Why is my new shelter cat sneezing so much? Is it allergies?

Congratulations on adding Kobe to your family. I would be most suspicious of an upper respiratory infection. They are very common in shelter cats, especially at the time of transition to a new home: https://www.petcoach.co/article/sneezing-and-feline-upper-respiratory-disease/ If he sounds nasally I recommend to have him examined tomorrow. He may need antibiotics. Sometimes lysine for cats can help as well. Ideally feed him what he was eating at the shelter for now so that you don;t upset his tummy. The food I recommend is Royal Canin. It's highly digestible and has a good fiber blend so constipation issues are rare and the stool has less odor (for most cats). I hope this helps.

Sneezing is common in cats and can be a sign of mild allergies. I wouldn't be too terribly concerned, unless you start seeing nasal discharge, decreased appetite, or wheezing. Let it run its course and if things don't improve or seem to worsen after about 3-4 days, then you should get Dale seen by your vet for some allergy medication and other treatments (i.e. antibiotics) if needed. Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would actually be more concerned about an upper respiratory infection. This is common in young cats and in most cases it responds to antibiotics. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment. They would be able to check for this and start therapy accordingly. Good luck and have a good night!

Yes, URI's (upper respiratory infections) are very common in kittens and cats that have been living in shelters. They typically are caused by viruses and most of them resolve without treatment, but they turn into bacterial infections that make the cat feel pretty awful, and need antibiotics. I would recommend calling the shelter from which you adopted the kitten and see if maybe he was treated for a URI while he was there. If so, perhaps it's resolving normally. If not, he may just now be showing the signs and he may need to be checked out (by the shelter or a private vet) before things get worse.

Poor girl. It is likely that she caught a bug from the shelter. Phoebe has symptoms of an upper respiratory infection and the best way to help her is to get her on a short course of antibiotics. If she also has yellow or green discharge from her eyes, then a topical eye ointment is needed as well to cure her symptoms. Make sure she is up to date on her vaccinations, and if she isn't, then get her updated and this can help fight off future infections.

Many cats who have been in a shelter situation could catch an upper respiratory infection. This may cause sneezing, discharge from the eyes and nose, and even sores in the mouth depending on the type of infection it is. If he is still acting normal, eating and drinking and playful, you could monitor him at home. If his appetite is affected or he sounds very congested or there is green or yellow discharge from the eyes and nose, you should have him evaluated by a veterinarian. Little black bugs in the ears could be ticks, mites, lice or fleas. I would have him evaluated by a veterinarian to identify the bugs and choose the correct medication to treat them.

It's highly possible that they're all experiencing a flare-up of feline herpesvirus, which tends to produce mild upper respiratory signs such as sneezing and ocular discharge. Most cats already have the virus in their bodies but don't have symptoms, but living in a stressful environment (shelters) or going through stressful events (having a new cat brought home) can trigger recurrence of the active infection. If it's been a week and a half they likely do need to see the vet, however most of them will improve with supplementation with the amino acid lysine and supportive care.