Is it possible to unblock a cat's nose?

[sims2fan]

My female 4 year old cat has always suffered from what sounds like a blocked nose. Often if she settles down next to me on the sofa I can hear her breathing very clearly, as if her nose is blocked. When she is asleep it is even more obvious. I don't think this is harming her particulary - she has made it to 4 so can obviously still breathe! But, I imagine it must be quite uncomfortable for her. Is there anyway to help her unblock her nose? I've tried having a bit of a poke for obvious snot, but her nose is black so it's hard to see if there's anything up there, and she, unsurprisingly, does not like it if I try to poke her nostrils!

Does she have a discharge from her nose? If not then it is not likely to be 'snot' related. There are lots of reasons a cat can have noisy breathing. If she has always suffered from it then it could be a number of things including a narrowing of the back of the nose, a problem with the larynx. None of which have caused her a problem so far! So in answer, no, unless there is an obvious crusty discharge that you can see, do not poke around in your cat's nose! Take her to the vet if you are worried but these conditions are unusual and would need investigation to work out - something you might not want if it isn't bothering the cat! Hope that helps!

Thanks Sam. No, no discharge from her nose, though she often has 'gunky' eyes. I don't know if that's related, but a vet once said that some cats are more prone to eye discharge than others and there wasn't an underlying condition. I don't stick my finger up there, honest! Just try and scrape the very outside to see if any snot will come away. I shall leave her alone and let her get on with her noisy breathing in peace!

My cat is a noisy breather too, mainly when he is asleep. He snores! It doesn't seem to bother him in any way so I just let him snore in peace.