Sneezing Cat . . .

[HelpinUtah]

My mother's cat, Roxy, sneezes a lot!  She's done it the whole time we've had her (a little over 4 years).  But, lately, she will sneeze and sneeze like 5 times in a row.  The poor little girl!  We tease and say "she's allergic to cats!"  But, seriously, is their medication for cats with allergies?

[April2]

Yes, you'd need a vet to approve the Benadryl. My vet has given it to my cat but I wouldn't try to do it on my own.

Here's the interesting thing about my cat. She's been sneezing a lot this last month too, and I took her in and they gave me some antibiotics just in case it was a bacterial infection like bronchitis or something, I guess. She just finished up the 10 day package and I noticed she's not sneezing anymore, though she still has the weepy eye.

I hope you get answers soon!

[FurballsMom]

I know what you mean there.  I knew Tylenol was toxic to cats.  I only mentioned the Benadryl thing, because I had just read something about that on some other forum.  I still wouldn't give it to my cat unless her vet prescribed it and at the right dosage for her.  

Sometimes my kitty gets weepy eyes when I do heavy duty house cleaning or when spring time rolls around and the pollen is just getting started.  I'm pretty sure she is like me and is allergic to things in the air.  I think she is allergic to dust mites, like I am.  I don't use commercial chemical cleaners at all, since I can't be around the stuff either.  So, it's not because of cleaners.  Usually, I only use plain water or a little bit of white vinegar in the water to clean the floors.  So unless the vinegar is too irritating for her, I'm pretty sure she is allergic to dust and is reacting to it being stirred in the air, since that bothers me, too.

[1centwiz]

Would this Herpes type of virus also cause a canker sore in the mouth? Maxx Luggs had one a couple of years ago I freaked out because I've never seen it before in cats. But he's always sneezed and now has more runny eyes than normal. He's a long hair Manx, and is 6 years old. He's always been really healthy and has had all of his shots.
Oh and don't go giving human meds to cats... I made that mistake with Tylenol and killed a little baby kitty because it shut down his kidneys before I knew he was sick. Nothing like having such a little thing die because of something you thought would make him better...

[Thomas Dock, CVJ, Vet. Technician]

Have you tried some lysine supplementation for her food?  Many cats carry a herpes type of virus in their upper respiratory tract and this could cause bouts of sneezing.  

[April2]

My cat does the same thing. I've had her looked at and they kept saying it was probably allergies. She also gets a weepy eye from time to time and I have to get an ointment to put in her eye. This last time we decided to try antibiotics in case it was some sort of viral bacteria or something. I've heard herpes in cats can cause these type symptoms too. You might want to get that checked out. Otherwise, it's probably just allergies. Start watching whether there's been a new cleaner, new litter, or anything else new in the house. Also, stress can make these problems worse. But I'm in the same boat so I understand!

[FurballsMom]

I read something somewhere about giving cats Benadryl of all things.  I wouldn't recommend doing this without proper direction from the vet, though.  I have no idea how much to give cats or if this is actually safe to do.  And, they are so much smaller than humans that I would think the dosage would be much smaller than anything we take ourselves.

[HelpinUtah]

By the way, last time we had her to the vet he didn't seem to think there was anything to worry about - she's healthy.