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- Sep 9, 2017
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Hi, all. New here, so forgive me if I'm not posting in the correct place. I'm at my wit's end at this point.
My male kitten, Huxley, will be a year old at the beginning of October. I've had him since he was about 8-10 weeks old. He has always had fits of reverse sneezing. The fits seem unrelated to physical activity or environmental stimulation. He will have them during play, during rest, while eating, pretty much just whenever. Sometimes he will have several a day, sometimes none.
I've taken him to multiple different vets for this issue, and none of them can seem to figure out why this happens to him. They have all told me he's in outstanding health, his heart and lungs sound clear and healthy, and he is incredibly active and curious.
One vet acted like I was crazy and suggested that I am just seeing his Jacobson's organ at work. What he does is much different from a cat inhaling through the mouth to better catch scents. For one, it seems completely involuntary, and for another, he's definitely reverse sneezing and coughing a bit.
Another vet suggested that he may have been infected with the calicivirus in utero, and so may have constant, small outbreaks throughout his life. I'm skeptical of this because while he does get some eye boogers, his eyes certainly aren't runny or gummed up, his nose isn't running, he eats like a horse and lethargic would be the last word one would use to describe him.
No vet I've taken him to seems to think this is a big deal, and he doesn't seem very affected by it other than during the fits. They usually last for less than a minute or two. However, I've never known a cat to chronically do this, and I'm afraid that it may be due to an underlying cause that may suddenly worsen. I would rather know now and get him a management plan if that's the case, rather than doing nothing and suddenly having him take very ill or die. That would be completely awful.
Does anyone else have any experience with this? Any advice on how I might get a vet to take this issue seriously? Any diagnostic tests I might specifically request that they do?
Thank you so much for any help or insight you might provide.
My male kitten, Huxley, will be a year old at the beginning of October. I've had him since he was about 8-10 weeks old. He has always had fits of reverse sneezing. The fits seem unrelated to physical activity or environmental stimulation. He will have them during play, during rest, while eating, pretty much just whenever. Sometimes he will have several a day, sometimes none.
I've taken him to multiple different vets for this issue, and none of them can seem to figure out why this happens to him. They have all told me he's in outstanding health, his heart and lungs sound clear and healthy, and he is incredibly active and curious.
One vet acted like I was crazy and suggested that I am just seeing his Jacobson's organ at work. What he does is much different from a cat inhaling through the mouth to better catch scents. For one, it seems completely involuntary, and for another, he's definitely reverse sneezing and coughing a bit.
Another vet suggested that he may have been infected with the calicivirus in utero, and so may have constant, small outbreaks throughout his life. I'm skeptical of this because while he does get some eye boogers, his eyes certainly aren't runny or gummed up, his nose isn't running, he eats like a horse and lethargic would be the last word one would use to describe him.
No vet I've taken him to seems to think this is a big deal, and he doesn't seem very affected by it other than during the fits. They usually last for less than a minute or two. However, I've never known a cat to chronically do this, and I'm afraid that it may be due to an underlying cause that may suddenly worsen. I would rather know now and get him a management plan if that's the case, rather than doing nothing and suddenly having him take very ill or die. That would be completely awful.
Does anyone else have any experience with this? Any advice on how I might get a vet to take this issue seriously? Any diagnostic tests I might specifically request that they do?
Thank you so much for any help or insight you might provide.
