Question: Good Morning - I am a subscriber and enjoy the newsletter you send.

I have a 12 year old cat who has had diabetes for 2 years and is doing fine
with 7 units of insulin twice a day.

After Christmas this past year, he  developed a herpes virus that affected
his right eye which is being treated and seems to be almost completely
recovered.  His left eye has been mattering so I have been treating it as
well with a prescription eye drop from out vet.  In the past month this
poor cat has been having sneezing fits.  He doesn't just sneeze once or
twice but I have counted up to 10 quick sneezes at a time.  Of course, I
took him to our vet but he didn't sneeze the time we were in the clinic and
he just thinks it's part of the herpes virus.  I can tell he can't catch
his breath and of course, am worried about him.  After the sneezing fits,
he usually uses his paw to sort of scratch his nose and eyes and then
settles back down.  Last night I could tell he was having trouble catching
his breath and then he seemed to have just a moment of not breathing
through his nose - his mouth was open.  I have tried to see if there is a
pattern to when he sneezes and there really isn't.  I thought it could be
allergies but he is an indoor cat and I haven't let him out in weeks on his
leash.  If you have any insight please let me know.  I do have a call into
my vet this morning as well.
 

Answer: Linda-

Sneezing like this can occur due to the herpes virus but it may be an
indication of a secondary infection of the nasal passages due to the virus.
In this case it is appropriate to use antibiotics. We have had the best
luck with azithromycin (Zithromax Rx) but other antibiotics can be useful.

Sneezing also occurs with other conditions. Dental disease, especially
infections around the roots of teeth, can lead to sneezing.

Cats get nasal polyps more frequently than dogs do and these can cause
sneezing or ear infections so it is worth looking for them when a cause of
sneezing is hard to find. Unfortunately, anesthesia is usually required to
get a good look into the nasal passages and rear of the oral cavity.

Sneezing seems to occur due to allergies in some cats but this is not as
frequent a problem as sneezing is in people with allergies. Allergies can
definitely occur in indoor cats, though. They are just allergic to stuff
inside the house, like dust mites and people dander. Sneezing can occur
with fungal infections of the nasal passages and sometimes occurs when
there is cancer affecting the nasal passages, as well.  X-rays are
sometimes useful in identifying tumors but an endoscopic examination or
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are often better for identifying these
sorts of problems.  Unfortunately, these diagnostic techniques may not be
available in your area and do cost much more than X-rays.

We sometimes see sneezing in cats with asthma. Some of the symptoms, such
as the difficulty catching his breath, are suggestive of asthma. This is
something else to think about. If attacks of difficulty breathing have
continued, it would be best to let your vet know this. We have also seen a
couple of cats with cardiomyopathy (weakness of the heart muscles) who came
to our office due to persistent sneezing. I can't really figure out the
link between the heart problem and sneezing but it was all we could find in
these cats. This could also cause difficulty breathing at times and also a
decrease in activity in general in many cats.

Hopefully your vet was able to help, but if not, these are some other
things to think about, especially if there are other signs of any of these
problems.

Mike Richards, DVM
6/23/2001
 
 

Sneezing

Question: Dear Dr Mike:
My 1 year old Persian has started to sneeze frequently.  He has no
discharge from his nose and his eyes are clear.  Could it be cat flu?  Is
it normal for cats to sneeze as my other five rarely sneeze.

Answer: Suzanne-
Sneezing occurs due to feline herpes virus (which can be a recurrent
illness in cats), feline leukemia virus, from dental problems, from
allergies (not as frequently as in people), from exposure to environmental
insults like second-hand smoke, fungal or bacterial infection of the nasal
passages and cancers. In a young cat, the most likely causes are the
viruses, followed by environmental irritants and allergies. Usually, when
sneezing is due to herpes virus it lasts about 3 weeks, stops, then recurs
at irregular intervals. The other causes tend to be more chronic. It is
frustrating to try to sort through the causes of sneezing in cats, because
there isn't a good way to rule in or rule out herpes virus as the cause,
even though it is the most common cause, probably. So sometimes we do a lot
of work to eliminate everything else and then have to fall back on the
diagnosis of chronic herpes virus.
Mike Richards, DVM
12/28/2000
 

Sneezing

Q: Hello: I recently bought a red tabby five month old persian from a reliable breeder at a cat show. He seems to be in excellent health but sneezes quite often. Is this a characteristic of the breed because of their small pushed in noses or could he be allergic to his new envioroment, i.e., my other cat or dog? Thank you in advance

A: I was recently at a continuing education session. At this session, the speaker (Dr. Nassise) suggested that the most common cause of persistent sneezing in cats was probably rhinotracheitis virus. This is a herpes virus and it can cause chronic infection, or it can be latent for long periods and then recur in times of stress. I do think that some Persians and Himalayans seem to sneeze without ever showing any other clinical signs of disease at all and I have assumed that this might be some sort of problem from the shape of their face.

Once in a while we see persistent sneezing because there is a foreign body in the nasal passages. We have found a piece of thread, a piece of ribbon and several blades of grass on exams over the years. Also, periodontal disease is reported to make some cats sneeze but this seems pretty unlikely in a 5 month old cat.

Rhinotracheitis is very easy for cats to pick up prior to being successfully vaccinated against it. It is probably not possible to protect all cats, even with vigorous effort.

Allergies probably do cause some of the sneezing seen in cats. Five months is also pretty young for allergies to show up but I can't say with certainty that they aren't present.

Your vet can examine your new kitten and rule out some of these causes.

Mike Richards, DVM
 
 

Frequent Sneezing

Q: Dr. Richards,
       I have adopted a male cat off of the street approximately 6 months ago.
The vet guessed that at the time I found him, he was 1 1/2 months old.
My question is, he has sneezed since the time that I found him.  He
sneezes probably once every hour.  Otherwise, he is very healthy.  He
has a shiny coat, plenty of energy, and is perfectly healthy, other than
the sneezing. He has not been tested for Feline Leukemia or FIP.  He is
not vaccinated for either one.  Is this a possibility? Or is there
something else that could be bothering him?

Thank You,
 Loretta

 A: Loretta-

Feline leukemia virus infection or feline immunodeficiency virus infection
can lead to chronic secondary illnesses and might be a factor in persistent
sneezing. The most likely cause of this is probably herpesvirus
(rhinotracheitis) infection, though. We have information on our site
regarding this condition. I think that if you search using "herpesvirus"
and cats I think it would show up in the search.