Why does a small kitten sneeze: dangerous and non-dangerous reasons

Causes

Sneezing is a reflex process. With its help, the animal’s body gets rid of various irritants that have entered the nasal passages. If dust, dirt, hairs, or fluff gets into a kitten's nose, he will sneeze, trying to get rid of them. These are physiological causes that do not require treatment.

It’s another matter when sneezing is provoked by external and internal causes that negatively affect the health of the animal. These may be the following conditions and diseases:

1. Allergic reaction. Cats can also suffer from the negative effects of poor ecology, react to strong odors, such as perfumes and aerosols, suffer from dust mites and other types of allergies. A sneezing attack can be triggered by cigarette smoke, plant pollen, odors of household chemicals, mold, cosmetics, air fresheners, even common kitchen seasonings.
2. Bronchial asthma. Most often it appears as a complication after a severe allergy.
3. Respiratory diseases caused by various infections. Typically, such diseases are accompanied by various additional symptoms that make it possible to distinguish them from other manifestations.

Possible diseases if a kitten sneezes

In addition to the above viral infections, possible diseases that cause sneezing in a kitten can be of a different nature. Unfortunately, the range of diseases is so wide that only a veterinarian can cope with the diagnosis.

The most dangerous are viral diseases, against which the kitten must be vaccinated.

If you pick up a baby on the street or buy it at a poultry market, the resulting viral diseases can cause its death.

Possible diseases of which sneezing may be a symptom are:

• Infectious peritonitis occurs without symptoms for a long time, and at an early stage of the clinical picture it is similar to a cold.

• Feline immunodeficiency virus is a slowly and secretly developing disease that adversely affects the body's immune system. When the cat's immunity level declines, it becomes vulnerable to any, even basic respiratory infections.

• Feline viral leukemia - in the first stages of development, is similar to a respiratory infection, in fact, it is a serious viral disease, which most often leads to death.

• Chlamydia - gives a complete picture of an acute viral respiratory infection complicated by bacterial infection. Unfortunately, chlamydia is highly contagious and common. One of the first symptoms of chlamydia is acute conjunctivitis.

• Mycoplasmosis is common, like chlamydia, contagious, and deadly. Mycoplasmosis progresses more slowly, but leads to more severe consequences: bacterial pneumonia and swelling of the respiratory tract.

Most viral infections cannot be diagnosed with guaranteed accuracy. To detect infection, blood is taken from the cat and examined for the presence of antibodies.

With viral infections, everything is a little more complicated; the causative agents of the disease must be found in the blood sample. This diagnostic method is called PCR. Unfortunately, PCR diagnostics are not available in all clinics and cost a lot of money, so most veterinarians, suspecting a viral infection in a kitten, begin complex, aggressive therapy.

Associated symptoms

When sneezing, a kitten may suffer from a runny nose, inflammation of the eyes, and discharge from them, including purulent discharge. A kitten who is sick with an infectious disease or has a severe cold or hypothermia will not only sneeze. He will have difficulty breathing, runny nose, tears, shortness of breath.

As the temperature rises, the animal refuses to eat, becomes lethargic, and tries to hide from people. He may develop vomiting, and if the bronchi and lungs are affected, characteristic gurgling and wheezing breathing occurs.

This condition threatens the pet's life.

Infection or not?

When your kitten is constantly sneezing and his eyes are watery, this is a sign of an eye infection. You can alleviate his condition by wiping his eyes with chamomile infusion. It will relieve inflammation, thereby reducing the frequency of sneezing. Proof of infection is abundant discharge of mucus from the nose, colored gray or brownish-yellow.

To make an accurate diagnosis, it is recommended to take your pet to a veterinary clinic.

Treatment method and prognosis

Treatment is always related to the cause of the disease. If this is due to the animal’s environment, you need to remove the source of the allergy or irritation: remove poisonous or flowering plants, stop using caustic household chemicals, carry out a thorough cleaning and do not smoke, do not use aerosols or perfumes in the room where the kitten is.

Diseases should be treated only after consultation with a veterinarian, since only a specialist can determine the diagnosis, select medications and doses for a small kitten.

If you act on your own, you can seriously harm your pet.

Nasal rinsing

After reading the article, the owner will know what to do if the kitten sneezes. You should be prepared for the fact that the veterinary clinic will prescribe a nasal rinse with saline solution or chlorhexidine. Representatives of cats cannot stand this procedure, resisting with all four paws and teeth. The kitten must be wrapped in a towel or blanket before proceeding. The step-by-step instructions look like this:

1. Warm the solution to room temperature.
2. Draw the required amount into an insulin syringe without a needle.
3. Hold the kitten between your knees. If there is an assistant, he sits the baby on his lap, supporting his muzzle with his right hand.
4. Raise your pet's head and carefully pour the solution into the right nostril. The animal will begin to snort and sneeze. You need to wait a while, giving it the opportunity to get rid of excess liquid.
5. Carry out a similar manipulation with the left nostril.
6. Remove the remaining solution from the muzzle with a paper towel or soft napkin.

What to do at home

There cannot be a definite and simple answer here; it is necessary to strictly follow all the doctor’s recommendations and not self-medicate.

A sick kitten should be kept warm and well fed. Since it may be difficult for him to eat due to a stuffy nose, it is best to give him soft, high-calorie, but easily digestible food. You need to make sure that he always has access to clean water and under no circumstances give him cold foods, including drinking.

Prevention of colds, infectious and viral diseases in kittens

Prevention of viral diseases is considered an essential aspect of kitten care. It is important to understand that even the highest quality vaccines do not guarantee that the kitten will not get sick. However, statistics show that vaccinated animals infected with a viral infection tolerate the disease much easier.

Note! According to generally accepted recommendations, the kitten should be kept in quarantine until it receives basic vaccination.

The mother’s immunity protects the baby only until the age of three months, after which the kitten’s body will have to fight pathogens on its own. Prevention of colds and bacterial diseases includes high-quality care and comprehensive protection of the pet from contact with sources of infection. The source of infection can be stray animals, places where garbage accumulates, wild rodents, etc.

Why does a cat get a cold?

A cold occurs in a cat as a result of hypothermia. During contact with cold, due to drafts, the pet’s immune system malfunctions. This creates the most favorable environment for the attack of viruses and microbes. In addition to hypothermia, there are other factors that contribute to the occurrence of colds, the most common among them:

• Weakening of the immune system due to previous diseases.
• Walking in the rain and wind.
• Finding an animal in drafts.
• Change of usual food.
• Unvaccinated animals with chronic diseases suffer from colds more often.

When should you see the vet?

Kittens are vulnerable to disease because their immune systems are not fully developed. If your kitten only sneezes occasionally and otherwise appears happy and healthy, you can monitor him at home, but persistent sneezing and any additional symptoms require a visit to the vet to treat any underlying problems before they develop into something more serious.

Make an appointment with the vet if your kitten:

• Sneezes often
• My eyes are watering
• Runny nose
• Sneezes blood
• Lethargy or depression
• Doesn't eat well
• Losing weight
• Coughs
• Enlarged lymph nodes (you can feel them under your chin)

Your kitten may have a simple upper respiratory infection, but there may also be a secondary infection caused by his already weakened immune system.

Source

Possible consequences of a cold

It can be difficult for cat owners to understand that the disease is not typical for a small predator, and the complications, if left untreated, are extremely dangerous. A cat's illness rarely poses a danger to the human body, but can be transmitted to other four-legged and feathered inhabitants of the apartment.

If you ignore the primary symptoms and do not start treatment in time, the disease progresses to a serious stage.

Typical complications:

• bronchitis,
• pneumonia,
• joint damage,
• genitourinary infections.

Also, the immune system weakened by the disease is a poor “protector” for the animal. Viruses brought by the owner on street clothes and shoes can easily infect a sick body.

Sneezing with blood

If a fluffy sneezes with blood in it, it means the nasal mucosa is injured.

Here are the main reasons why a cat sneezes blood:

• Penetration of foreign bodies into the nose;
• The cat returned from a walk from the cold to a warm apartment;
• Inflammatory process in the nose;
• Injury to the face;
• Exposure to harmful substances, in particular aerosols.

A single sneeze, even with blood, is not a dangerous symptom. Owners need to be wary of why a British cat is sneezing if, after several sneezes, blood is still bleeding. You can periodically apply a cold compress to the face to stop the bleeding, and then quickly go to the veterinarian.

Vaccinations

Your kitten may experience a brief sneezing shortly after being vaccinated against a respiratory disease. This is more likely to occur with vaccinations administered intranasally or intranasally. Why is this happening? Vaccines work like training wheels for your kitten's immune system—they show the immune system a weakened or synthetic version of a pathogen so the immune system can produce antibodies to fight it. Some types of vaccines may cause mild symptoms of illness. This will resolve within a few days. When your kitten gets vaccinated, don't hesitate to ask your veterinarian or specialist if there are any effects you should expect.

Asthma

The first symptoms of asthma in cats are noticeable in childhood. When an attack occurs, the kitten sneezes, sniffles, wheezes, and breathes with its mouth open. After such attacks, the pet can lie in a secluded corner for 3-4 hours, while not approaching water or food.

• Adult cats with asthma have a poor coat, appear thin and lethargic, and do not show much activity.
• Anything can trigger an attack - dust, detergents, a change of environment.

You need to understand that this disease cannot be treated, so the owner and pet will have to live with it all their lives; only drugs are used that reduce the frequency of attacks or alleviate them.

Preventive actions

• Compliance with mandatory hygiene rules.
• Compliance with the vaccination regimen.
• The cat should not be allowed to freeze.
• Well-prepared, balanced meals.
• Prevention of helminth infection.
• Regular monitoring of the health status of pets.

We are sure that this article will be useful to all cat owners, now you know the reasons why a cat constantly sneezes. We wish you and your pets good health!