How to Prevent a Cat From Sneezing

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Doctor Carrie Burhenn and I'm a veterinarian here at the Feline Medical Clinic in Vancouver, Washington. And I'm here today to give you a little information about sneezing in cats. Sneezing is a common thing because as it turns out most cats, sooner or later are exposed to one or many of the upper respiratory viruses that we see in cats. We actually vaccinate against several of these viruses, but just like getting a flu shot for a human being, these vaccines don't actually prevent the cat from getting the infection. They keep the cat from dying of pneumonia and that's a good thing. But most cats sooner or later will be exposed to these viruses. The number one virus is actually usually a member of the herpes virus clan. You can't get the cat's herpes and it can't get yours but a herpes virus is forever. And again, we do vaccinate for it but this simply prevents the cat from dying from pneumonia. When a cat has a respiratory infection, it will often sneeze and have a runny discharge for its nose or its eyes and may not want to eat and may run a fever as well If the cat is not eating it should be seen by a veterinarian right away because just like a bad case of the flu, with appropriate medical treatment your cat should recover and have a long normal healthy life. Most sneezing is self limiting in cats just like our viral infections it usually runs a course in about seven to ten days. But sometimes it can be quite severe and need medical intervention in the meantime. There are currently no over the counter human medications that can be used in cats for upper respiratory tract infections. These are things again that should be prescribed by a veterinarian based on the specific diagnosis. If your cat is sneezing, it should be seen by a veterinarian especially if it's not eating and then we can determine better on what the actual course of treatment will be. If the sneezing is very mild and the cat's otherwise acting well it should start to get better day by day. If you have any other additional concerns, please contact your veterinarian and they can be happy to answer your questions for you."