Cat snot issues

[RangersMom]

I have a 2 year old female tortie cat that was abandon when a neighbor moved, so I took her in a few months ago. She was small and had diarrhea issues, so I switched her to grain/corn free food and she has gotten better.
However, she has severe sneezing and snot issues that haven't improved. She will sneeze probably every 30 seconds, and her nose is always running and when she sneezes LOTS of snot comes out. The snot is clear though. She has NEVER had a cough and never had any eye issues. Only sneezing.

She has been to the vet and according to them:
- no worms or parasites
- no FIV, no FelV
- they gave her antibiotics for her runny nose and it did nothing, I also hesitate to give antibiotics because of her sensitive stomach.
- suspected feline herpes, suggested lysine, did nothing. (again she never coughs and her eyes have always been great).

Has anyone ever dealt with a cat 'snot cold' or herpes that NEVER improved?
According to my research and my vet, if its herpes she should at least have some "down time" from the symptoms. She is otherwise healthy, eats, drinks, pees, poops normally.
All I do is wipe her nose many, many times a day. She is currently in her own area, separate from my other cats. I wish I could help her!!! Any ideas appreciated.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. It so sounds like allergies to me. Food, environmental? Was she doing this before you changed her food? If so, maybe environmental - either inside, or outside, or both, of your house.

 

[RangersMom]

Yes, she was snotty like this before I brought her inside. She was abandon In January 2019, (we had a heated shelter which she stayed in) and I brought her inside in October 2019. Shes been snotty this whole time. The change of food only helped her diarrhea issues, not the sneezing. We use pine litter for her, so less dust, and I keep her room cleaned and vacuum once a week.
It might be some kind of allergy because I feel like we'll ruled out almost everything else! Thanks for the reply.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Ask your vet about a basic (to start off with) environmental allergy test - I think it should include dust, soil, and things of that nature. Has anyone discussed things like Zyrtec? It might be worth a try!!!

 

[Azazel]

Nasal congestion is typically a sign of an underlying virus. Herpesvirus is very common among cats.
Allergies in cats usually manifest as skin disorders (lots of itching and scratching) rather than sneezing.

 

[stephanietx]

I have a herpes kitty who is a snotflinger and sneezes. She gets a daily antihistamine which helps tremendously, but there's still lots of sneezing and snot. What I would recommend is asking the vet to do a culture and sensitivity test of the nasal discharge to find out if there is an underlying secondary infection. The culture will show if there is an infection and if it's viral or bacterial and the sensitivity test will show which antibiotic will most effectively treat it. You could also have the PCR URD test run to see if she has herpes and/or one of the other respiratory diseases. This helped us accurately diagnose Hannah's problems and treat them. We also started her on colloidal silver about a year ago and that has also helped, but she is still a snotflinger from time to time.