My kitten has frequent sneezes and rubs her face. Is it serious?

Cats can commonly be afflicted by upper respiratory viruses that can cause sneezing, nasal discharge, conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers. These viruses can be latent in a cat's system and then in times of stress or a weakened immune system (like in a kitten) they can cause illness. This is what I suspect is going on with your cat. Oftentimes cats can overcome a viral respiratory infection on their own but sometimes they need antiviral drugs, eye medications, and possibly antibiotics to help them get over the virus. If the illness continues to last more than 3-5 days, of if Mushu stops eating or the sneezing becomes excessive then I would take him back to the vet for a recheck. Most times these cats just need supportive care to get through the illness.

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!

If she is young or is undergoing a lot of stress (moving, new animal or person in the house, change of schedule) the most likely cause is a viral upper respiratory infection. Many cats will get by with the following support - lysine supplement- try Vetoquinol Viralys (L-Lysine) Oral Gel for Cats - treat all cats as directed on the bottle until all cats are well - try wet food or soaking kibbles and then very slightly warming the food. Cats are very smell-driven and warm wet food is smellier and more likely to be eaten by a stuffy nosed cat. - recommend a probiotic such as purina Fortiflora for every cat in the home. Odd as it sounds, we’ve found that probiotics actually speed recovery from URI’s - if any cat is squinting an eye or thick eye discharge, refuses to eat, or becomes lethargic, it’s time to see your vet. These are signs of eye ulcers and/or secondary bacterial infection. These cats will need eye ointments or systemic antibiotics. Occasionally, nebulizations or more aggressive treatment is needed. If Mama is lethargic, has decreased appetite, or the nasal discharge is thick, yellow/green, or bloody, or she is breathing with her mouth open, she needs to see the vet as these could be something more serious such as fungal infection, cancer, or secondary infection. Best of luck to you and Mama.

Kitten needs to be examined by the veterinarian today. Many cats will get viral infections that cause sneezing and upper respiratory symptoms. Some of these kittens will get viral infections that also affect the eye and can cause painful ulcers which can progress and dive deeper into the eye (which is not good). Lysine supplements for cats may help with viral infections in general but your kitten still needs to be examined today. The doctor needs to check the eye for an ulcer, scratch or perhaps a foreign object trapped under the eye lid. You must also protect the eye from any scratching with an elizabethan collar. I hope this helps and best of luck.

She might have an upper respiratory infection causing the sneezing and discharge. Since she is eating and playing normal, you can monitor her and see if the problem resolves. If she stops eating, becomes lethargic, has a fever, and/or the discharge increases or becomes discolored then she needs to be examined by a vet for treatment.

Lucy could have something in her eye causing her squint, or her eye may be sensitive to light. I would have this checked out by a vet in the morning, as any eye problem should be checked out promptly. Leaving it untreated can lead to vision loss. Given that she is sneezing a lot, it could be a respiratory infection causing the issues with her eye as well. The vet can diagnose what is going on, and can treat her for it. Best of luck.

Poor kitty. It sounds likely your kitty has an upper airway infection. She will need to see your vet to have this treated with a short course of antibiotics. In most cases that is all that is needed to get kitties feeling better after an infection like this. I hope that Brat feels better soon! Best of luck and take care. : )