Ever catch your cat sneezing? No fear, the occasional sneeze is not a big deal! When a cat sneezes, he’s just releasing high-pressure air from his nose and mouth.
However, if your cat is excessively sneezing (more than just a few times a day or more than a few days in a row), a veterinary visit is necessary. This is especially important if you notice additional clinical signs besides the sneezing such as:
- Runny eyes
- Squinting of the eyes (which may be due to ulcers of the cornea)
- Nasal discharge (typically clear colored but may progress to pus-colored)
- Lethargy
- Difficulty chewing food (due to ulcers on the tongue and in the mouth)
- Drooling (due to ulcers on the tongue and in the mouth)
- Bloody discharge from the nose
- Inappetance/anorexia
- Pink eye signs (e.g., redness of the eyes due to secondary inflammation of the conjunctiva)
- Ulcers in the mouth
- Noisy breathing
- Increased or difficulty breathing
- Dehydration
- Fever
- Weight loss
- Swelling around the nose or a miss-shaped nose
What can cause sneezing?
Sneezing may be due to:
- Allergens such as dust, pollen, and fur
- Foreign material such as grass, small pieces of plant seed, etc.
- Upper respiratory infections (e.g., calicivirus, herpesvirus)
- Inflammation of the upper respiratory infection (e.g., rhinitis)
- Infection in the lungs (e.g., pneumonia) secondary to an upper respiratory infection
- Infectious causes (e.g., upper respiratory infections, fungal infections, etc.).
- Cancer (often squamous cell carcinoma)
How bad are the medical causes of sneezing?
So what’s the prognosis? If your cat’s symptoms include sneezing, running eyes, squinting of the eyes, drooling and you just adopted a new kitten from an animal shelter, the cause is typically due to an upper respiratory infection (commonly called a “URI”) from a calicivirus or herpesvirus. Thankfully, the prognosis is fair to good with a URI. As these viruses are very contagious to other cats (but not to humans, so don’t worry!), you want to make sure to keep other cats isolated and make sure your cats are up to date on their vaccines (as the vaccines help protect from some strains of these viruses). Keep in mind that just as herpesvirus can hide in human bodies for a long time (e.g., cold sores), the viruses can also hide in cats and recrudesce (pop up again years later) when stressed. Lifelong, occasional sneezing can be seen after a stressful event (e.g., traveling in a car for a road trip, being boarded, etc.).
Other infections that can immunosuppress a cat such as feline leukemia (FeLV) or feline immunodeficiency (FIV) can also predispose a cat to viral or bacterial infections, resulting in sneezing.
Less commonly, other types of bacteria or fungal infections (e.g., bordatella, mycoplasma, chlaymdia, etc.) can also result in sneezing. Rarely, sneezing can be due to cancer – most commonly an aggressive type called squamous cell carcinoma. Unfortunately, the prognosis for cancer in the nose or upper respiratory tract is very poor, even with surgery and chemotherapy.
When in doubt, check with your veterinarian for an exam.
If you have any questions or concerns, you should always visit or call your veterinarian — they are your best resource to ensure the health and well-being of your companions.
