Sneezy Kitty

browneyedsquirrel

As adorable as it is to watch my kitty sneeze over and over again, I wonder if I should be concerned.

We just moved into a new place this week (Thursday) and she's begun sneezing like crazy.

Is it just a matter of new surroundings and something that will pass or is something irritating her?

Any suggestions on how I could narrow down what might be making her sneeze or something to relieve the irritation for her?

urahonky

Could be allergies, I'd take her to a vet and see if there's medication your kitten can take. I am not sure how that would work with a younger kitten, but I had a cat that did the same thing.

Just_Bri_Thanks

Not helpful or advice, but still somewhat on topic: I knew a cat once that was allergic to cat dander. It was miserable, and if you can get your own sneezing cat issues resolved I applaud you.

NexusSix

Some possible causes could include air fresheners and disinfectants--she may be picking up stuff that was used to clean the place right before you moved in (is this an apartment?). Be careful with what you use for cleaning--both surfaces (counters, floors, etc.) and the litterbox. Plain bleach and hot water would be safe to use for surfaces/areas kitty comes in contact with, just be sure to rinse and cleang good with hot water afterwards. You could also avoid using air fresheners and sprays if you go the plain bleach route for your regular cleaning chores (just wear gloves--that shit tears up your hands... I know from experience cleaning my litterboxes).

Check the litter you're using. If it makes things really dusty, that could cause allergic agitation for both you and the kitten. Clay litters are best to avoid as they cause a lot of dust.

Keep an eye on her appetite, water consumption, and box droppings. So long as her appetite is good, she plays, doesn't drink an excessive amount of water and her droppings seem fine, she should be okay.

If the sneezing continues, keep a very close lookout for watery eyes, sniffles, coughing, or heavy/congested breathing--those are definitely signs of a feline upper respiratory infection. Not sure where kitty came from, but URIs are common (and can be fairly rampant) in a lot of pet shelters.

With all the above being said, make a vet appointment just in case. Only an expert can tell what's really going on and give you the best advice on this.

Also, please to poast pikshurs.

browneyedsquirrel

well she has been napping a lot more I think, but I thought that might just be all the excitement of the moving.

She seems plenty loving, just not doing her usual run about at 5am (or I'm just not hearing her because I've been sleeping like a log trying to catch up on sleep from the exhausting move myself).

Her appetite is normal and whatnot. No changes have been made to her food or litter.

It is an apartment with plusher carpet than my old place and fresh paint so that could definitely be a factor. Other new things include a couple plants (an Ivy and a Colius), new furniture made of pine, new water source, and there tends to be a faint smell of curry in the hallways of the apartment building.

So far it just seems to be sneezing though her nose is getting a little pink from the sneezing and subsequent licking.

Oh, and she's about a year and a half.

pics from a previous thread can be found on the second page here: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=24402&page=2

JaysonFour

Hmmm... I'd say you might want to look into steam-cleaning the carpet. If it's the same furniture from your old place, maybe clean that too before they get covered in the same stuff.

My theory is that there's something in the air that's making her sneeze, and if the steam cleaning doesn't work, maybe an air cleaner would work.

Caliban42

As dumb as it may sound, it could be herpes. When we got the youngest cat (he was a kitten) a couple years back, it did the same thing. During his initial rounds of shots we asked the vet about it and she said the symptoms sounded like feline herpes. Apparently (according to the vet), nearly all cats have feline herpes as it is super contagious and is passed on from the mother. So in the off chance the mother didn't have it, if that cat ever comes into contact with a cat that does, it will probably pick it up, too. The vet went on to tell us that most of the time there won't be any symptoms of the herpes but it can flare up during times of stress, which a move would certain qualify as.

The vet gave us some medicine for him to take for a couple weeks and the sneezing went away. But I still get to say my cat has herpes, which amuses me to no end.

MichaelLC

Yeah, could well just be the paint and new smells and carpeting.

Could try cleaning the carpet and cleaning the place, as I'm sure you are.

When we moved to our 95% carpeted condo, our kitty didn't sneeze, but definitely wasn't himself for a few weeks; laid around, wanted nothing to do with us. A few months and he's back to himself.

So go to the vet, and if they tell you not to worry, then just keep an eye on her for awhile.

Athlantar

browneyedsquirrel wrote: »

As adorable as it is to watch my kitty sneeze over and over again

Pictures or it didn't happen. (Never used that saying in this context before, but I dont think you should be allowed to have a kitty thread without some cute pictures.)

Falx

Pretty much all animals sneeze from nasal infections, not just us. If he doesn't get better from the cleaning, take him to the vet. Skip the cleaning if you notice some kinda yucky discharge from the eyes/ears/nose, straight to the vet.

Blake T

It's probably the paint.

Try and air the place out.