocats

My cat suffers from allergies and his nose will run sometimes. So what I'm suggesting is that you wipe his nose with your thumb.

I also wonder if he sniffed in a dust particle or some type of irritant that is making him sneeze. Just a thought since I've seen Angel do that a few times.

Click to expand...

Well his nose isn't running yet. It could be that he sniffed in a dust particle or something... I've noticed that our dust-free litter (Arm & Hammer Super Scoop) seems dusty lately for some reason.

When I got Baylee she was sneezy and I never worried but Max worries me because of the huffing. And of course my boyfriend is nonchalant about the whole thing...

Pneumonia only occurs once and a while and it is treatable. If your vet isn't worried, you shouldn't be either.

Originally Posted by Dr. Doolittle

Pneumonia only occurs once and a while and it is treatable. If your vet isn't worried, you shouldn't be either.

Click to expand...

Okay, thanks... I feel a bit better now.

The "huffing" noise he's making reminds me of the sound my cats make when they have a hairball. Is he eating any canned food? IMO he shouldn't be on dry only. Canned food is better for him and the moisture in it will help his digestive system work more efficiently. If he's eating canned, and this is a hairball problem, you could add some powdered psyllium fiber (mixed with water to form a gel consistency) and add that to the food. A little scraped carrot or 1/2 teaspoon olive oil in the food can help too.

The lip smacking could be a sign of a bad taste in the mouth, or nausea, so keep an eye on that. I know you said he was recently vet checked, but did they carefully examine the mouth to make sure there weren't any dental problems (which could also explain the lip smacking)?

The sneezing could be due to allergies. Is there anything in your bathroom that might have triggered this? You don't want to expose him to scented room deodorizers, perfume, potpourri, scented soaps, etc.

Hope Max will be ok and out of the bathroom soon!

KTLynn... *hangs head in shame* He IS only on dry food at the moment... I didn't get the chance to slowly switch him over to Nutro as they wouldnt' tell me what he was eating at the shelter and I felt it would be bad to upset his poor tummy by getting him used to both Nutro dry and Petguard wet (or Active Life if I can find any) at the same time. I DO plan on introducing wet food to him... money is so tight right now, but then again, that's what credit cards are for.

I fed him some Petromalt Sunday, I'll give him a bit more again in case it is a hairball.

As for the lip smacking... they DID check his mouth and said that he had a bit of tartar... I'm not sure if he has a bad taste in his mouth as he seems to love his food and his treats (tartar control). I'm not sure if I'm describe it correctly though... it's as if he were thirsty (or has a dry mouth) and is trying to get the saliva working. But he's drinking fine, not excessively but enough to make me think he's healthy.

You know, good point - my boyfriend does spray a LOT of hairspray (ha, him not me, go figure) in the bathroom, not to mention his cologne and my perfume. I'll make sure he does so in another room, hopefully that'll help.

Thanks, you've made me realize a lot of things and they're going to help!

Originally Posted by pinkdaisy226

KTLynn... Thanks, you've made me realize a lot of things and they're going to help!

Click to expand...

Just a side note: KTLynn always does!

Thanks, Cheryl, that's so nice of you to say!

Ari, no need to be ashamed about Max's food situation! The important thing is that you will be trying soon to upgrade the quality of the food, and you're smart to make the change gradually. I've seen other members mention Active Life as being a great food, so I'm interested in trying it for my little guys when that company gets back in production. My cats love the Petguard canned right now, especially the Chicken and Wheat Germ flavor.

Just wondering, why the big mystery about what Max was eating at the shelter? I can't understand why they wouldn't tell you that.

Max is lucky to have such a good mom! BTW, how old is he? He's a good-looking boy!

Baylee loves Chicken and Wheat Germ Petguard! We had Active Life once, Baylee loved it and I loved the look of it... unfortunately I think I reheated it badly and so she never ate more of it.

I'm not sure why they wouldn't tell me what he was eating... I guess they just didn't want me to give that to him because it wasn't that great. I mean, I had told them that I'd feed him Nutro... but I wanted to change over slowly. Oh well, I guess it's too late.

Thanks! Max is between 6 and 7 years old... he's a bit skinny and could use the wet food (it's raining here or else I'd love to go find this place that tuxedokitties told me about) but he's a good guy.

He's sneezing less, by the way... lol, as I say that he just sneezes... but he still huffs, which sounds like a hiss but it's not (but which makes Baylee nervous). And when he's trying to smell something, you can HEAR him sniffing, as if he were congested and it takes him a bit more effort to smell it. Hmmm....

Ari, it sure does sound like Max is congested. Do you have a vaporizer or humidifier you could run? That might help him breathe easier. An air purifier wouldn't be a bad idea either in case he does have allergies to dust and other air-borne particles.

BLESS YOU for adopting an adult kitty!!! Boy, do I wish more people would do that! I hope Max and Baylee will become great friends. Love the pictures of both of them.

KTLynn... we don't have a vaporizer or humidifier I'm afraid... I'll look into one. I do have a small ionic air filter for Baylee's downstairs litterbox but I'll move it upstairs and hope it helps.

BLESS YOU for adopting an adult kitty!!! Boy, do I wish more people would do that! I hope Max and Baylee will become great friends. Love the pictures of both of them.

Click to expand...

Thanks... I was a bit nervous about adopting an older cat, I guess based on misconceptions that the cat would be set in his ways, not as loving, etc. But he really is a sweet, loveable guy and I'm so happy he's home with us now!

Oh I bought some Grapefruit Seed Extract, as I've heard great things about it on this site, because I was hoping that might help... not only my cats but me as I'm so prone to sicknesses! And he got him and Baylee got their first taste of Merrick's tonight... they thought it was yum!

As to the lipsmacking, have you noticed when he does it? I ask because Nedicks does it too, when she first wakes up and after she eats, and it doesn't seem to be the sign of any problem.

Um... I've never noticed when he's done it, it's always seemed to be more of a random thing... definitely not after he's done eating. I haven't noticed it as much lately and I've been seeing more of him now so hopefully it's passing.

Just wanted to update you that I realized yesterday that Max hasn't been doing any of this lately! I haven't heard him do any of the huffing or cottonmouth things in ages... the sneezing is rare.

Now I just have to figure out the pulling the fur issue. We *think* it's gone away as we haven't seen him do it since Wednesday. I'm not sure if it's because I put Frontline on him and he had fleas that I didn't see (or a flea allergy?) or if Baylee was stressing him out (but I doubt that because she probably still likes to stress him out).

Hi Ari, I was wondering about Max so I'm glad to see an update. It's great that some of the things you were concerned about seem to have disappeared.

Not sure what pulling out the fur is about - hopefully other members have experience with that. I suppose it's possible that it could be a reaction to the Frontline - maybe it's irritating his skin.

Sounds like Baylee and Max have been introduced to each other. Does Max have the run of the house now?

Originally Posted by KTLynn

Hi Ari, I was wondering about Max so I'm glad to see an update. It's great that some of the things you were concerned about seem to have disappeared.

Not sure what pulling out the fur is about - hopefully other members have experience with that. I suppose it's possible that it could be a reaction to the Frontline - maybe it's irritating his skin.

Sounds like Baylee and Max have been introduced to each other. Does Max have the run of the house now?

Click to expand...

Actually, I think the Frontline may have SOLVED the problem... I only put it on him on Wednesday and I haven't seen him pull any fur out since then. But, like I said, I'm still keeping my eyes out for him... don't want a big problem to suddenly arise.


Yup, they have been introduced... usually they get along but sometimes they irritate each other (usually after they're grooming each other). It's never anything bad... maybe a bit of "biting", but never hard, more like gnawing... and they don't hiss at each other or growl anymore. Max does have run of the house but occasionally we put him in the bathroom for a bit, to give him a break from Baylee.

Right now I'm also dealing with the fact that he likes to sleep in the place in the bed near my head, which is where Baylee likes to sleep. It bugs her and she ends up leaving... but honestly I think he just likes sleeping next to her.