Sneezing cat?

[mamakat]

Morgan has been kind of raspy in the last 3 days. Hard to notice really unless youre very close to him. I was planning on taking him in to the vet for a checkup, now Im wondering if I should do it much sooner since hes sneezing now.

He sneezed 3 or 4 times tonight. Neither of the other 2 cats are doing this or acting ill. Other than the slightly wheezy/raspy breathing and occasional sneezes, hes acting totally normal. Poops are ok and eating and drinking.
Thoughts?

 

[purrfectcatlove]

I would go with your cat now to the vet . My Snowbal is fighting a uper raspo. for 3 month now . No medication what the vet gave me has helped so far . Now he is on a new medication and he got a sculpture taken on Thuesday and hopefully find out in a week more . I think I did not catch it early enough with Snowbal and wish I did . So thats why I would take your cat in as soon as posible .

 

[mamakat]

Oh no

I hope thats not what he has. Ok, I will see if I can get him in tomorrow or Saturday at the latest. Are there any other symptoms I should look for? Anything I can do for him for the time being?

 

[purrfectcatlove]

I think there is really nothing you can do about it . Maybe somebody els knows more . Make sure to tell the vet how the sneezing looks like (color) and also if he cough ....

 

[alysenet]

If the respiratory problems continue for more than 3 weeks, you should check for Cryptococcus. My cat turned out to have Cryptococcus -- a potentially fatal fungal disease. When I got her from the shelter, she had what the shelter was calling just an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI). Many vets and many dollars later (I even got "fired" from one vet for being so persistent), a vet finally, begrungingly, checked for Cryptococcus, which she turned out to have. The test is expensive (about $130), but worth it, considering the disease eventually gets into the cat's nervous system and then paralyzes and kills the cat.

I then put my cat onto Fluconazole, an anti-fungal med, which is very expensive unless you go to one of the cheaper compounding centers, such as Cactus Pharmacy in Arizona. Apparently Arizona has some sort of drug cost limitations that help the consumer. The cost there was about $50 for a 1-month supply instead of the usual $200/month !!! Cactus Pharmacy: 877-971-3001. Now that my cat has been off the meds for 1 1/2 years and has tested negative for the 3 Crypto tests taken since going off the meds, she only has to be tested once a year.

Nowadays, shelters and vets are more aware of Cryptococcus, and some check for it as soon as a URI lasts more than 3 weeks.

 

[hannahj]

My Blossom also gets into sneezing fits (5-20+ a night) and her brother Billy will seem just fine. The vet said its because almost all cats carry a kind of herpes virus that causes upper respiratory infections (its not the kind of herpes that humans can catch and it certainly wont cause THAT kind of herpes!!). What happens is that for the most part, your cats immune system will keep the virus in check and they are fine. But, if they become stressed (it doesnt even have to be a big stress), their immune system may take a temporary dive and the virus expresses itself through sneezing. Each cat's system is different, so Blossom will get sneezy, but Billy will be fine.

You can help them by boosting their immune system. Go buy some L-Lysine from a health food store. Buy caplets that have powder in them. Sprinkle a caplet-full on their food--either a full 500g on a big meal or 2-250g on two meals. It wont hurt your other cats either, so dont worry if they all eat together. You will see a BIG difference in a few days. Also, you can give them L-Lysine if you know that a stressful time will be coming up for them and it will help them stay healthier.

This is of course assuming they dont have a more serious fungal disease, but it would make sense that its a resp. infection as it is extremely common.

 

[buzbyjlc10]

Sounds like the beginning of an upper respiratory.... which is not a big deal if you catch it early and get it treated... Oliver had one last fall and I took him in (I have no choice, as soon as I notice something abnormal, he's gotta go in cuz he's FIV+)... the vet put him on antibiotics for 7-10 days and it cleared right up.... He presented with some sneezing and congestion as well - don't freak out, just get your kitty into the vet...