hi guys
ive got a problem with my 7 month old birman ,since we got her (14 weeks old) shes had recurent sneezing and cough. the vet perscribed antibiotics the first time and it seemed to improve but a couple of weeks later it was back ,the next time he said her temp was normal and her chest clear so sent her home with a clean bill of health!
she permanatley sems to have a growly chest and gets quit violent sneezing attacks we have another biraman the same age and she is uneffected both cats are vacinated to date!
im losing faith in the vet and any advice would be appreciated.
other than this she is fine she is growing well with a healthy coat and a good appertite.
:)

Could she be allergic to something? Or could she have something up her nose?

Do you use anything like shake n vac??  Please be aware that cats can suffer from allergies and asthma.  It may be worth contacting the breeder to find out if there is a tendency in the pedigree to allergies/asthma, or anything that resembles what your seeing.  Has the kitten been wormed regularly?  Occasionally worms can cause coughing and sneezing.  I have seen this myself in a rescue kitten.  Once wormed properly the kitten was fine.

I'd ask for a second opinion just for peace of mind. Sneezing is also a symptom of cat flu or FIP. Cat flu usually comes hand in hand with high tempreture and is very nasty, I'm sure the vet ruled this out. FIP is more of a silent killer. Usually found in multiple cat households. Some cats carry the disease and don't really suffer any symptoms other than sneezing and others contract the disease and don't have the immunities to live with it. I have experience of both. They can bloodtest for FIP but it isn't 100% accurate, distressingly only a disease you can confirm at post mortem, although the bloodtest will give the vet a clearer picture.
I'm sure it is nothing but for peace of mind I'd see another vet. My vet failed to diagnose FIP until it was too late :(

It could be something as simple as the cat litter, Catsun is best imo for indoors,  some tend to be very dusty.

Don't know if it helps but I have a cat who has sinusitis (SP).  It gets worse in the winter, he has a snotty nose a lot of the time and sneezes lots.

Juliet

Kate, I had this problem with my Birman.  (He died about 7 yrs ago after being attacked by a lurcher).  He had very similar problems as you described and we never got to the bottom of it.  Give me a while to think back over what happened and I'll pm you.

Thankyou everybody for your help heres some more info to see if it helps!
ive tried changing food cat lit,stopped using polish ect to try and rule out allergies --but no change.
the cough is definatly chesty not a dry /furball type cough
when she has the sneezing fits she has a green nasal discharge
she has no disharge other than when sneezing and her eyes are clean and not sore
sneezing and coughing is irritated by eating and purring.
she ws born a week premature but was healthy and strong when i got her
she is chocolate point (just incase it could be pigment type thing!!!) grasping at straws here i know!!shes booked back in at the vets on friday seeing a different vet

Hi,

I would take her back to your vet and get him to take some swabs for cat flu. There are various strains of the disease and it sounds as though your cat may have Calicivirus. Unfortunately as with most cat diseases there is no cure but with the right antibiotics you should be able to keep it under control. Unfortunately it is all too common that pedigree kittens are sold fully vaccinated but this does not potect then from something that they have already been in contact with. Cats do not get cold's, in fact nothing in the cat world is that simple!!!!

I hope you get it sorted, good luck
Debbie

We took on a rescue cat a lot of years ago who constantly had a filthy nose and sneezed all the time , we also tried everything for her but our vet said he had seen cases like her before and they had even tried drilling the skulls of some of these cats to drain all the mucas form the nose but they all filled up again within a short period. We were lucky that she was mainly an outside cat as the sneezing was pretty disgusting but was just a trait she had so you might just have to live with it. Apart form the sneezing and wheezing our cat was fine in everyother way and lived a long and happy life.

go back to your vet she may have fluid on the lungs or around . or she may have a very bad infection . theres loads of things it could be  has she been wormed pups and kittens can have a nasty cough from roundworms and last some time  if she has id get another vet to look.
have a look at this site it might help  http://www.2ndchance.info/cough.htm

Hi

I hope your vet has sorted this for you now but just my tuppence worth.

I have a moggy that often has coughing/sneezing fits. We just let him deal with it and he seems to get over it quite quickly. Sometimes we rub his back and that seems to help him. Our vet couldn't find anything wrong with him either!