what to do about cats with allergies?

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  • #202885
    Michael E. Walston
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      0 Pirate Gold Coins

      Amateur diagnosis is always risky, I know.

      Precious has a perpetual runny nose, and has had it for over a year. Her inner eyelids seem to be stuck closed and look a little red, but she seems to get around okay.

      I was hoping these problems would fade with time (that’s what I do when I personally have a health issue, and usually I do “get over stuff”, but Precious hasn’t been so lucky.)

      Her appetite remains good and she seems cheerful, but having a kitty who sprays snot all over the place and makes perpetual snoring noises is less than ideal.

      I suppose she’s overdue for a visit to a good vet, but I was just wondering if anyone could suggest “home remedies”.

      Currently unemployed, living off savings…

      #242709
      Weird Jim
      Participant
        0 Pirate Gold Coins

        You could try joining the Cat Forum and asking there.

        http://www.catforum.com/

        Somebody there may know of low cost/free vet service in your area where ever that may be.

        Zenobi didn’t have a serious problem but she loved it when I gave her a facial a tissue to wipe her nose.

        #242710
        MarFisk
        Moderator
          0 Pirate Gold Coins

          Hugs for the poor kitty. One of ours came from the shelter with severe allergies (down to chewing the hair off his body to calm the itching) and we had to get steroid shots for him every 3 months, but it was stress-induced so after the third shot, he’d mellowed enough not to need any more…I think the last one was 6 months out because we waited for symptoms.

          With that in mind, allergies are an overactive immune system. Why the steroid shots work is they suppress the immune system which isn’t great.

          The other possibility is chronic sinusitis. The “easy” treatment for that is a steam bath until the sinuses clear and she has a chance to get over it. My method is as follows:

          1) Use a cat carrier for containment or otherwise confine the cat.
          2) Boil water and pour into a big mixing bowl…glass ones work very well.
          3) Put the bowl in front of the open side of the cat carrier.
          4) Put a beach towel type over the cat carrier and the bowl to create a “sealed” environment.
          5) Listen to whining for as long as you can stand it, then let her out.

          Repeat above steps as necessary until her breathing is more normal and she stops sneezing.

          The only real cost is a cat carrier if you don’t have one, and it’s non-invasive as well as not harmful unless it’s the middle of winter in which case make sure to towel said cat dry before releasing. And if it does work, don’t expect gratitude from said cat :).

          Good luck.

          She remakes mechanical devices, and he dreams of becoming a steamship captain in The Steamship Chronicles. Book 1 is free in eBook.
          https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/the-steamship-chronicles/

          #242718
          Michael E. Walston
          Participant
            0 Pirate Gold Coins
            MarFisk wrote:
            And if it does work, don’t expect gratitude from said cat :).

            :D I know what you mean. :) It’s a biweekly ordeal when it comes time to administer flea medicine to their necks. Muffin actually hisses at me. :(

            #242714
            Michael E. Walston
            Participant
              0 Pirate Gold Coins
              Weird Jim wrote:
              You could try joining the Cat Forum and asking there.

              http://www.catforum.com/

              Thank you for that. :)

              #242728
              MarFisk
              Moderator
                0 Pirate Gold Coins

                I know this isn’t what you want to hear, but if you’ve been giving them the same flea meds biweekly, think back to when you started. That could be what she’s allergic to.

                She remakes mechanical devices, and he dreams of becoming a steamship captain in The Steamship Chronicles. Book 1 is free in eBook.
                https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/the-steamship-chronicles/

                #242732
                Michael E. Walston
                Participant
                  0 Pirate Gold Coins

                  Thank you for caring. :)

                  She’s had these symptoms a long time, predating the flea medicine.

                  I’m not a zealot about the stuff; don’t need it in the winter and try to avoid having to use it in warm weather as my are supposed to be strictly indoor cats.

                  But sometimes they get out and bring fleas back in, and I have found that fleas can be very hard to eradicate. So the biweekly flea med thing may be overkill, but it does seem to work.

                  #242748
                  MarFisk
                  Moderator
                    0 Pirate Gold Coins

                    Oh, yeah, I know how that goes. We have all indoor cats but one year the fleas were so bad they hopped in the screen door and infested under my desk :p.

                    Wasn’t knocking the flea meds. Just looking for patterns.

                    If it’s long term, she may be like our cat Dusty was. She ran into a Domino’s Pizza truck when she was 1 years old and crushed one of her sinuses. Sniffles and snoring her whole life until 18.5 years.

                    She remakes mechanical devices, and he dreams of becoming a steamship captain in The Steamship Chronicles. Book 1 is free in eBook.
                    https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/the-steamship-chronicles/

                    #242711
                    BonnieRS
                    Participant
                      0 Pirate Gold Coins

                      No advice, but I hope the cat and the employment situation look up soon…

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