Help for kitty with Chronic Inflammatory Rhinitis

[RescueMom19]

Hello! I am new to the site, and hoping some of you can help me...or my fur-baby, Maeve Fiametta, I should say! She was recently diagnosed with chronic inflammatory rhinitis, and we are struggling to find some remedies, to make life a little more manageable. She is so stuffed up, all the time, and breathes out of her mouth. Her appetite is still there, but she has a bit of a hard time chewing her dry food now, as she leaves crumbles all over. I know she is ok, it's just really clogged, but it is literally killing me inside. She does still run around and play with toys, but the time is now limited, as she tires faster. She has occasional sneezing fits, but very few boogies actually coming out. It has been over a month, since her rhinoscopy and nasal flush (which apparently released A LOT of mucus), but she seems to be getting worse. Does anyone deal with this, and/or are there any suggestions as to how I can help her stuffiness? I want to have them do another flush, but is it bad to keep putting her under anestesia? I just want her quality of life, to look a little better! Please help!! I have added a video of what my poor baby sounds like. Thank you!!

 

[GoldyCat]

Has your vet recommended any medication? I'm thinking something to reduce the swelling and open up the nasal passages rather than something to cure the rhinitis. I have a cat with chronic herpes, which is not the same thing but has some of the same symptoms. He's on a low dose steroid, probably for the rest of his life.

 

[KatherineE]

We went through this recently. My cat got a URI in August that resulted in chronic congestion. Six weeks into his infection, he also developed conjunctivitis in both eyes. Like your cat, mine did not have any nasal discharge, just swollen sinus tissue and congestion. We treated my cat’s issues presumptively as a herpes flare. What finally did the trick was oral Famciclovir (an anti-viral), Neomycin/Polymycin eye drops (he was already on an antiviral eye drop), and Cerenia. Cerenia is an anti-nausea med but in some cats, it can reduce nasal inflammation. Within two weeks, his symptoms largely resolved (after seven weeks of being sick). And now another two weeks later he’s completely back to normal. I am so relieved.

Do you have any idea of the underlying cause for the URI? Given my cat’s history, my vet was pretty sure his was herpes related so we did not do any diagnostics, but you might talk to your vet about testing your cat’s mucus to determine the cause. If herpes is suspected, I’d talk to your vet about Famciclovir and Cerenia in the very least.

I hope you cat feels better soon. I can totally relate to how you’re feeling.