Cat with chronic URIs - struggling with whether to involve vet this time

[cheeseburger]

We have a 6 year old DSH neutered male who has on and off respiratory issues. He was a semi-feral now turned indoor cat and we don't know what his medical history was prior to the age of 2.

He's had every test in the known universe and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him. But about every six months or so, he gets sniffly (you can hear him whistle through his nose when he breathes) and sneezes a ton (like 20x in a go, multiple times a day). He never stops eating, drinking, or playing.

The last time he was ill (Oct 2021), we spent about 4k on vet visits. We tried FIVE types of antibiotics. He got x-rayed and scoped multiple times. He was tested for covid, calcivirus, herpes, every bacteria in the world. Thing were cultured multiple times. One of the cultures did yield a bacteria but it wasn't one that caused URIs, so the vet was confused, and just gave us another antibiotic that didn't help. We supplemented lysine and omega-3.

None of the meds we gave him improved his symptoms, and in fact, the constant vet visits and med administration just seemed to stress him out and make him worse. So after three months of this, we decided to give him a break. And what do you know, over the course of about four weeks, he just got better on his own. This pattern has repeated about four times since we had him. We have two other cats and whatever illness he has is not contagious.

About a week ago, he started sneezing again. Same pattern: he's fine, behaving perfectly normally, just really congested and sneezing a ton. And I'm divided on whether I go another round at the vet. We spent so much money last time and only seemed to make him worse. These flares of whatever it is he has seem to clear up on their own eventually. Of course, I'll bring him in if he ever stops eating/drinking or his behavior changes, but he's completely normal other than the congestion/sneezing.

Any suggestions on this case? If we do take him to the vet, what should we ask them to do? Maybe an allergy panel? Is that even something you can do on cats?

 

[iPappy]

When he does this twice a year, is it usually around the same time of year? If so, is it nice enough outside that you have windows open? I'm wondering if some seasonal pollen or something in the air is getting inside. Unpopular opinion I'm sure, but if you spent 4K on him and it did nothing yet keeping him home and keeping him quiet and comfortable let him get over it on his own, I'd let it ride. IF he starts open mouth breathing, that is a huge emergency and you'll need to get him seen immediately (not tomorrow, immediately!) as well as lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea or not eating. This year alone my dog was on 5 or 6 different antibiotics and like your experience, they did absolutely nothing except mess up his gut. :/

 

[cheeseburger]

When he does this twice a year, is it usually around the same time of year? If so, is it nice enough outside that you have windows open?

It's not, which is perplexing. We have a/c and keep windows closed and change air filters often. Have HEPA air cleaners running 24/7. The only thing I can think of is dust, as our house does seem to generate a lot of dust.

Unpopular opinion I'm sure, but if you spent 4K on him and it did nothing yet keeping him home and keeping him quiet and comfortable let him get over it on his own, I'd let it ride. IF he starts open mouth breathing, that is a huge emergency and you'll need to get him seen immediately (not tomorrow, immediately!) as well as lethargy, vomiting, diarrhea or not eating. This year alone my dog was on 5 or 6 different antibiotics and like your experience, they did absolutely nothing except mess up his gut. :/

Thanks - this is kind of where I'm at too. The only time he ever open mouth breathed was the FIRST time he got sick, right after we brought him home from the shelter. He almost died. Didn't eat or move or drink for three weeks. We fed him through a syringe for a month. The antibiotics helped that time! But he has never gotten anywhere close to that sick again. That experience taught us the signs of what to look for when it gets serious.

My other theory in addition to allergies is that he could have feline herpes and it flares from time to time and the vet is just wrong. Idk.

 

[Astragal14]

You can definitely have an allergy panel done for cats, our vet uses the Heska allergy testing. We also spent $4k just to figure out one of our cats has major allergies, so I understand your situation.

We did allergy testing for both of our cats and they have various allergies to mites, molds and things that are green (specific trees and grasses). The results helped us take specific measures to address each allergy, but one thing that helps almost any environmental allergy is fish oil. It helps control the inflammatory response to allergens and we noticed a tremendous improvement.

We have a/c and keep windows closed and change air filters often. Have HEPA air cleaners running 24/7. The only thing I can think of is dust, as our house does seem to generate a lot of dust.

Allergies could definitely be the culprit here. Dust mites and storage mites are two of our cats' biggest allergies (and mold to a lesser effect).

he gets sniffly (you can hear him whistle through his nose when he breathes) and sneezes a ton (like 20x in a go, multiple times a day). He never stops eating, drinking, or playing.

This exactly describes our cat's herpes flares (and his are also worse with stress). Does your cat occasionally get watery eyes with the sneezing? That's the only other symptom our cat has. No change in appetite, activity level or anything else, and his discharge is always clear. We manage his symptoms with Viralys lysine powder, 1000 mg daily (two scoops). I've tested various doses and his symptoms return as soon as he gets less than 800 mg daily. How much lysine did you give your cat and for how long?

 

[cheeseburger]

Astragal - this is great info, thanks. How do you administer fish oil to your cats? Do you just put it in their food? This cat is a very picky eaters so sometimes it's hard getting him to supplement. Any supplements you could recommend would be great!

This exactly describes our cat's herpes flares (and his are also worse with stress). Does your cat occasionally get watery eyes with the sneezing?

Yup! He has watery, drippy eyes pretty much all of the time. The vet has confirmed they aren't infected, they just do that. And then the sneezing/congestion comes and goes.

I also use Lysine powder, the Viralys brand, and have the last couple of years just in case he has herpes. He gets 1000mg/day in am/pm wet food, but he rarely finishes the wet food, so I'm guessing he actually gets 500mg/day. Maybe we should try doubling the dose and see if he improves? It's really good to know that underdosing the lysine could lead to this!

I do think it could be a stress herpes flare. He's the alpha of the house and there has been an outdoor cat hellbent on terrorizing us lately, spraying all over the outside of the house and taunting through the sliding doors. We are trying to handle that situation as well with deterrents, but obviously it's hard to control other people's cats.

 

[Astragal14]

We are currently using NOW Pets fish oil and definitely recommend it! It's our first time using a capsule and I wonder if being in a capsule helps reduce the "fishy" taste. One of my cats will eat anything, so it's easy to mix into his wet food. My other cat is super picky. The only thing that works for her is to mix it into a Hartz Delectables Squeeze Up snack, those are thicker than similar squeezy tube snacks and it must hide the taste better. And when I say "mix", I mean REALLY mix well! I've learned that any shiny spots mean the oil isn't completely mixed and my cat will taste it and walk away.
NOW PETS Omega-3 Support Dog & Cat Supplement, 180 count - Chewy.com
HARTZ Delectables Squeeze Up Variety Pack Lickable Cat Treats, case of 10 - Chewy.com

My picky cat also doesn't always finish her wet food. It's my other cat who needs the lysine, the cat who will eat anything, and he actually likes the flavor of the powder! Maybe you could try mixing the lysine powder with a treat like the Hartz Squeeze Ups? Or mix the lysine into a tiny serving of wet food, then give him the rest of his food after he finishes?

And ugh, I bet an outdoor cat is more than enough stress to cause a flare! I hope that can be resolved soon!

 

[LTS3]

Astragal - this is great info, thanks. How do you administer fish oil to your cats? Do you just put it in their food? This cat is a very picky eaters so sometimes it's hard getting him to supplement. Any supplements you could recommend would be great!

Depends. If you buy fish oil capsules for people, you snip the end or poke two holes in the end and squeeze out the contents directly into food. For pet specific fish oil products that come in liquid or gel, you just add the suggested amount to the food.

Do you have your HVAC inspected and maintained yearly? Do you have the ducts cleaned? Mold and dust collect inside of ducts and just get blown everywhere when you run the HVAC.

 

[cheeseburger]

Do you have your HVAC inspected and maintained yearly? Do you have the ducts cleaned? Mold and dust collect inside of ducts and just get blown everywhere when you run the HVAC.

Good suggestion - we haven't done this since prior to the pandemic, so it's definitely time!