Keeping the cat in a stress-free home, feeding a quality and balanced diet and following a vaccine protocol outlined by your cat’s veterinarian can help to reduce flare-ups in the future.Identify the cause of nasal congestion. By treating nasal charge and maintaining nutrition, symptoms should quickly improve. Some cats with chronic rhinitis will experience flare-ups in the future. Most human medications are extremely toxic to cats due to their altered metabolism. Never administer over the counter or prescriptions to a cat (including human cold medication or painkillers) unless your veterinarian has instructed you to do so. Antibiotics to treat secondary infection.Seek veterinary attention if home care does not work, if symptoms don’t resolve within a day or two, or if the cat is displaying additional symptoms such as refusal to eat, dehydration, fever, lethargy and weakness. Cats who have cat flu should be kept in a separate room from other cats in the household to reduce the risk of transmission. Set up a comfortable bed with food and water bowls and a litter tray. Keep the cat as warm and comfortable as possible. Switching to a canned diet or poached chicken breast with a small amount of water from the pan can increase fluid intake. Encourage the cat to drink water by keeping a clean, fresh supply close. Maintain hydrationĬats can dehydrate quickly when they are sick, particularly if they are not eating enough. Soft food has the added benefit that it is more gentle on the throat which may be sore if the cat has an upper respiratory tract infection. Stir well to ensure there are no hot spots. Offer high-value food such as chicken breast, tinned tuna or baby food (make sure it doesn’t contain garlic or onion), and warm in the microwave to make the food smell more pungent. A cat must eat so that he or she has enough energy to get better.
Just as we often lose our appetite when we have a cold, cats can too when they can’t smell anything due to congestion. Be careful when wiping the cat’s eyes and nasal area as it can be sore. Do not add anything to the facecloth, just water. Dip a facecloth or cotton balls in warm water and apply to the crusty area to soften, and wipe away. Remove eye and nasal dischargeĭischarge from the eyes and nose can dry and form crusts. Saline usually causes the cat to sneeze which can help to clear the nasal passages. You can add a drop or two to the end of a cotton bud and squeeze the liquid into the nostril. Take care when instilling saline nose drops to not introduce too much saline into the nostril.
These drops are designed for human nostrils which are considerably larger than a cat’s nostrils. Saline nose drops can be purchased over the counter at any chemist (pharmacy), always check the label to make sure it only contains saline and no other medications which can be toxic to cats. The water should be hot enough to fill the bathroom with steam, which moistens the mucus and helps it drain from the nasal cavity.ĭo this two to three times a day. If you don’t have a humidifier, place the cat in a warm bathroom with the shower running for 10-15 minutes. Humidity helps to break up mucus and soothe inflamed nasal passageways loosen up congestion within the nasal passages.
Will steam help a congested cat windows#
Place the cat in a small room with doors and windows closed, use a cool-mist humidifier twice a day. Unfortunately, most of the medications we take to resolve nasal congestion are toxic to cats.
The goal of treatment is to address the underlying cause as well as relieve congestion. The type of discharge, along with presenting symptoms may give the veterinarian a clue as to the underlying cause. Nasal congestion can affect one or both nasal passages and can be chronic (long-standing) or acute. Other causes include allergies, foreign body, fungal infections, nasal polyps, neoplasia, gum disease, tooth root abscess and cleft palate. The most common cause of nasal congestion is cat flu (usually caused by feline herpesvirus or calicivirus), which is similar to a human cold. This affects the cat’s ability to smell, which can impact the cat’s appetite. Discharge can lead to congestion in which the nose becomes partially or fully blocked. The type of discharge will vary depending on the underlying cause but may be watery, mucoid (thick), purulent or bloody. Nasal congestion is a manifestation of nasal inflammation (medically termed rhinitis) which leads to excess mucus.
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