Is my cat's sneezing contagious, or linked to other cat's kidney failure?

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to say exactly what the cause of the sneezing and coughing, decreased eating/drinking may be without examining her first. However, it could be an upper respiratory infection (which can be contagious to other cats), due to dental disease or another oral health issue, feline asthma, or certain heart conditions. I would recommend Pickels's see her veterinarian soon for an exam to determine a diagnosis so she can get the proper treated. Her veterinarian may want to take chest x-rays to get a better view of the heart and lungs or suggest other diagnostics as needed. I hope this helps!

Cats in heart failure don't generally cough. Unfortunately, it can be very difficult to detect heart disease in cats until they are already advanced without regular veterinary visits. https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/cardiac-disease-1/ The most common cause of sneezing is a viral infection but allergies, sinus abnormalities, other types of infection and cancer can also cause sneezing. I recommend to play it safe and have your kitty examined. This is the best way to determine the underlying cause. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, Many kittens can suffer from viral respiratory infections that progress to secondary bacterial infections with pneumonia. As they both are experiencing decreased activity, I'd recommend having your kittens both seen by a veterinarian. They can guide you best after a physical exam. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

It sounds like they might have a viral upper respiratory infection. Initial symptoms appear 2-17 days after exposure and reach maximum severity about 10 days later. Typically, your cat will have severe bouts of sneezing lasting 1-2 days, followed by conjunctivitis, watery discharge from the eyes and nose, fever, apathy, and loss of appetite. Some cats may have only mild symptoms, while other cats can become quite ill. Most cats with an uncomplicated upper respiratory infection can be treated symptomatically at home. Home care includes keeping your cats warm and comfortable and making sure they are eating and drinking. Offer highly palatable foods with a strong smell, such as fish-flavored canned foods or strained chicken or turkey baby food. Clean secretions from the eyes, nose, and mouth with moist cotton balls as often as needed. Humidify the air with a vaporizer or humidifier. Seek prompt medical attention for any cat that has mucoid or purulent discharge from the eyes or nose as it may have a bacterial infection. Also seek veterinary attention if one of your cats is refusing to eat or drink, is losing weight, has a high fever, seems weak, develops vomiting or diarrhea, or is having trouble breathing.

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.

Congrats on the new kitten and being pregnant, but I'm sorry Milo isn't feeling well! Luckily you cannot catch a respiratory infection from cats, so there is no concern for you and your unborn son. Respiratory infections can be common in cats, and are frequently caused by viruses so antibiotics won't help. First, you can try starting them on an L-lysine supplement - this is an amino acid that has been shown to help the immune system fight off respiratory infections more effectively. Enisyl and Viralys are both good brands, and can be purchased over the counter without a prescription - just follow the dosing instructions on the label based on your cat's weight. If they are congested, you can also try using a humidifier or bringing them into the bathroom with the door closed while you take a hot shower - the steam and humidity help to break up congestion and temporarily relieve symptoms associated with respiratory infections. Depending on their symptoms, a vet may be able to prescribe medications to help with them so a vet visit would be a good idea. I hope this helps!

Hello. I would say you are exactly right, that Simba has an upper respiratory infection, essentially a cold. If he is eating & drinking fairly normally, then you probably do not need to rush him to the vet as colds often just need to run their course. As to why your female seems fine? Well, there is a good possibility she could start sneezing in the next week or so. Again, if the symptoms are mild, you may not need to do anything, but if either kitty quits eating or the ocular nasal discharge becomes thick or green, or you detect any problems breathing, then you will need to have them treated by your veterinarian. If your kitties have not had a full series of kitten vaccinations, which include the most commonly encountered upper respiratory infections a cat can contract, please make sure you complete the series as soon as everyone is feeling better. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.