Cat with Stuffy Nose Won't Eat

PMousse

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Hi! My 16yo Ruckus has herpes (FHV) and recently had a flare-up that caused URI (upper respiratory infection) such that he was sneezing a lot. The vet prescribed Fortiflora, L-lysine (I already have this in chewable treats form), and the antibiotic Doxyclcline. His bloodwork and urinalysis all came back normal. After a week his sneezing reduced significantly, but the following week he started having a stuffy nose with sticky discharge. I wish the poor guy knew how to blow his nose but as he's a cat and can't do it, I believe this caused him not able to smell food so he's eating less. In addition, he stopped eating Fortiflora and L-lysine. Every day in the last few days I've been spoon feeding him wet pate (Fancy Feast chicken) covered in Catit lickable treats--it's the only thing he'll eat. I tried mixing Fortiflora and L-lysine in the spoon but Ruckus doesn't eat enough food to also take in the recommended doses of the probiotics. He's drinking normal.

I talked to the vet last Thursday who recommended me to wait and see for two weeks, and putting him in a steamed room from time to time to help clear his sinus. I took it to mean that the Fortiflora and L-lysine would help boost his immune system and fight off the virus in two weeks, but now that he's not taking the probiotics I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do to help him get rid of the virus, breathe better and eat more?

Thanks!
 

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You can help him in a number of ways, other than shower room steam. Raising the humidity, wiping/cleaning his nose, and putting a something appealing and stinky on his food, like brewers yeast or bonito flakes. I’d also recommend completely discontinuing l-lysine. There is absolutely no evidence in the existing literature that it helps cats fight off infections, and some evidence that it may make things worse. It’s an old school treatment, but modern research shows it’s useless in cats. Fortiflora is just a probiotic, as he’s taking antibiotics. You’d be best off getting s. Bouliardi instead, which is a yeast. Fortiflora is a fairly bad as a probiotic, as it has very little bacterial variety in it. Plus, as it’s a bacterial probiotic, the doxy will kill it off just as easily as it does parts of his current intestinal flora. That said, the first ingredient in fortiflora is brewer’s yeast, so the smell may help entice him to eat.
 

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Also try warming his stinky food. And by stinky, I mean a wet FISH cat food. That might help him smell it through his stuffy nose. Keep up with the steamy room. Some people actually use a baby nose suctioner thingy (sorry, don't know the name of it) to gently suck out some of the gunk in their cats' noses.
 

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Hi! My 16yo Ruckus has herpes (FHV) and recently had a flare-up that caused URI (upper respiratory infection) such that he was sneezing a lot. The vet prescribed Fortiflora, L-lysine (I already have this in chewable treats form), and the antibiotic Doxyclcline. His bloodwork and urinalysis all came back normal. After a week his sneezing reduced significantly, but the following week he started having a stuffy nose with sticky discharge. I wish the poor guy knew how to blow his nose but as he's a cat and can't do it, I believe this caused him not able to smell food so he's eating less. In addition, he stopped eating Fortiflora and L-lysine. Every day in the last few days I've been spoon feeding him wet pate (Fancy Feast chicken) covered in Catit lickable treats--it's the only thing he'll eat. I tried mixing Fortiflora and L-lysine in the spoon but Ruckus doesn't eat enough food to also take in the recommended doses of the probiotics. He's drinking normal.

I talked to the vet last Thursday who recommended me to wait and see for two weeks, and putting him in a steamed room from time to time to help clear his sinus. I took it to mean that the Fortiflora and L-lysine would help boost his immune system and fight off the virus in two weeks, but now that he's not taking the probiotics I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do to help him get rid of the virus, breathe better and eat more?

Thanks!
He may not be able to smell his food. Try hot steam, a decongestant and an appetite stimulant. Oops, looks like you did that already? If it is really bad dvm can wash out his sinuses.
 
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PMousse

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I appreciate and value everyone's input! Thank you!

I ended up contacting the vet yesterday evening, who gave me an appetite stimulant (Mirtazapine) which I gave Ruckus last night. I had to force it down, but he immediately threw up white foam (a gag reaction I think), so I'm not sure how much of it he absorbed and don't know if I should give him more or wait for 48 hours as vet recommended.

It's been 12 hours and he's eaten a little bit more than before, but still doesn't have a ravenous appetite :( If his appetite doesn't improve today, the vet wants me to bring him in for IV and he'll have to stay at the clinic for a few days. So I'm really worried, but fingers crossed we'll see some improvements in the next 12 hours. He's drinking a lot water though.

Humidifier is up and running since last night, and I'll do another shower steam later today. He's a picky eater so FortiFlora's flavor is not enough to entice him to eat more. I gave him some tuna this morning but will try to buy some really stinky fish wet food. If he ends up at the vet I'll ask if the vet can do the sinus washing without having to go to a specialist.
 

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I appreciate and value everyone's input! Thank you!

I ended up contacting the vet yesterday evening, who gave me an appetite stimulant (Mirtazapine) which I gave Ruckus last night. I had to force it down, but he immediately threw up white foam (a gag reaction I think), so I'm not sure how much of it he absorbed and don't know if I should give him more or wait for 48 hours as vet recommended.

It's been 12 hours and he's eaten a little bit more than before, but still doesn't have a ravenous appetite :( If his appetite doesn't improve today, the vet wants me to bring him in for IV and he'll have to stay at the clinic for a few days. So I'm really worried, but fingers crossed we'll see some improvements in the next 12 hours. He's drinking a lot water though.

Humidifier is up and running since last night, and I'll do another shower steam later today. He's a picky eater so FortiFlora's flavor is not enough to entice him to eat more. I gave him some tuna this morning but will try to buy some really stinky fish wet food. If he ends up at the vet I'll ask if the vet can do the sinus washing without having to go to a specialist.
You can crush the mertaz and some Chlorphenamine and put it in a tiny bit of stinky food. Elura is a liquid appetite stim I gave Jez in food which helped. I used a vics vaporizer with water only and a bit if salt for her, she loved it and sat facing it.
 

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You can ask your Vet for Mirataz, an appetite stimulant that is a trandermal gel applied to the inside of their ear. Easy peasy and works better than Mirtazapine (IMHO).

Hoping he perks up soon.
 
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PMousse

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An update on Ruckus - the appetite stimulant helped improve his appetite, but just a little bit more. As of last night 48 hours had passed so I gave him another dose of Mirtazapine as directed. Meanwhile he continues to have a runny nose with milky discharge and I wipe it off throughout the day.

I've learnt that he doesn't like FortiFlora nor stinky tuna wet food. So feeding him is a laborious chore of rotating among the various wet and dry food I have to see which one is up to his fancy at the moment.

I've been running a warm humidifier; I practically chase after Ruckus with it to whichever room he goes into. He doesn't like it but tolerates it. I also have a cool air humidifier but not turning it on as I think warm air is preferred?

Is there no meds I can give him to help clear the nose? So I can only hope that it'll go away on its own eventually?
 
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Meowmee

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An update on Ruckus - the appetite stimulant helped improve his appetite, but just a little bit more. As of last night 48 hours had passed so I gave him another dose of Mirtazapine as directed. Meanwhile he continues to have a runny nose with milky discharge and I wipe it off throughout the day.

I've learnt that he doesn't like FortiFlora nor stinky tuna wet food. So feeding him is a laborious chore of rotating among the various wet and dry food I have to see which one is up to his fancy at the moment.

I've been running a warm humidifier; I practically chase after Ruckus with it to whichever room he goes into. He doesn't like it but tolerates it. I also have a cool air humidifier but not turning it on as I think warm air is preferred?

Is there no meds I can give him to help clear the nose? So I can only hope that it'll go away on its own eventually?

Warm steam is best, can you put him in a bathroom to steam him up? Ask your dvm for chlorpheniramine a decongestant. That is good he is a bit better. 🤗
 

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An update on Ruckus - the appetite stimulant helped improve his appetite, but just a little bit more. As of last night 48 hours had passed so I gave him another dose of Mirtazapine as directed. Meanwhile he continues to have a runny nose with milky discharge and I wipe it off throughout the day.

I've learnt that he doesn't like FortiFlora nor stinky tuna wet food. So feeding him is a laborious chore of rotating among the various wet and dry food I have to see which one is up to his fancy at the moment.

I've been running a warm humidifier; I practically chase after Ruckus with it to whichever room he goes into. He doesn't like it but tolerates it. I also have a cool air humidifier but not turning it on as I think warm air is preferred?

Is there no meds I can give him to help clear the nose? So I can only hope that it'll go away on its own eventually?
Try Gerber chicken baby food. The one with nothing in it but chicken and I think cornstarch. No onion. Many cats will eat it before cat food. It's also easier to syringe feed than cat food

Read up on fatty liver in cats and not eating. Not eating is a HUGE deal in cats. You have to get food in him. What happens is they can get fatty liver if they don't eat. The fatty liver makes then not want to eat and then the fatty liver gets worse etc. So they starve, often after whatever (like an URI) is resolved and they're otherwise healthy. Many vets seem completely oblivious to this. Often the assumption is that they'll eat when they get hungry enough. But cats are quite capable of starving themselves to death.

So try the Gerber baby food and try to get as much food in as you can but if he gets worse about eating consider a feeding tube. I also would be worried about leaving him at the vet unless they are going to syringe feed if he doesn't eat. It may be they know this is an issue and want to get hydration first to see if that helps.

As far as the herpes/nose others have suggestions for that. But I wanted to let you know about fatty liver. I had a cat who got stressed after a move and didn't eat for a few days and ended up with a feeding tube. Food is the cure for fatty liver, but avoiding it is obviously best.

Also, if hydration helps ask your vet about teaching you to do subcutaneous fluids at home. This is also something that can really help sick cats. You can YouTube it. It is generally used long term for kidney disease but anytime a cat is sick and gets dehydrated it may magically perk them up. I do a lot of rescue and keep an IV setup and a bag of fluids at my house just in case. Some cats are easy to do, some won't let you. But it's a good option to have
Hepatic Lipidosis in Cats (Fatty Liver Syndrome in Cats)
 
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PMousse

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Is there a difference between not eating at all vs eating less? Or are they equally bad for cats?

Ruckus is eating, just a lot less. I think it's reached a plateau; I've been monitoring his weight and he's lost a bit again since last week.

Vet suggested three options:
1) Benadryl (the ones humans take), in case the cause is allergy-related.
2) Viralys (available from the vet), in case the cause is viral.
3) Steroidal anti-inflammatory. I think this is the IV the vet had suggested earlier.

I'm hoping to speak to the vet later today to get more info of the above. I wanna ask about the pros, cons and price of each option, and how effective it is. And it's already hard to get Ruckus to take oral meds I don't want to add more.

What else should I ask the vet? At this point I'm worried for Ruckus and I'm not happy about the vet--I have to chase after him for more info. And I feel like it's the continuation of the same issue that isn't completely treated yet but the vet wants to charge for phone consultation.
 

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Maybe ask about famciclovir? It helped my guys when they were young and had a horrible herpes outbreak.
 

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As far as not eating at all vs eating less and developing fatty liver, as long as they eat 2/3 of their normal daily intake they should be fine. Less than that can cause issues, but it really depends on the cat and how suddenly the food intake lessens/stops. AND if the cat ws thin or not to begin with. The heavier the cat, the easier it is to develop fatty liver.

Definitely discuss fatty liver with your Vet. As far as the options, option 2 is a form of L-Lysine, isn't it? Isn't he already on that (a form of L-Lysine?) He should probably be on at least 1000 mg per day right now, per many people who have FHV cats, I know, I know, some folks think it doesn't work, but a lot of people use it anyway on their FHV cats and swear by it. And some add Lactoferrin to the regimen during flare-ups, if this is what is happening. But why not go with option 1 & 2. And 3 for that matter, if the Vet thinks there is inflammation of the nasal passages.
 

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I would try syringe feeding can food if your cat will tolerate it.

I recently caught a stray kitten that was very sick with crusted eyes and congestion/sneezing/runny nose. They prescribed clavamox oral suspension which helped. I was also going to try baby saline drops for nose but chickened out using it.

There are more appetite stimulants out there but I would force feed kitty if you can. Mirtaz was only semi successful for my cat and then it wasn’t.
 

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I took a dog crate/cage and covered the top and sides with towels. I put the cat in and used a hand steamer which was directed to the open side towards the cat. It created a little steam room. It helped clear up her sinuses enough to eat. I fed the meal directly after the steam bath. I did this 3 times a day. It may not clear up the sinuses long term, but at least the your cat might be able to eat. Just as an FYI, I took the cat to two vets who couldn’t find out what was wrong. I added 250 mg of lysine 2 time a day and she pulled out of it, however, she only had clear mucus and much sneezing. She did not have the milky mucus.
 

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Is there a difference between not eating at all vs eating less? Or are they equally bad for cats?

Ruckus is eating, just a lot less. I think it's reached a plateau; I've been monitoring his weight and he's lost a bit again since last week.

Vet suggested three options:
1) Benadryl (the ones humans take), in case the cause is allergy-related.
2) Viralys (available from the vet), in case the cause is viral.
3) Steroidal anti-inflammatory. I think this is the IV the vet had suggested earlier.

I'm hoping to speak to the vet later today to get more info of the above. I wanna ask about the pros, cons and price of each option, and how effective it is. And it's already hard to get Ruckus to take oral meds I don't want to add more.

What else should I ask the vet? At this point I'm worried for Ruckus and I'm not happy about the vet--I have to chase after him for more info. And I feel like it's the continuation of the same issue that isn't completely treated yet but the vet wants to charge for phone consultation.
Several of mine ate less at times due to various health issues and they never developed it. As I understand it is mostly overweight cats who are at risk for fatty liver. I syringe fed one of my outdoor kitties in December and it made him worse, he passed. I would not do it again, it can cause aspiration.
 
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PMousse

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Hi all, here's to provide an update on my cat Ruckus -

After speaking with the vet on July 20 about Ruckus not eating much in the previous two weeks, I decided to hospitalize him. But that evening and the next day, Ruckus ate noticeably more. So instead of hospitalizing him which would be stressful, the vet gave him an injection for anti-inflammation lasting for 1 day (as he found some inflammation in Ruckus' nose), and antibiotics that would last for 14 days.

For the next 14 days, Ruckus continued to eat more just like he did on July 20 and 21, and the secretion and discharge of the nose were less, but not gone, and he was still lethargic. Meanwhile his weight continued to drop gradually.

After the 14-day period, he stopped eating again. He'd follow me whenever I was in the kitchen, but would take one small bite of the food I gave him then walk away, no matter what flavor I try. This happened over the weekend.

So this past Monday (Aug 9) Ruckus was hospitalized and stayed there for three days. The vet gave him IV fluids, some more antibiotics, put in a feeding tube, and did a swab test as well as X-ray. The vet found discomfort in Ruckus' stomach (which could explain why he wasn't interested in food after one bite) so bloodwork is drawn to determine if he has pancreatitis. The swab test result shows he has Mycoplasma, so Doxycycline is prescribed. The X-ray shows no definitive results of bone destruction or tumor.

After a couple of nights of poor sleep and the cost of a vacation, I brought Ruckus home last night. I'm waiting for the bloodwork result today, meanwhile syringe feeding him through the feeding tube is a laborious process. If he recovers well in the next few days it'll be fantastic, but if not, it may be time to say goodbye :(

All of these happening right before I'm about to leave for a camping trip this Friday. I was so looking forward to the trip as it'll be my first vacation in two years, but it's very likely that I'll have to pull out and stay home to care for Ruckus -- which is fine as Ruckus is my obvious priority; I'm just a bit bummed about it.

Suffice to say, it's been an emotionally intense few days.
 

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Thanks for the update. I would much rather feed a cat via a feeding tube that trying to feed them without it. I've done it both ways and the tube was so much easier!

Sorry you may miss your camping trip, but your furbaby needs you right now unless you have smeone who can step in and take over for you in your absence. I know cats can be pretty resistant to strangers in the midst. Mine are,

Let is know after his bloodwork comes back. Our thoughts are with you :vibes::vibes::vibes:
 
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PMousse

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Thanks mrsgreenjeens mrsgreenjeens . Ruckus' blood work shows that he has pretty serious pancreatitis, and that explains his lack of appetite, lethargy, and I guess he's been in pain for quite a while. His quality of life has definitely decreased; he used to sleep with me every night but hasn't done so since July 1. And he hasn't shown much interest in his surroundings, the birds on the balcony, or during playtime save for the rare occasions here and there.

The vet told me the medical treatment plan, and also brought up the idea of balancing between the medical decision vs not letting Ruckus suffer.

But the latter decision is only something I can make, which I'm agonizing right now. What's best for Ruckus? I know it's part of my responsibility as his guardian to end his suffering when the time comes...but when's the right time? Should l let him go now, or try one more time?

I know these are probably questions with no easy answer, and ultimately it's my decision to make, but I'd appreciate your thoughts and experiences.
 
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PMousse

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He also vomited right after I tube fed him in the early evening today.

And before all these went down, the vet also suspected arthritis and was gonna prescribe pain meds to manage it when the URI went away.

All this is to say that, again, am I just prolonging the inevitable pain and suffering for him? Is the question I'm asking myself right now ...
 
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