cat sneezing and stuffiness

Question
Hi Norm

I realize your not a vet, but I have had my cat to a vet several times and thought maybe you might have a suggestion as to what else we could look for. He is sneezing so much he is breaking small blood vessels in his nose. She said this is normal. He is really stuffy. He is eating good as I cook special for him. He is drinking alright. At times he plays and runs through the house like a young cat even though he's 13 or 14 years old. I do have other cats. We have tried antibiotics, but he is really strong and I have a hard time getting them into him after a few days. I have tried the pediatric nasal spray, but again he is so strong he is difficult to hold even with help. The vet even has trouble holding him. I can't stand to hear his like this. I know he is uncomfortable and it bothers me. We had all his teeth pulled except the four really long ones because he had constant gum infections and teeth problems. We thought this might help. Any suggestions? Maybe you have had a similar problem. I have had alot of cats and never had a cat that had this problem and had it last so long. They have had colds, but they usually clear up. This just doesn't go away no matter what we do.

Thanks

Pat L.

Answer
Pat, just so that you are aware baytril carries signifigant risks in
cats in terms of creating serious eye problems, you should speak to your vet and see if the 14 day course is really necessary....In most cases cats are only prescribed Baytril for 7-10 days at a time...I think that you should be aware of the risks involved just in case you didn't have them explained to you, my vet recently prescribed Baytril for one of my cats and she explained that it is generally not a first choice in cats due to the risks of blindness.




Pat,

I really think that you should try to see another vet, it sounds to me like some sort of upper respiratory infection. It is not normal for a cat to be sneezing so much and so hard that he is breaking small blood vessels in his nose. You could see if the new vet would be willing to give him antibiotic injections due to the fact that giving him oral medication is not the easiest. Most competant vets are able to adequately restrain a cat and medicate them, the vets are usually also able to show an owner appropriate ways to restrain and medicate their cats in a humane way. I guess at this point the biggest helpful suggestion that I can give you is to see if you can find a more competant vet, mine is wonderful and even with my harder to hold cats she is amazing. If you lived in the area I would recommend my vet without question. I hope that this helps, if you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me again.