Cat sneezing?

[Freddieandchip]

I’m posting this here because I’m hoping to get some advice. My cat is almost 2 years old and I have been having pretty much constant issues with him over the past few months. About 2 months ago, he was urinating outside the litter box and urinating frequently. I took him to the vet and he was diagnosed with cystitis. The vet said it is most likely due to anxiety, he was given an anti inflammatory and prescription food for his bladder and he has also been taking fluoxetine for about 3 weeks now. His urinary habits have returned to normal. During this time he got multiple physical exams, blood work, x rays, and urine tests done. Last week, I got home from work and noticed that his lip was messed up. I took him back to the vet and he was diagnosed with Eosinophilic granuloma complex. He was given a steroid shot that day and the vet is still deciding if he needs to be on steroids long term. He also got his vaccines that he needed boosters for. Yesterday, he started sneezing. He is not having any symptoms other than sneezing, he is eating, playing, etc. he is sneezing about once or twice every 2-4 hours. The only thing that has changed in his environment is that I bought an enzyme cleaner to clean the carpet where he had been urinating outside the litter box. I kept the area covered until it was completely dry. The only other thing I can think of is I ran out of the usual cat litter and the one that I bought in the meantime does seem to be a little more dusty. I called the vet and they said they will leave a message for the doctor and he will let me know whether I should bring him in or not but they said to just monitor for now. I’m just wondering if I am missing something or if there is something else I should do, he is going to the vet every week and it’s one issue after the next I don’t know what’s wrong. I’m really hoping the sneezing is just nothing but I’m worried that it will be a bigger deal.

I also just wanted to include that when he was a kitten (about 2 months old) he had calici virus, he was pretty sick I believe his fever was above 104. I was fostering him at the time and they were originally going to send him home with me with some meds but he was so sick that they said they didn’t feel comfortable with that and they kept him at the shelter for almost 6 weeks (part of the 6 weeks was him waiting to be neutered but he was sick for a while). They said that it could possibly be feline herpes but he hasn’t had any issues like this since then. He is also the only one that is sneezing and I have 3 cats.

 

[Alldara]

Many cats who have calciviris as a kitten carry latent virus and have flare ups due to stress etc.

It's always good to check diagnoses on the VCA website so that you can understand a bit more about the diagnosis: Conjunctivitis - Feline Herpes Viral Conjunctivitis | VCA Canada Animal Hospitals


Especially since he is the only one sneezing and you mentioned he's had an illness, vet visit and litter changes (as in the type of litter changed) recently, he's had stress and could be having a flare up.

That aside, he's been to the vet in the last week. There's a chance he could have picked something up there. Cat colds have an incubation period of 3 days to 2 weeks (meaning no symptoms but the virus is inside them), and then can last up to 14 days (from symptom start to finish).

Since he wouldn't be contagious until symptom onset or a couple days beforehand, you'd not notice any other cats sneezing until 3 to 14 days after he starts sneezing (which is a way that he is 'shedding' the virus). Being healthy right now, they may not show symptoms and you may just notice they are tired for a day or two. That's because they caught the virus but could fight it off before symptoms (asymptomatic). Again, it may take 3 to 14 days for them to have that happen, if at all.
Feline Upper Respiratory Infection | VCA Canada Animal Hospitals

My late cat Nobel would always get sick after the vet. Usually my younger boys would catch it after. He was older and his immune system was compromised from illness. When he was young that didn't happen.

The boys don't have that issue if they go. They are young and healthy for the moment.

 

[Freddieandchip]

Many cats who have calciviris as a kitten carry latent virus and have flare ups due to stress etc.

It's always good to check diagnoses on the VCA website so that you can understand a bit more about the diagnosis: Conjunctivitis - Feline Herpes Viral Conjunctivitis | VCA Canada Animal Hospitals


Especially since he is the only one sneezing and you mentioned he's had an illness, vet visit and litter changes (as in the type of litter changed) recently, he's had stress and could be having a flare up.

That aside, he's been to the vet in the last week. There's a chance he could have picked something up there. Cat colds have an incubation period of 3 days to 2 weeks (meaning no symptoms but the virus is inside them), and then can last up to 14 days (from symptom start to finish).

Since he wouldn't be contagious until symptom onset or a couple days beforehand, you'd not notice any other cats sneezing until 3 to 14 days after he starts sneezing (which is a way that he is 'shedding' the virus). Being healthy right now, they may not show symptoms and you may just notice they are tired for a day or two. That's because they caught the virus but could fight it off before symptoms (asymptomatic). Again, it may take 3 to 14 days for them to have that happen, if at all.
Feline Upper Respiratory Infection | VCA Canada Animal Hospitals

My late cat Nobel would always get sick after the vet. Usually my younger boys would catch it after. He was older and his immune system was compromised from illness. When he was young that didn't happen.

The boys don't have that issue if they go. They are young and healthy for the moment.

Yeah, that definitely makes sense! When he got calici it was actually right after his first vet visit to get his vaccines. It started with sneezing about a week after his appointment, then he started limping and stopped eating within the next 48 hours. I’m worried that the combination of things spreading at the vet and the steroid shot suppressing his immune system could have caused something. Luckily he looks great right now, I will definitely continue to monitor him and follow up whenever the vet gets back to me. Thank you for the advice!

 

[stephanietx]

Stress is a huge contributor to cat health problems. Things that seem insignificant to us are stressors for our kitties. So, changing the litter without a gradual change may be the trigger, especially since you mentioned it's more dusty. If your weather is changing, it could also be seasonal allergies.

 

[Freddieandchip]

I just wanted to post an update incase anyone was curious! I took him to the vet today and they said he has a fever, it’s not very high. The vet said he has an upper respiratory infection, it isn’t very severe, they said it would most likely pass on it’s own but they gave my antibiotics and an immune support supplement just incase.

 

[fionasmom]

Thank you for letting us know! Here is to a speedy recovery and return to good health!

 

[Freddieandchip]

Thank you for letting us know! Here is to a speedy recovery and return to good health!

Thank you! Luckily it hasn’t gotten any worse than just a few sneezes so I think he will feel better soon

 

[Alldara]

Thank you! Luckily it hasn’t gotten any worse than just a few sneezes so I think he will feel better soon

Sounds like!