Cat keeps sneezing but seems fine – surely you have already noticed how your cat sneezes and rubs his pink nose with his paw. This behavior can be quite natural if it appears from time to time. However, if sneezing is constant and lasts a very long time, then the owner has something to think about. This may be an allergic reaction, and maybe a cat’s flu. Therefore, it is not worth risking the life of an animal, and it is better to contact a veterinarian if you find any signs of illness.
The main causes of cat sneezing
Usually, a cat sneezes completely for natural reasons, for example, due to ingress of dust particles into the nasal passages.
However, there are reasons for this behavior, because of which the owner should think about the health of his pet:
- cold;
- sinus infections;
- the presence of allergic reactions in an animal;
- problems with the condition of the teeth and gums;
- the presence of polyps inside the cat’s nose;
- nasal cancer
It is worth worrying about the state of your pet only if the cat sneezes constantly. This may symbolize an infection located in the animal’s upper respiratory tract.
Worried about the health of the pet, should only be if the cat sneezes for a long time.
Such viruses can be:
- parainfluenza virus;
- adenovirus;
- herpes virus
The last of the above infections can be treated for a very long time, complicated by all the new exacerbations.
Cats, like any other creature, are subject to some allergic irritants.
From among them separately, we can distinguish such substances as:
- plant pollen;
- host perfume;
- tobacco smoke;
- mold;
- insect spray;
- household cleaners.
Any contact with any allergen in the cat can immediately begin severe sneezing. Particular attention should be paid to those breeds that have a flat face (for example, a Persian cat). This number also includes animals with short nasal passages: such breeds may first of all be affected by the action of an irritant.
As for dental problems, one of the most common reasons why a cat sneezes is to have a tooth abscess. Severe sneezing is manifested in this diagnosis if it is complicated by an infection: this condition causes irritation of the nasal cavity of the animal. The most dangerous disease for your pet is nasal cavity cancer. One of the symptoms of this disease is persistent and severe sneezing with blood. However, this is not the only disease that has this symptom, so you should not panic in advance, but rather take the sick animal to the nearest veterinary clinic.
The frequency and duration of sneezing is very important when answering the question why a kitten sneezes. It is kids who are more susceptible to various infectious diseases, especially if they have not been vaccinated before. If polyps are found in a pet, they are eliminated by surgical methods. When diagnosing cancer of the nasal cavity also do not despair, as for the treatment of this disease chemotherapy is used for cats.
How to diagnose the disease yourself?
If you, even before going to the vet, want to understand for yourself why the kitten sneezes, then you should carefully watch the animals. When a cat sneezes rarely, but it leaves mucus from the nose, as well as swelling of the eyes and difficulty breathing, then you can assume that the animal has an allergic reaction.
If a cat sneezes rarely, but she also gets mucus from her nose, and her eyes become swollen, then you should assume that she has an allergic reaction.
But it happens that a number of these symptoms have additional symptoms, namely:
- increased body temperature;
- swollen glands;
- sneezing and coughing accompanied by mucus.
These signs indicate that the cat has an infectious disease. Moreover, the disease probably already touched the upper respiratory tract of the animal.
The dental cause of sneezing is often accompanied by an unpleasant smell due to the cat’s mouth. If a veterinarian notices a similar symptom in an animal, he immediately conducts a detailed examination of the pet’s teeth and gums. Much in the diagnosis of the disease decides the consistency of discharge from the cat’s nose. If a kitten sneezes and at the same time he has clear mucus from the nasal cavity, then this may indicate an allergy. And when the animal has thick discharge with green or gray staining, the cat can have both fungal and infectious diseases.
Treatment for sneezing in cats
In order for the treatment of the animal to be effective, it is necessary to establish the true cause of the onset of symptoms of the disease state. If the cause is the effect of any allergen, then it should be correctly determined for a start, and then excluded from the environment of the cat. If a kitten sneezes because of a viral infection, then there is no complete cure for these ailments. The only thing that can temporarily help is the administration of antibiotics prescribed by a veterinarian. So you can maintain periodic aggravations of your pet.
Of course, it will be even better if the owner takes care in advance to vaccinate the purchased kitten from a number of serious diseases in a timely manner. The optimal age for vaccination is 6 months.
Repeat vaccination is once every 3 or 7 weeks until the baby is 15 weeks old. In the future, all these vaccination activities are carried out once a year.
If the cat sneezes due to the appearance of a fungal disease, the treatment will be aimed at eliminating pathogenic fungi.
The main vaccinations that can save the health and life of your pet:
- vaccination against upper respiratory tract infection, the disease is also called cat flu;
- vaccination against feline panleukopenia;
- feline leukemia vaccination;
- rabies vaccination.
All of the above diseases are mainly prone to kittens and unvaccinated adult kittens. If your cat is still sick, then you need to create all the conditions in order to relieve her of her condition.
What in such cases it is necessary to do:
- follow all the recommendations of the veterinarian;
- periodically wipe the eyes and nose of the animal from the discharge (after another contact with a sick animal, you should wash your hands thoroughly);
- If a fever and a persistent cough are found in a cat, you should immediately call a doctor.
For example, with an infectious disease such as herpesvirus, a significant relief to an animal can be achieved by using a drug called Lysine. Infections caused by the active multiplication of bacteria are treated with appropriate antibiotics.
If a kitten sneezes due to the appearance of a fungal disease, then its treatment course will be aimed at eliminating pathogenic fungi using special antifungal drugs. They are mainly used in the form of a variety of ointments and creams. In the event that the true cause of your pet’s ill health lies in its problem with the teeth, then after its solution the cat sneezing will immediately stop. As mentioned earlier, polyps and nasal cancer are considered the most serious causes of sneezing in cats. With such ailments can only be dealt with in a veterinary clinic.
How can medications help when a cat sneezes?
In viral diseases of cats, antibiotics are often prescribed, such as:
- fosprenil or maksidin, their main action is aimed at eliminating the symptoms of the inflammatory process caused by a particular infection;
- Gamavit and Baksin, these drugs have a tonic effect, they are necessary to restore the cat after another exacerbation of the disease.
In the treatment of viral infections in cats, herbal medicine is actively used. There is such a natural drug, which is called “Protection against infections.” Its reception begins with a daily dose – 1 tablet 3 times per day during the first two days. The drug can be used longer until the pronounced symptoms of the disease disappear completely.