Chippie (16-year-old male kitty) had a problem with projectile sneezing (truly disgusting!) a little bit ago and I foolishly believed what I had heard from other people and had read on the internet. It's a feline form of the herpes virus and there is no cure. Ryan had it and Chippie apparently got it from Ryan. In fact, I called it Ryan-itis. (I lost Ryan a few months ago from something totally unrelated). We tried L-Lysine (an amino acid) which is supposed to help feline herpes virus, but I really saw no change. Still really icky and messy. Poor Chipper. Poor house. I finally got smart and took him to the vet last month. Dr. Feldman said it seemed more like an upper respiratory infection than feline herpes. He put him on Clavamox for 10 days. Cleared him right up!!
He was great for a few weeks and then a few days ago, he started sneezing again. Brought him back to the vet today. Poor guy had an "accident" on the way there, so they also gave him a bath and washed out his carrier for me - no extra charge! They said he didn't complain once during the bath. He is the most easy-going critter I've ever had. Really easy to pill, too. I figure he was traumatized enough for one day; we'll start round 2 of the Clavamox tomorrow. Two full weeks this time. Hopefully, this'll do it. My poor guy.
The lesson here is don't be foolish like me. Take your critter to the vet. My Chippie suffered needlessly because I thought I knew what was wrong and how to treat it. I'm so glad I wised up.
Jasmine had the same issue and had been to the vet several times for the same issue--she even had exploratory surgery for the issue to check for polyps. She sneezed that smelly infected mess until she died (of unrelated issues). You just never know! Keep us posted. When he's cured for good I'll be happy for you!!!
ReplyDeleteWe talked about looking for polyps if this doesn't work. At his age, I don't think I'll put him through that.
DeleteOh, your poor kitty!
ReplyDeleteOur two boys (now 12)were exposed to cat herpes about 4 years ago. Since then, whenever they are under stress, (like screaming strays over at the farm across the way, or us leaving for a few days)they do get an upper respiratory infection easily...and, ew, sneeze goobers onto the walls. Our vet said it is common for cats who harbor the herpes virus to succumb to secondary infections as these. She did suggest giving L-lysine ongoing to help the immune system keep the herpes in check. One thing we did find to help decrease the congestion was to use the scoopable litter rather than the dusty clay kind. Your cat is a beautiful boy. Is he part Maine Coon? L