Why is my 4-month-old kitten sneezing after wearing a flea collar?

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Bunny. Sounds like she is suffering from a mild upper respiratory infection. Not sure how old she is but both kittens and adult cats suffer from these infections. Kittens get infected from their mothers who start shedding the viruses thus infecting the kittens. Many cats live their whole lives carrying these viruses. They will occasionally develop signs of upper respiratory infections during times of stress at any point in time. We vaccinate for a few of these upper respiratory viruses but we still see many many cases. The vaccines should provide some protection and usually adult cats develop very mild signs. Signs range from sneezing, runny eyes, runny nose, coughing, fever, lethargy, decreased appetite, decreased water intake, etc. Treating these infections can range from very simple to very complex cases that take weeks to months to improve. If signs remain mild, monitoring is sometimes appropriate. If the signs progress to not eating, lethargic, thick discharge from the nose and/or eyes, then you should get her evaluated by your veterinarian. They can gather a history, perform an exam, and advise you on possible diagnostics and treatment. Treatment can involve antibiotics to protect or treat secondary bacterial infections, antiviral medicines, a good deworming program, and vaccination program, eye drops/eye ointments if the eyes are involved, nose drops, a nutritional supplement called L-lysine added to his food may help, and probiotics are all things to try. Sometimes kittens have a nasopharyngeal polyp which can present as chronic upper respiratory disease which doesn't respond well to treatment. This is a polyp in the nasal passageway and back of the throat. These can be found by using sedation/anesthesia and evaluating the back of the throat and thus removed if found. Good luck.

This is probably an upper respiratory infection. it's very common in young cats and is very contagious to other cats as well. It is treated with antibiotic eye drops/ointment and oral antibiotics for about 2 weeks. if left untreated many cats will end up blind or even die from the disease. I advise going to your vet asap to start the treatment right away.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Linkin is sneezing so much. It is not uncommon for kittens to be infected with feline herpesvirus, which causes upper respiratory signs such as sneezing, nasal and ocular discharge. Most flare ups of herpes are self-limiting, meaning cats will get over the infection on their own. However some cats benefit from nebulization, meaning you can keep Linkin the bathroom while the shower is running to see if the steam will help clear his sinuses. You can also consider purchasing L-lysine from chewy.com which is a supplement to help boost the immune system and help Linkin fight the infection. If his clinical signs become severe, he may require a visit to your veterinarian for antibiotics. I hope this is helpful!

Poor Ravioli! The two most common reasons for sneezing are infection (most common) or allergies (less common). Here is a link about infection just in case: https://www.petcoach.co/article/sneezing-and-feline-upper-respiratory-disease/ Lysine supplements for cats can help. Ravioli may need to be examined by the veterinarian if he starts not eating well, not drinking well, acting lethargic, if his eyes start to have problems, if he has green or yellow discharge from eyes or nose or if he gets worse. I hope he starts feeling better and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello! It sounds like Tessa may have an underlying herpes virus infection, this allows upper respiratory infections to attack more easily. Herpes is common in cats and not a huge issue, other than occasional infections like you describe. I would ask you vet about some cat lysine to boost her immune system and do another course of antibiotics...but I would have her seen just in case she needs as stronger antibiotic. I hope that helps! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would actually be more concerned about an upper respiratory infection. This is common in young cats and in most cases it responds to antibiotics. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment. They would be able to check for this and start therapy accordingly. Good luck and have a good night!

Sneezing is most commonly a sign of an upper respiratory infection. Viral respiratory infections can cause sneezing, ocular discharge or squinting, and clear nasal discharge. They usually do not require specific treatment unless a secondary bacterial infection forms so if Luna has any thick or colored discharge from her eyes or nose, if her eyes look red, or if her appetite is decreased you should see a veterinarian. She may be rubbing her face because her nose is itchy or irritated. Of course there are a few other things that can cause sneezing - sometimes foreign material or even parasites can get in the nose, or kittens can sometimes develop polyps in the nose and throat. If her sneezing is not improving in the next 3-5 days you should make an appointment to see your veterinarian.