As a cat owner, it is important to understand health issues in cats. There are several health problems in cats, such as ear infection, craked, paws, hair loss, matted hair, even more, serious issues like heart disease. Knowing about the possible health issues on cats can be helpful since it is making you prepare better and earlier.
Talking about the cat’s health problem, have you ever heard a cute sneeze from a cat? Well, just like in humans, sneezing occasionally is normal in cats. It is how our (and cat’s) bodies react as a response to irritants, like dust for example, in the nasal passages. The normal cat’s sneeze is just a little tickle or itch in its nose and it eventually will stop or only happen for a while.
However, if our little furry friend keeps sneezing and it won’t go away, it might be a sign for some health issues!
Don’t you worry, though! Today’s article will help you out to understand better about what makes your cat keep sneezing a lot and how to take care of it!
What Makes Sneezing Cannot Be Stop on Cats
The symptoms of sneezing
There is nothing to worry about when your cat sneezes as long as it is only for a while. It means your cat’s nasal passage is normal! Even cats can also sneeze from the excitement! So, in what condition you should start to worry about your cat’s sneeze?
When the sneezing cannot be stopped, and it followed by coughing, mucus or even blood, decreased activity, and loss of appetite in your cats as well, you should start to be concerned about your cat’s health because of it probably a sign for some health problems. You may need to rush your cat to the vet for a check-up and treatments if it is needed.
The causes of sneezing
1. Infections
One of the most common and the main health problems that cause of sneezing in cats is a respiratory infection or colds. Another infection that may happen to your cats is from herpes virus, chlamydia infections, bacterial infections like Mycoplasma, and fungal infections as well. These infections can cause sinus diseases to your cats, which then may lead to nasal inflammation, excessive tearing, and cough. Kitten, especially from animal shelters are more likely prone to infections and colds. Flu can also happen to cats that may affect their performance and agility.
Infections, especially from viral infections which include feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus can easily transmit between cats even though it is harmless to humans. The risk can increase due to their stress level too.
2. Allergies
It is less common to happen to cats, but allergies can also happen to some of them. Some cats are likely allergic to pollens, dust (and also dust from cat litter), mold, or some chemical fumes such as pest sprays, smoke from cigarettes, perfumes, or cleaning agents. Besides itchy skin, allergies can also cause nasal inflammation and sinus too so they won’t stop sneezing when they inhaled those fumes.
3. Dental problems
Yup, who knows that dental problems can also cause sneezing? Well, it is. The sneezing can happen from the bacteria that develop in the infected root or the feline tooth. These bacteria then may lead to nasal inflammation, sinus, and surely cause them sneezing a lot.
What to do when your cats won’t stop sneezing
There is no special treatment needed if your cats sneeze only occasionally. If it starts to happen more than usual, you can monitor your cats and find the pattern of the sneezing timing for a few days. Keep your cats indoors is a good idea too. From there, you may notice that maybe your cats only sneeze a lot when you change the cat litter (that produces dust) or when you clean the house. Remember that dust and fumes can be a potential irritant to your cats which may cause them to keep on sneezing. Besides, internasal vaccines can also cause frequent sneezing in cats. Sneezing from the vaccine will probably go away after a few days without any treatment.
You have to be concerned about the sneezing when it gets persistent, it followed by other symptoms, including excessive tearing or discharge from noses, runny eyes, coughing, trouble breathing, loss of appetite, or the sneeze contents mucus or blood. The best way is to rush your cats to the vet as soon as possible to get the treatments and medicines if it’s needed.
The treatments and preventions
The treatments will depend on the causes and how bad the case is. In some cases, the vet may only suggest you to use a humidifier. Some may need to take antibiotics, steroids, or other meds to help your cats feel better and breathe comfortably. On some more serious case, it is not common, but the vet may need to perform surgery.
For prevention, you need to get your cats vaccinated. Bring your cats to the vet for regular vaccinations, especially vaccinations for viral infections (feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus) to prevent infections in the future. Regular check-up is also good to maintain your cat’s condition. One of the important reasons to bring your cats to the vet regularly besides to get vaccination is to track the record of your cat’s health.
That’s all about what you have to know about sneezing in cats. From here we know that there is nothing to worry about sneezing in cats as long as it is only happening for a while. More frequent sneezing can happen due to infections from bacteria, virus, or fungal as the main cause. It may also cause by allergy or dental problems. The treatment is relatively easy too. Veterinarian care will make your cats feel better with some treatments, meds, or even surgery if it is needed.
Hope your cats will always be healthy and happy with you!