Water eyes, sneezing, coughing - But I'm pretty sure it's not an URI.

[ares]

Hey guys,

So awhile ago (almost 2 months ago) my boyfriend and I decided to adopt a second kitten. We went to the same shelter we got our first one, fell in love, and took him home a week later. Once we had him home and in our house he started sneezing up a storm. He would run around our bedroom and in no time his nose and eyes were all runny. He also was scratching himself none stop - which made us even more worried. We at once thought he had a URI and called the shelter back to tell them. They suggested we bring him back to the shelter so they could bring him to their vet to get him checked out. It turned out he had ringworm (woopie, we all ended up getting it here.) and he needed to stay with them for a month to treat it. This was fine, we still loved the cat and wanted to bring him home when he was better. I had told her about his sneezing, watery eyes, etc. but she said he was fine both at her house and at the vets - the vet saying the only thing he could find wrong was the ringworm.

So after a month (and a few more delays) we brought him home two days ago. When we went to pick him up at the shelter he was as sweet and friendly as ever, and no watery eyes. Yet, in the first hour we had him home, his eyes started to water and he began to sneeze every now and then. I'm skeptical that he could have a URI for 2 months and have no one at the shelter, including the vet during his multiple visits, not notice it. My boyfriend, who sleeps next to the cat, noticed he is congested the worst in the morning or if he wakes up late at night. He found it interesting that the cat was clogged up and sneezing whenever he is - my boyfriend has very bad allergies to a lot of things (cats not included.)

So now we're suspecting he may be allergic to something in our apartment - is this possible? What are the most common allergens in cats? How can I help my poor boy deal with it? We're planning on getting an air purifier soon, as my boyfriend has needed one for his own allergies for awhile, but we are a bit tight on money this month with our first kitten, Ares, medical bills. I finally broke down and dug $400 out of my savings to get him xrays and worm testing for his rapid breathing, so it will be next month till we can get the purifier.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Yes, cats can have allergies, just like humans.  They can be allergic to dust, pollen, detergents (although that would more likely make them itch).

Check out this thread:  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/249265/allergies-and-zyrtec

However, I would never give the new kitten any allergy meds without first discussing with the Vet at the shelter who knows his case.  You could probably do that via the phone.  I would think his weight, etc. would be needed in order to figure out how much to give, etc.

 

[AbbysMom]

Are you using the same type of litter as they did at the shelter? It may be as simple as an allergy to the litter.

 

[ares]

Are you using the same type of litter as they did at the shelter? It may be as simple as an allergy to the litter.

No, I'm not. But he gets watery eyed before he's even near the litter. I've seen him use the box a few times, and no problems. What is a little strange, though, is that he seems to get more congested and watery-eyed when he plays. Is it because he's trying to breath harder and it's just coming out? Or could he be kicking something up from the carpet that's irritating him?

After i've taken care of Ares (much more critical) issues, I'll be taking him to the vet for a second opinion. I'm 90% he's allergic to something, as he also get the allergy bumps around his neck, but I want to rule out the possibility of herpes.

 

[mservant]

Do you have carpets throughout your house, and if so are they the same material / type of different, and have they been cleaned with any chemicals?

With your bed, are the mattress, pillows and duvet/covers already covered with hypo-allergenic covers to reduce dust and mite build up, and is anything different used for washing or spraying on the bedding?

Any scented products or perfumes used that you could try avoiding for a bit?

Is your home in the same area as the shelter you got your cat from? Might there be different air quality such as fields or factories that might produce pollen or other air pollutants not present (in the same volume) at the shelter?

I don;t know if you've looked at the household cleaning thread on this site that gives alternative suggestions to commonly used cleaning products but this might be of interest both for your new kitty and your boyfriend.

 

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/262847/by-request-homemade-natural-safe-household-cleaning-solutions

Hope you manage to find what's causing it and resolve so your new kitten can get back to serious play with out further health problems. My cat has FHV 1 with symptoms identified from when he was about 6 months old though not diagnosed till recently - on the whole he keeps pretty well. Mostly been problems with water eyes since he finished teething (now 2 1/2). He hasn't had any nasal / breathing difficulties so far but does have a funny sneeze  /cough thing sometimes. No pattern to where he is in the apartment or anything, more when he's stressed.

 

[stephanietx]

It could be stress induced from being in a new environment, new people, new sounds.  Sounds like what normally happens when a new kitty comes home.  I would suggest using a feliway diffuser to help his stress level and see if that helps.  Also, look for the normal URI type things as that is often triggered by stress.

 

[ares]

Yeah, I'll be taking him to the vet next week to have him all checked out. He was checked on three different occasions by two different vets at the shelter who all said he was fine. He really only gets water eyes in the morning or after playing hard.

 

[my-boy-jasper]

I was just about to start a new thread about this same problem! My cat Jasper is about 6-7 months old. About a month and a half ago, I noticed his left eye was quite watery when we were playing really hard with Da Bird. I thought he'd scratched it. But still, at least every two days I notice his eyes are a bit watery and it's started to happen in his right eye too. But they don't look irritated at all and I don't think he even notices. It's usually just a couple of drops which I wipe off with a tissue and that's it till the next time. And the only pattern I've noticed is that it does happen when we play hard, although it happens it other random times too. I haven't noticed a whole lot of sneezing going on. Occasionally I can hear a tiny bit of a wheeze when he's sleeping. He does get pretty puffed out chasing Da Bird but I really don't know how puffed is normal for a cat. I was thinking allergies too but it didn't start until a few months after I brought him home. I don't know whether to be concerned or not.

 

[mservant]

 
I was just about to start a new thread about this same problem! My cat Jasper is about 6-7 months old. About a month and a half ago, I noticed his left eye was quite watery when we were playing really hard with Da Bird. I thought he'd scratched it. But still, at least every two days I notice his eyes are a bit watery and it's started to happen in his right eye too. But they don't look irritated at all and I don't think he even notices. It's usually just a couple of drops which I wipe off with a tissue and that's it till the next time. And the only pattern I've noticed is that it does happen when we play hard, although it happens it other random times too. I haven't noticed a whole lot of sneezing going on. Occasionally I can hear a tiny bit of a wheeze when he's sleeping. He does get pretty puffed out chasing Da Bird but I really don't know how puffed is normal for a cat. I was thinking allergies too but it didn't start until a few months after I brought him home. I don't know whether to be concerned or not.

The getting puffed out and having to rest, panting, is pretty normal for cats if they've been hyper running about frantic for quite a few minutes like after daBird, but if it came on really quickly I'd worry. Apparently cats aren't long distance runners, they're designed as sprinters who stalk their prey and go for short sprints and pounces.   Funny your cat's getting the runny eyes after playing hard too. 

The runny eyes Mouse gets with his FHV sound different, they start any time and will be ongoing for days unless he's on something to help. They don't bother him but then cats don't really show pain unless it's really severe and I've always gone to get something from the vet pretty much the day his eyes started to water. Now I know it'is viral rather than an infection I can just up his L Lysine unless he shows some sign of a secondary infection.