Has my cat caught a cold???

this was an interesting post, i have a cat that has been sneezing for a couple of months now, i took him to the vet as it was awful he just starts sneezing and doesnt no when to stop, although there is a thick green snot coming out when he has these sneezing fits he is perfectly happy he has a healthy appetite and goes about his normal daily business perfectly happily, when he went to the vets his temperataure was normal and his chest clear, they said it was probably an allergy as he is already allergic to fleas, mites, gnats and all other sorts of bugs, also milk so i suppose it is possible for it to be an allergy, i also have some other cats and these are al fine so it cant be anything contagious or surley they would all be bad by now

Thanks for the advice Cat my other 3 cats are fine and upto date on their jabs to. I am keeping a close eye on Ben i´ve kept him inside today but I will let him out tomorrow as he doesn´t really like being kept indoors and he´s only sneezed a couple of times today so i think he will be fine. Thanks again.

Hi Brenda,

If he is still eating fine and seems well in himself then I woundn´t worry too much for now but do keep an eye on things and pop him to the vets if you are worried. It is possible he has ´caught a cold´, as even though he is up to date on his jabs he could have a mild cat flu infection. The vaccines do not stop him from catching the virus, but they will stop it from causing full blown cat flu, which can be very nasty. Signs of cat flu getting worse would be a snotty nasal discharge, lots more sneezing, runny eyes and being generally poorly in himself, however, as he has been vaccinated this is unlikely to happen. The cat flu virus passes easily between cats, especially if they have the symptoms of runny noses and eyes as the virus lives in these discharges. Therefore, if you have other cats it could pass to them, but again, if their vaccines are up to date, they should be OK.

Another cause of sneezing and a runny nose would be having something stuck up around the back of his nose. The way cats heads are put together mean this can happen quite easily. However, if this is were the case I would expect the sneezing to be more frequent and he might have a snotty or bloody nasal discharge.

Hopefully you won´t need to take him to the vets. One of the most helpful things at home for cats will runny noses is steam therapy, like us sitting with our heads over a bowl of hot water when we have colds. However, you won´t persuade a cat to do this! Run a nice steamy bath, but with no oils as these can irritated the cats nose, and sit in the bathroom with him. The steam will loosen any snot in his nose and help him to swallow it or sneeze it out. Also, remember cats are more motivated by the smell of their food than the taste, so sometimes cats with blocked noses will refuse to eat. Try warming the food (to the temperature you would give a baby) or offering smelly food like sardines if his appetite drops. However, if it doesn´t pick up withing a day or so, be sure to take him to the vets.

Cat