What to Do when Your Cat Has a Cold

A while back, I heard a fit of sneezing coming from the other room. I went in to find my orange tabby sneezing and rubbing his nose with his paw. Within a day, he had clear fluid running from his nose, watery eyes, and was having regularly sneezing fits. A call to my vet resulted in the following response, "Sounds like your cat has a cold!"

Cat colds are just like human colds in many ways. They are caused by a virus (Feline rhinotracheitis virus, also know as feline herpes virus type 1 or FHV-1), and they have no cure. Most cats will get over the cold on their own just fine. The duration of the cold depends on the age and health of the cat. My eleven year old cat caught a cold from a new six month old kitten I adopted. While the kitten was over the cold in a few days, my older cat was still sniffling after a week.

Even though there is no cure for your cat's cold, there are still some things you can do to help them be more comfortable. The first is to make sure they have a nice, warm place to sleep and rest. Try keeping your cat indoors while it is sick; this also keeps your cat from infecting other cats. Since their noses are stuffed up, often you may find they lose interest in their dry food. Giving them a bit more wet food is helpful as it has a stronger smell, and encourages your cat to eat, and also helps prevent dehydration since they have a higher liquid content.

I found that my cat was having trouble eating because he had to put his head down to reach the dish. I took a small meditation bench and put his food dish on top of it. That way, he didn't have to bend down to reach his food, and I found him much more interesting in eating when his nose wasn't running into his food!

If your cat is very congested, turn on the shower on hot and let the bathroom steam up really well. Then bring your cat in and keep him in the steam for about ten minutes or so. My veterinarian also recommended a children's medicine called "Little Noses" by Little Remedies, which is basically liquid Sudafed. You just put a couple of drops on your cat's nostrils (you don't have to actually put the drops up the nose). This should only be done once a day for a couple of days, to avoid a backlash of congestion when the medicine wears off. "Little Noses" is available over the counter at most pharmacies. Some people also swear that giving your cat Vitamin C can result in an almost miracle cure. The recommended dose is to quarter one Vitamin C tablet and give a quarter to your cat once a day for four days.

Just like when we have colds, the most important thing is to make sure your cat is warm and comfortable, and gets a lot of rest and fluids. Some clear chicken broth, heated up, is a nice treat for your cat and also keeps them hydrated, since they are losing fluid from their runny noses.

Of course, these are suggestions to use if your vet has already advised you your cat has a cold. Keep checking in with your veterinarian and let them know of any changes, or if your cat is still having significant symptoms. Sometimes these viruses can cause a secondary respiratory infection or other problems that may need to be treated with other medicines. Most of all, give your cat a lot of extra love and attention. Just like humans, when they don't feel good, some extra coddling is great appreciated!