Feline Sneezing 

Sneezing in cats is a condition that does not always warrant alarm much like when we humans sneeze; however, there is always the possibility that your cat could be facing a more serious problem.



Cat health and sneezing is important because your cat could be affected by an uppers respiratory tract infection or it could even be facing some kind of allergic reaction. You should start to take notice of the problem if your cat keeps sneezing through the day without any specific trigger.



Finding a trigger for a sneezing attack would indicate that your cat was actually having an allergic reaction to some kind of inhaled allergen. This can sometimes happen in houses that are not completely dusted or houses which are cleaned with a vacuum cleaner and water.

There are two respiratory tract infections that could affect your cat and they are: feline viral tracheitis, which is an infection by the feline herpes virus and a feline calicivirus infection. There is also the possibility of a variant of avian flu attacking your cat, identified as the H5N1 flu. All of these viral infections can be quite serious especially if they occur in kittens that have been weaned. The biggest problem that these diseases pose is that they are so easily spread within a community of cats since nearly all upper respiratory tract infections are spread from droplet infection. The symptoms of an upper respiratory tract infection by a virus is the same as human virus infections – sneezing, coughing, watery eyes, fever, loss of appetite, and other inflammatory symptoms. Being viral infections, there is no absolute cure for a viral infection as is the case in bacterial infections. However, there are certain drugs that can be given to your cat to reduce the course of the illness like acyclovir for tracheitis and ocetalamvir for the H5N1 strain of flu. There is no treatment except the use of antibiotics for a calicivirus infection to prevent a resultant bacterial infection in the animal.

Prevent Cat Sneezing

From a caregiver point of view, it is important to understand that stress plays a role in a cat’s ability to fight disease. A stressed cat’s immune system is much weaker than normal, so pampering your cat and literally playing mother to it during this time is absolutely important. Hydration and maintain the ambient temperature is also an important measure that you can undertake. Feel free to also indulge in cat nip therapy.