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Why is my 6-week-old kitten sneezing, congested, and smelling foul?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Maine Coon | Female | unspayed | 2 lbs

My kitten is 6 weeks old and has been sneezing with a lot of discharge in the eye. She looked better for one day in the middle but the symptoms seem to have gotten worse in the past two days. She’s still playful and bites as usual but definitely can hear a lot of congestion in her breathing. Today she smells a bit foul and I can’t tell from where, so I am concerned.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Tomasz Wnuk

Answered By Tomasz Wnuk

Veterinarian

Published on April 21, 2020

These symptoms are most likely due to cat flu, or other type of airways infection. Affected cats often develop ulcers in the mouth and find it painful to eat and groom themselves. So, I suspect the foul small could be due to the fact that Laksa has not been grooming herself for the last 24-48hrs. This type of infection in cats is often a mixture of viral and bacterial infection and most of the cats need a course of antibiotics and eye drops to get better. Please, take Laksa to your local vets to confirm the diagnosis and to start treatment for her.
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