What if your cat sneezes often? Signs about a cat sneezing. Upper respiratory tract infections

If the cat simply inhaled dust or sniffed something too fragrant, sneezed a couple of times and stopped, then it’s okay. But if it is constant, then this is already a problem, especially if there is discharge from the nose and eyes, in this case, contact your veterinarian immediately.

It may also happen that the cat gets into the nasal passages foreign body, and by sneezing he tries to get rid of this object. If the cat cannot cope on its own, contact your veterinarian immediately, as only he will be able to remove the foreign body.

In any case, sneezing - serious symptom, if present, you need to contact the clinic. Only a doctor can determine the cause, identify the infection and prescribe medications. It is impossible to hope that the animal will recover on its own, since the disease can lead to the most disastrous outcome. Human medicines They are also not suitable for cats, they can only cause harm! Therefore, do not even think about giving your animal anything from your own first aid kit.

Owners of cats often have to watch their pets sneeze or snort. In this case, a cat’s sneezing can be either one-time or multiple. Sneezing itself in cats, like in people, has protective function. However, if this physiological process the cat becomes permanent, the owner needs to pay close attention to the health status of his pet. Are there any additional symptoms that are bothering the cat? If these symptoms and lethargy are detected, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.

Why does a cat sneeze at normal body temperature in the absence of other symptoms of illness?

Some cat owners often panic and don’t know what to do if the cat sneezes when normal temperature bodies and in good condition health. Let us immediately reassure you that in this case there is no reason for special concern. Sneezing in a pet can be caused by ordinary house dust. The answer to the question why a cat sneezes is often quite simple: the cat’s nasal mucosa is irritated as a result of heavy dust in your apartment. All you need to do is conduct a thorough wet cleaning premises and this factor that is harmful to the cat and causes sneezing will be eliminated. It will become easier for your pet, and you yourself, to breathe if you additionally get rid of unnecessary old things and carpets that absorb dust.

When figuring out why your cat often sneezes, you definitely need to check your nose for foreign matter. Small foreign objects The cat usually removes it by sneezing. If it is large, then using tweezers you can try to remove the object yourself. If this cannot be done, you will need to seek help from veterinary clinic.

However, the process of sneezing in a cat is not always so harmless. The reasons why a cat sneezes can be serious and pose a threat to the animal's health. . Such reasons include:

Allergic reaction

Oral diseases

Gum diseases and dental caries are accompanied by inflammation, bad breath () and cause sneezing in domestic cats. In this case, the process may be accompanied by bloody discharge, the animal eats poorly and loses weight.

Polyps in the nasal cavity

The presence of polyps in a cat's nasal cavity can also cause sneezing. Growths in the cat's nasal cavity interfere with normal air circulation. In addition to sneezing, the owners note shortness of breath in the cat; the cat often sleeps with its mouth open.

Infectious diseases

Infectious rhinotracheitis, calcivirus - these diseases are often accompanied by a response from the cat’s body. Herpes virus (causative agent infectious rhinotracheitis) affects the mucous membranes, which leads to frequent sneezing. In addition to this symptom, a sick cat has a runny nose, heat, cough, conjunctivitis. More details in our article -. Calcivirus also refers to infectious diseases and is characterized by frequent sneezing of the animal, refusal of food due to the formation of ulcers in the oral cavity, joint damage. More detailed information about this virus can be found in our article -. Sneezing can accompany diseases such as feline immunodeficiency virus, chlamydia (), mycoplasmosis (), and bordetellosis. These infections occur with increased body temperature, discharge from the eyes, and loss of appetite. Often the reason that a cat sneezes is asthma, in which, in addition to multiple sneezes, there is difficulty breathing, wheezing, and attacks of suffocation.

Worm infestations

Worm infestations that constantly threaten cats can cause sneezing: toxoplasmosis, dirofilariasis.

Symptoms of cat sneezing that should alert their owners

In the case when, along with sneezing, we observe a deterioration in the cat’s well-being, it is necessary to rush to the veterinary clinic, where specialists will determine the reason why the cat is constantly sneezing. When conducting a clinical examination of your cat, the veterinarian excludes a reaction to dust and does not find a mechanical irritant. When visiting a veterinary clinic, specialists will give your cat a additional tests, will exclude the allergic nature of sneezing. Then you will know why the cat sneezes and what to do to cure it. By leaving things to chance, you can miss serious illnesses, many of which threaten human health. For example, a cat infected with toxoplasmosis can cause a miscarriage in a pregnant woman. Prolonged sneezing, accompanied by additional symptoms (cough, runny nose, high fever, vomiting, etc.), is a reason for its owner to immediately undergo a comprehensive examination at a veterinary clinic. Warning symptoms: bloody issues from the nose when sneezing; sudden weight loss in a cat; growth of ulcers on the body; wool stuck together in clumps; diarrhea; vomiting; purulent nasal discharge and lacrimation; attacks of fever; whistling when breathing; wheezing cough; aggressive attacks towards the owner; photophobia. If you notice even one or two of these symptoms, rush to the veterinary clinic. Timely treatment can quickly help return your pet to the bosom of the family.

Treating a cat for sneezing

Only a veterinary specialist at the clinic can prescribe the correct treatment for a cat with symptoms of sneezing. If, during a clinical examination of your cat, a veterinarian determines that your cat is clinically healthy, he will recommend that you wet clean your apartment and use a special humidifier.

If the cause of sneezing is allergic in nature, then recommendations will be given to eliminate the allergen present in the apartment or to ensure that household chemicals are inaccessible to your cat. In order to alleviate the condition, a veterinarian will prescribe one or another antihistamine to your animal.

In the case where polyps are the cause of sneezing, it will be recommended to remove them surgically in a veterinary clinic.

If a cat's sneezing is accompanied by an asthmatic attack, it is prescribed antispasmodics, vasoconstrictors and corticosteroids.

In case of diseases of the oral cavity (teeth, gums), a sick cat is given dental treatment, tartar is removed (), gum inflammation is relieved, and vitamins are prescribed.

If detected during examination of a cat helminthic infestation the veterinary specialist will prescribe special anthelmintics.

If the cause of a cat’s sneezing is an infectious disease diagnosed in the clinic’s laboratory, then the sick animal will be prescribed antibacterial and antiviral drugs, immunomodulators.

The oncological cause of sneezing in a cat is eliminated by surgery to remove the tumor and prescribe a course of chemotherapy.

Prevention

If the cat’s sneezing is harmless and caused by the presence of dust in the apartment, then the owners will need to keep their apartment clean and regularly carry out wet cleaning of the room. At allergic nature sneezing, owners must protect their pet from allergens (air freshener, perfume, perfumes, washing powder, tobacco smoke etc.).

An effective way to prevent the infectious component of cat sneezing is to vaccinate animals according to the existing schedule. Starting from six months, you need to follow the vaccination schedule and vaccinate them against: viruses; cat flu; leukemia and leukopenia; rabies.

Oral diseases are prevented by constant monitoring of the condition of the oral cavity and teeth, and timely removal of tartar.

Worm infestations in cats are prevented by regular deworming of the animal with anthelmintics.

The main thing is to undergo regular preventive examinations your cat in a veterinary clinic in order to detect danger in time and begin timely treatment.

Pet owners often notice that their beloved cat is sneezing. If this phenomenon occurs infrequently, it is considered quite normal. If the sneezing lasts for quite a long time, it is necessary to understand why the cat is sneezing. The cause may be an allergy or a serious illness.

As a rule, animals sneeze for a simple reason: they get into their nasal passages. particles of dust or wool. However, this is not always the case. Before you understand what to do if a cat sneezes, you need to establish the cause of this phenomenon. Possible options:

• cold;
• allergic reaction;
• sinus infections;
• nasal polyps;
• diseases of teeth and gums;
• cancer of the nasal cavity.

If your cat sneezes constantly, you need to pay special attention to his condition, since infection of the upper respiratory tract. It's about about adenovirus, herpes or parainfluenza virus. Similar infections in cats, treatment can take quite a long time and be accompanied by complications.

In some cases, the answer to the question of why a kitten is sneezing will be a common allergic reaction. The irritants are:

• tobacco smoke;
• pollen;
• perfume;
• mold;
• household chemicals.

Upon contact with an allergen, the animal begins to sneeze violently. This is especially true for breeds with flat faces and short nasal passages. In advanced cases, such cats face serious allergies.

As mentioned earlier, sneezing can lead to dental problems, including tooth abscess. IN in this case Sneezing in cats is observed in the presence of additional complications in the form of infections.

Most dangerous cause For cats, it is considered cancer of the nasal cavity. His main symptom- This is a strong, prolonged sneezing that can produce blood. If you find similar symptom in the animal, do not panic, but simply take the cat to the veterinary clinic. Perhaps this is a sign of a less dangerous disease.

When determining the cause of a cat's sneezing, you need to pay attention to duration and frequency this condition. It is worth remembering that small kittens are more likely to suffer from infectious diseases. This is especially true in cases where the animal is not vaccinated. If sneezing is caused by polyps, they must be removed using a surgical method.

Self-diagnosis

Some people are very concerned about what to do if their kitten sneezes. Because of this, they are ready to begin self-diagnosis. In this case, you need to watch the cat. Frequent sneezing mixed with mucus, difficulty breathing and swollen eyes indicate allergic reaction. Sometimes cats have additional symptoms: elevated temperature, swollen tonsils and cough. Such signs indicate the presence of an infectious disease. It is worth noting that the disease has spread to the upper respiratory tract of the cat.

When sneezing, which is caused by diseases of the gums and teeth, it will come out of the pet's mouth. bad smell. In this case, a thorough examination of the kitten’s oral cavity is indicated.

When diagnosing, you need to pay attention to the cat’s nasal discharge:

• clear mucus indicates an allergic reaction;
• thick greenish or gray discharge talk about the presence of an infectious disease or fungus.

What to do if your cat sneezes?

For treatment of your beloved pet to be truly effective, it is necessary establish the exact cause of the phenomenon. If it is an allergy, you should identify the irritant and be sure to exclude it. In the presence of viral infection Taking antibiotics is indicated to help avoid exacerbation and complications.

The ideal option is timely vaccination, which will prevent the development of various diseases. The optimal age for vaccination is 6 months. Older kittens are vaccinated once a year. To keep your pet healthy, you need to do vaccination against the following diseases:

• upper respiratory tract infections;
• rabies;
• panleukopenia;
• leukemia

Kittens and adult animals that have not previously been vaccinated are susceptible to these diseases.

If your cat's sneezing is caused by a serious illness, treatment you need to do the following:

• regularly wipe your eyes and nose from discharge, and then wash your hands thoroughly;
• follow all veterinarian recommendations;
• If persistent sneezing and fever are detected, call a specialist at home.

Naturally, treatment depends on the type of disease.

Cats, like any other animal, sneeze periodically. Thus, they clear the airways of dust, hair and dirt particles. This is quite normal physiological reflex, protecting the body. If your kitten is constantly sneezing, you need to visit a veterinarian to determine the cause of this phenomenon and eliminate it.

Sneezing is a protective cleansing mechanism respiratory system, which can appear in both absolutely healthy and sick animals. Let's talk about why a cat often sneezes, what to do about it, and in what cases it is better to consult a doctor.

Why do cats sneeze a lot?

Sneezing is unconditioned reflex. Any stimulus should activate special sensory cells(receptors), and the entire sneezing mechanism is immediately launched, starting from take a deep breath and ending with a sharp muscle contraction chest and belly. In this case, the irritant can be absolutely anything: from cold air to excess own secretions associated with an infectious disease.

Non-infectious causes

A cat may sneeze for physiological reasons, that is, not related to the disease, and pathological reasons. Physiologically, everything is clear, because we all sneeze if something gets into our nose, and cats are not much different from us in this regard. The main causes of physiological sneezing:

• physical impact (foreign body, dust, cold air and so on.);
• chemical factors (aerosols, household chemicals, tobacco smoke).

Pathological sneezing occurs due to any internal disorders:

• anatomical features, including congenital (nasopharyngeal deformities, etc.);
• dental problems (inflammation of the tooth root can spread to the sinuses);
• inflammatory diseases, including polyps;
• neoplasms of the nasopharynx;
• trauma to the nasal passages;
• systemic diseases (hypertension, vasculitis, etc.).

If sneezing continues regularly for several days, it is worth thinking about the possible causes.

Cat sneezes due to infections

Cats sneeze heavily due to a variety of infectious diseases affecting the nasopharynx. They can be divided into groups:

Most of these names are obscure and mean nothing to cat owners, but they say a lot veterinarian after diagnosis, because the treatment of the animal directly depends on this.

What to do if your cat sneezes a lot?

If sneezing has become systematic and is especially accompanied by depressed state animal and the appearance of other symptoms, it is better to consult a doctor.

At home, you can only provide first aid to the animal by rinsing the nasal passages saline solution- suddenly a small foreign body gets into your nose, and then there is a chance to wash it off. If there is no improvement, you should carefully examine the cat.

It is better to start the examination with the nose, carefully examining it in bright light for the presence of dried crusts and mucous discharge. Then we also carefully examine the eyes: pulling back the lower eyelid with a finger, we look for changes in the color of the conjunctiva (the mucous membrane - it should not be red and inflamed), accumulations of discharge in the corners of the eye, the appearance of the third eyelid (normally it is almost invisible).

We attract helpers, arm ourselves with a flashlight and open the cat’s mouth, in which we try to discern inflammation and ulcers on the tongue and mucous membrane. Special attention Pay attention to the teeth: signs of decay are usually clearly visible.

If during examination any of the listed signs are revealed, you should protect the cat from other animals and contact a veterinary clinic as soon as possible. You need to tell your doctor in detail about the time of onset of symptoms and everything that happened to your pet during Lately- contacts with other cats, staying outside the apartment.

Definitely a must grab veterinary passport, the doctor will look at your vaccination records and, if you did them on time, will be able to immediately dismiss a number of serious infectious diseases. Or, conversely, include them in your list of suspicions if you did the opposite. Accurate diagnosis can be diagnosed only after examination and passing the necessary tests.

If a cat sneezes once, then, of course, there is no need to panic, but it is worth watching the animal. When a cat constantly sneezes heavily, and this symptom is accompanied by lethargy, refusal to feed, discharge from the nose and eyes, there is pathological process. Only a veterinarian can tell you what to do in this case.

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There are situations when a cat sneezes, and, frankly, it looks a little funny. However, the owner should pay close attention to this situation; if the cat sneezes occasionally, then there is no pathology here. And when this happens constantly, it is necessary to find the reasons; the pet may need treatment.

Available different reasons why the cat sneezes. The most common ones are:

• Trivial dust getting into your nose. When a kitten sneezes once, then nothing should be done, but if the situation drags on, then you can check the pet’s nose and mouth to see if any specks or lint are stuck there.
• Allergic reaction to strong odors. If your pet sneezes frequently, it may have an allergy. Cats have a developed sense of smell, so conditions such as allergies are not uncommon for them. Most often, intolerance develops to tobacco smoke, household perfume, and plant pollen. Often, due to an allergic reaction, the pet’s eyes water and he coughs. In this case, consultation with a veterinarian and appropriate treatment are necessary.
• Viral disease. When communicating with other animals, it is possible to become infected with viruses, which is why the kitten sneezes and coughs frequently. If it’s a matter of viruses and bacteria, then these signs include snot, fever, watery eyes, lack of appetite, and the pet becomes lethargic.
• Toxoplasmosis. You can suspect such a complex disease when kittens have difficulty breathing.
• Chlamydia. Sometimes the onset of the disease begins with the appearance of sneezing.
• Bortedellosis occurs in both adult pets and kittens. The animal begins to sneeze frequently, it coughs, its eyes become watery and purulent, and difficulty breathing appears.
• Mycoplasmosis. In this case, the eyes not only water, but also fester. The pet develops snot and coughs.
• Helminths or fleas, or rather the products of their excretion, can cause a similar reaction in a pet; anthelmintic drugs and flea remedies: shampoos, drops, collars will help treat this condition.

A pregnant woman should be protected from a kitten with toxoplasmosis, because the disease can be transmitted to the fetus, which may develop various malformations.

If blood comes out when you sneeze

The owner should pay close attention to such a symptom as the cat sneezing blood. This indicates that the pet has damage to the nasal passages, resulting in bleeding. In order to find the answer to the question of why a cat sneezes with blood discharge, you will have to consult a veterinarian. Only he will be able to determine the main causes of this condition and, as a rule, they are:

• Mechanical damage to the respiratory tract.
• Various fungal diseases.
• Oncological diseases.

What should you do if your cat sneezes and produces blood? First of all, don't panic. Carefully inspect the nasal passages and oral cavity for the presence of foreign substances. Your pet may get stuck with a bone or part of a toy. All this irritates and scratches the mucous membrane, which causes him to cough and sneeze with blood. If the cat does not have any foreign bodies, then you need to go to the veterinary clinic for an examination and begin treatment as quickly as possible.

How to help your pet?

So what to do if your cat sneezes? Before taking any measures, you need to know the causes of this condition:

• If a kitten sneezes and his eyes are watery and purulent, then most likely it is eye infection. Professional treatment A veterinarian may prescribe it; at home, you can try rinsing your eyes with chamomile decoction. It will help relieve inflammation.
• If a foreign body is found in the nasal passages, you can remove it at home using forceps. After this procedure, the animal’s condition will noticeably improve.
• When kittens suffer from allergies, they experience difficulty breathing, snot, and watery and purulent eyes. The doctor will advise treatment with antihistamines.
• Possibly in an animal infection respiratory tract. In this case, the pet produces snot, the poor fellow sneezes, and his temperature rises. This condition needs to be treated by a veterinarian.

How to independently determine the cause of the disease?

Of course, to get a qualified answer to the question of why a kitten is sneezing, you need to consult a veterinarian. However, when it is not possible to visit a veterinary clinic, you can use self-diagnosis methods. First, you just need to watch your pet. If he sneezes and rubs his nose, then it is quite possible that he has foreign object in the nasal cavity.

To more accurately determine the cause of the disease, you need to pay attention to the nature of the mucus, transparent discharge they talk about allergies, and green or gray ones talk about an infectious or fungal disease.

Constant sneezing, which produces snot and swollen eyes, is a sign of an allergic reaction. If an unpleasant odor from the oral cavity is added, then injury to the gums or teeth is possible.

Cats, like all living things, may sneeze from time to time, and this is normal. Thanks to this, dust, dirt, and trapped hair are removed. This is a protective reaction of the body. When sneezing occurs constantly, you need to contact a veterinarian to solve the problem.