My older cat caught a cold

[Chris07]

My cat is 14 years old and I took him to get his nails trimmed at a groomers, the groomers was 10 minutes away so I walked him although it was cold outside (40F) he was acting a bit strange after bringing him back, I assumed it was due to getting his nails trimmed for the first time and it bummed him out and caused him to act strange but I noticed he was also drooling a lot more than often and its now the next day and he's low on energy not wanting to play, has a runny nose and is still drooling a bit. Is this a sign of a sickness or just a cold and if it is do I take him to the vet as soon as i can or wait it out with some home remedies until he gets better?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I personally would not wait to have a cat at that age seen by a vet to check out what is going on. I don't know what home remedies you are thinking of. How is he eating/drinking/using the litter box?

A lot depends on his background, as in his overall health, vaccination status, previous vet checkups, whether he has demonstrated these types of symptoms before, and if he could have contracted something from being at the groomer. There are just so many variables.

You know your cat best. If there are other things that you could share with us that might make a difference, please let us know.

 

[Alldara]

I would call your vet and see what they say about coming in. They'll tell you if there's anything to watch for and also how long to wait. Usually, for example, my vet will let me know if I should come same day, or just make a regular appointment or no need to come at all. Sometimes they say just to observe and then call back in a few days.

It doesn't sound like a cat cold. Colds don't come on immediately after catching them. We, (and cats too!), "incubate" them for a couple days to a couple of weeks usually. Feline Upper Respiratory Infection | VCA Animal Hospital

 

[Chris07]

I personally would not wait to have a cat at that age seen by a vet to check out what is going on. I don't know what home remedies you are thinking of. How is he eating/drinking/using the litter box?

A lot depends on his background, as in his overall health, vaccination status, previous vet checkups, whether he has demonstrated these types of symptoms before, and if he could have contracted something from being at the groomer. There are just so many variables.

You know your cat best. If there are other things that you could share with us that might make a difference, please let us know.

It's hard to get a vet appointment instantly at the veterinarian near me as they're always booked so I was hoping to find something I can do for him until I get him the checkup. His eating and drinking are fine but he used the litter box once today. Overall he's pretty healthy for his age he plays everyday, eats good food and usually doesn't have any medical problems, he went to the vet 4 months ago and he was healthy. He's never gotten a cold before as I rarely take him outside of the house. I don't think he could have gotten something from the groomer as we were only there for about 20 minutes and only nail clippers were used. As I said before we also walked there and back it was pretty cold out (40F) and he doesn't have winter clothing.

 

[Alldara]

It's hard to get a vet appointment instantly at the veterinarian near me as they're always booked so I was hoping to find something I can do for him until I get him the checkup. His eating and drinking are fine but he used the litter box once today. Overall he's pretty healthy for his age he plays everyday, eats good food and usually doesn't have any medical problems, he went to the vet 4 months ago and he was healthy. He's never gotten a cold before as I rarely take him outside of the house. I don't think he could have gotten something from the groomer as we were only there for about 20 minutes and only nail clippers were used. As I said before we also walked there and back it was pretty cold out (40F) and he doesn't have winter clothing.

That's about 4C and I know anything under 6C is considered cold for a cat. He could have caught a chill..
Do you have a microwave bag you can warm up. You can place it down on his bed and he will climb on if needed.

It could be that it's very stressful for him to leave the house. Many cats have dormant feline herpes (FHV) and it can flare up as watery eyes, sneezing (as long as no green, red or black discharge), and lethargy. It's estimated that 90% of cats have it, it's considered like a cold-sore for cats.

FHV would give him an instant cold under stress. If he caught something at the groomer, he wouldn't have symptoms for 3 to 14 days. Herpesvirus Infection in Cats (Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis) | VCA Animal Hospital

Is there someone who can come to your home to trim his claws?