Any experience with cat colds?

[mrssunshinexxx]

Is there anything I can do for him other than taking him to the vets as won't be able to get there until tomorrow eve ... sneezing a lot and rubbing his nose with his paw 😢 my poor boy

I have never had a cat with a cold and I'm on my 6th. Has he got something stuck up there?

I've had 2 and one for 15 years first experience now he is the runt of the litter and does tend to pick stuff up much more than I ever remember my first cat no I don't think he has anything stuck x

Our cats came from a shelter and come down with viral symptoms (sneezing, wet eyes) when they get stressed (eg when we first got them, when we moved house, after a trip to the vets). I've never taken them to the vet acutely. As long as they are eating at least small amounts and not very distressed or sleepy I don't think there would be anything to do. It usually lasts a few days. The one thing I ever did was cleanse and wipe their eye gunk gently with sterile water and cotton wool. And absolutely keep indoors. Try to keep stress to a minimum.

My boy had either a cold or allergies a while back, bless him. The sneezing went on for a week. There’s me, saying “Bless you” whilst my husband at me.

This is totally unqualified advice but when I ran it past the vet at a routine appointment they reassured me it was appropriate. I think our cats are viral carriers probably for feline herpes or calcinivirus or both. The runty one does seem to get the symptoms worse (I guess he has smaller airways!)

Thanks everyone this is reassuring me not to worry too much I have been bathing his eyes and nose with cooked boiled water.
No way I can keep him inside he would go mad but he hasn't been going out as much as usual due to the hot weather and potentially because he's feeling abit crap! X

Sounds like cat flu. Is he vaccinated?

It sounds like cat flu to me too. There is nothing you can do apart from take him to the vet.

Yeah he's vaccinated plus flea and worm always done on time

He hasn't got gunky eyes I'm just cleaning them in case his appetite is great as usual it's just the sneezing

my old boy used to have sneezes and runny nose

vet said it was probably hay fever

he had it all his life and lived to nearly 20

also the runt of the litter :) i hand reared him from 4 weeks

Could it Be hayfever? One of mine gets it. Half a piraton tablet usually sorts it out.

I'm not sure? My hubby gets hay fever and was sneezing a lot yesterday. I'm not sure he's ' poorly enough for the vets' as he is fine in every other way other than the sneezing ...

Is there the possibility that he's got something like a seed or grass stuck up his nose, if he's just sneezing & has no gunk in his eyes or anything?

My first thought was grass seed, sorry. I’m having to pick tons of them out of my dog’s after every walk at the moment. Sudden sneezing + nose rubbing would suggest that’s what’s happened, it’s relatively common and unfortunately does need a vet visit to fix.

I hadn't heard/ thought of that I'm going to just kee an eye on him and if he is still sneezing same amount in a couple of days I will take him to the vets. If it is grass seed am I right in thinking it won't be hurting him? Just annoying him? If it's that I can't believe it's not sorted itself out with all the sneezing he's doing ! X

What’s the difference between cat flu and a cat cold?

The only one of my cats to get cold viruses was my ginger Tom, he's come down with one every winter and be proper poorly, turned out after he died at 14 he had hereditary cardiomyopathy and was very susceptible to viruses my other cats all fought off.
He'd be fine after a few days of rest, antibiotics and pain relief.
If I were you I'd get pet insurance now just in case he has an underlying condition that might be making him vulnerable, 4 days in the animal hospital cost me £3000 in his final days. Morethan is very good and vets like it because they pay up.

He is insured x

You could ask your vet about L-lysine powder sprinkled on your cat's food when the sneezing starts. In our experience, our cat with a weak immune system has been helped a lot with this.

Typically she stops sneezing and gets her bounce back very quickly. If she doesn't get better in a couple of days then of course we take her in to her vet for more treatment.

You might want to ask your vet's opinion. Our cat is 10 now and has lived way longer than originally expected for which I am very grateful as she is so sweet. You worry about them just like kids.

Mrs paw. Thanks that's really helpful! X

How is your boy doing today, mrssun? Hope he's feeling better.

Hi mrspaw took him to the vets tonight actually just to put my mind at rest and she said he has a little cold but he will fight it off without antiobiotics his heart, temperature kidneys everything is fine thank you for asking they are so precious x

That's good to hear. I hear that a sniffle deserves special treat food, that's what my cats tell me .

Oh yes ! He's had plenty