A runny nose in cats can be caused by a variety of reasons. Most often, discharge from the nose of an animal appears due to a common cold. Sometimes rhinitis is a consequence of allergies or even some serious infectious disease. Therefore, when a similar problem occurs, the first thing to do is to correctly diagnose. And for this, the animal, most likely, will have to be attributed to the veterinarian. After diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe the correct treatment for the cat.
Cold
Of course, most often, a runny nose in cats becomes the result of banal hypothermia. This can happen, for example, after bathing or if the litter or tray of the animal is in a draft. Under the hair of cats, a thick air layer always forms. It is she who allows the pet to keep warm. After getting wet, the cat's hair ceases to perform such functions. The same thing happens with a draft. Continuously moving cold air is in direct contact with the body of the animal.
In fact, the cold itself is not a serious disease. With the right approach to business, a cat can be cured in just a few days. However, the owners of the animal should bear in mind that the common cold in cats, as in humans, can cause all sorts of serious complications. Therefore, during treatment, observe your pet as closely as possible.
The main symptoms of a cold
You can diagnose this disease in a cat with a runny nose by the following signs:
Discharges from a cold cat can appear not only from the nose, but also from the eyes. Also a sign of a cold is, of course, and fever. You can measure it by wrapping the animal in a towel and inserting a thermometer into the anus. The normal body temperature of a cat is 38 degrees. With a cold, this indicator can reach 41. Actually, the discharge from the nose with this disease first goes watery, and then the mucous membranes.
How to treat
A runny nose in cats caused by the common cold is usually treated with eucalyptus inhalations. Such procedures are most often carried out in the bathroom. The animal is also wrapped in a towel to exclude resistance. Then they pour hot broth into the teapot and bring its soaring nose to the cat's face. In order to get the maximum effect, the animal’s head is covered with a napkin. Carrying out inhalation, of course, it is necessary to ensure that the cat is not burned. Too close to the nose of the kettle her face can not be kept.
In order for the cat to recover faster, she needs to allocate the warmest place in the apartment. Drafts, of course, should be excluded in any case. The nose of the animal, its eyes and ears should be periodically washed with green tea or a solution of potassium permanganate. You can reduce the temperature of a cat's body by wrapping it with cold wet gauze. But such a procedure, of course, is necessary only with very intense heat in the animal.
Runny nose in cats: treatment at home with drugs
In principle, a cat’s common cold as a not-so-serious illness can be cured by home methods. But it’s better to show the animal to the veterinarian. The specialist will prescribe the necessary drugs, which will help alleviate the suffering of the cat and its speedy recovery.
The common cold caused by colds can be treated with the following drugs:
Most often, the medicine is used 1-2 drops per day for a week. Aspirin, Panadol and Paracetamol are not recommended for cats to reduce fever. All of these drugs are toxic to them. The heat in these animals is eliminated by emergency methods only by injection of drugs prescribed by the veterinarian.
Cold Prevention
Thus, we figured out how to treat a cat’s runny nose caused by a cold. But, of course, this disease, like any other, is easiest to prevent than to treat later. The best prophylactic for colds in cats, as in humans, is, of course, vaccination. Spend it in the usual way. That is, two injections are made in the first year and one at a time - in all subsequent ones.
Also, the owners, of course, should observe elementary precautions to exclude hypothermia of the animal. After bathing, the cat should be wrapped in a thick towel and transferred to a warm room. In any case, too often this procedure is not necessary. Cats are clean animals and can take care of their fur themselves. It is also not worth placing the cat's litter and its tray in a draft.
What can be the complications
A runny nose in a cat, the treatment at home of which is usually a procedure not too long and not particularly difficult, can, however, cause any other, more serious, health problems in the animal. Sometimes, for example, after a cat’s common cold, the functions of some organs may be impaired. Usually it is the bronchi, lungs, joints or kidneys.
Also, after colds in cats, immunity often decreases. In this case, the animal can additionally catch even some much more serious disease.
Sometimes a cold in cats causes ulcers on the cornea of her eyes. Of course, this disease should be treated on time. Otherwise, the animal may even remain blind. In some cases, a pet who has a cold has to be treated additionally for conjunctivitis or gingivitis.
Allergic runny nose: symptoms
What other reasons could there be for a cat to run a cold and sneeze very often? Sometimes rhinitis in these animals is caused by intolerance to any food. The main symptoms of an allergic rhinitis in a cat are:
Transparent secretions almost always appear from the eyes of an animal with an allergic rhinitis.
Treatment of the common cold in cats in the event that it manifests itself as an allergic reaction must be carried out by a doctor. It is only possible to accurately determine which product caused the allergy by making a blood test. Of course, inappropriate food will need to be excluded from the diet of the animal. In this case, all the symptoms of an allergic rhinitis will disappear in just a couple of days.
Mechanical rhinitis
Sometimes a runny nose in a cat can be caused simply by the ingress of foreign objects into its nasal passages. Most often, mechanical rhinitis in pets causes normal indoor dust. In this case, of course, no treatment is necessary. The dust itself will come out of the cat’s nose when sneezing.
Another thing is if any large particle gets into the aisles. An animal with such a problem needs, of course, to try to help as quickly as possible. It’s easy to determine that a cat is tormented by getting something in the nose. In this case, the animal begins to periodically actively rub his paw. To entrust the extraction of a foreign body is also, of course, to a specialist. Independent inept actions in this case can lead to damage to the cat's nasal passages.
Infectious runny nose
Sometimes cat nose discharge is a symptom of very serious health problems. A runny nose in these animals can occur, for example, with:
feline plague;
pneumonia;
rhinotracheitis;
calicivirosis.
A nasal discharge in a cat with such diseases usually has a very thick consistency and a yellow or greenish tint. In addition, the animal has a very high temperature. Symptoms of infectious rhinitis also include:
What to do with infectious rhinitis
If the animal manifests such symptoms, consult a veterinarian as soon as possible. Serious diseases cannot be triggered in cats. Otherwise, it may result in the death of the animal. After making an accurate diagnosis, the doctor usually prescribes a complex treatment to the cat. Also, with infectious rhinitis, in some cases, nasal canal cleansing can be performed. This procedure makes it easier for the cat to breathe.
Instead of a conclusion
The cat has a runny nose and sneezes (how to treat a common cold and allergic rhinitis, we found out) does it periodically? What to do in this case? Only one conclusion can be drawn from the foregoing. An animal should definitely be referred to a veterinarian for an accurate diagnosis. In the future, the cat should be treated in accordance with the recommendations of a specialist. Well, of course, the animal needs to create all the conditions for its speedy recovery. That is, to exclude the effect of drafts on the cat, periodically wipe the discharge from the nose and eyes with a clean rag, and also in no case allow overcooling.