grovercentervetIs Your Cat Sneezing Constantly? 10 Hidden Cat Sneezing Causes Explained
10 Hidden Cat Sneezing Causes Explained
No one can deny that a little, sudden “achoo!” from your feline friend can be very cute. Just like humans, it’s not uncommon for animals to sneeze occasionally. But when an occasional tickle escalates into frequent explosive twitches, or your pet’s itchy nose and eyes are accompanied by watery eyes or nasal discharge, your concerns and concerns are aroused. Of course, you end up looking for professional advice related to cat sneezing causes in order to know what is wrong with your cat.
Cats have a very sensitive nose with a lot of specialized receptors in it, so a very strong reflex. It is important to find out what is causing your cat to sneeze so that you can help keep them healthy and comfortable. Often, chronic sneezing is just part of a larger problem and should be considered as a marker of a deeper problem in the body or environment.
This detailed and comprehensive article will dissect the biological and environmental factors that contribute to cat sneezing, as well as medical conditions that could explain why cats are sneezing, and help you determine whether it’s something that will pass or if there’s a medical condition that you should consult your vet about.
Let's first look at the Biology of the Feline Sneeze, a protective mechanism, before reviewing the list of chronic conditions.
The sneeze is an involuntary convulsion, coordinated action of the nose to expel irritants. If the thin lining of the nose passages (mucosa) senses a foreign particle, virus or allergen, the thin lining sends an electrical signal via the trigeminal nerve directly to the brainstem.
This causes a deep, quick breath to happen suddenly, and the chest muscles to tighten up. The soft palate rises, which causes the high-velocity air to rush through the nose and mouth.
If you research cat sneezing causes, you’re dealing with anything that activates this biological alarm system.
Causes for Cat Sneezing:
There are 10 common cat sneezing causes to explore when your pet begins to sneeze again and again; the cat sneezing causes generally fall into three groups, namely: infectious diseases, airborne environmental irritants, structural abnormalities within the pet’s skull.
1. Feline Herpesvirus (FHV-1)
Viral infections are certainly the most common cause of cat sneezing – feline Herpesvirus (FHV-1). Feline Herpesvirus is a very contagious disease of the respiratory system which infects a large portion of the world’s cat population. A cat that is infected will carry the virus in the nerve cells for the rest of its life. Once the virus is active again, your cat will have a sudden outbreak of thick eye discharge, squint and sneezing due to stress, illness or immune deficiency.
2. Feline Calicivirus (FCV)
Feline Calicivirus is another big time cause of viral cat sneezing. A very aggressive virus that can seriously damage oral health that affects the upper respiratory tract. When your pet sneezes because of Calicivirus, they may also develop mouth ulcers that are painful in the lining of the mouth, gums and tongue. This combination causes them to salivate quite a bit and not eat their wet food because of the discomfort.
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3. Seasonal Environmental Triggers and Pollens
Cats can also have allergies that are caused by seasonal environmental triggers and pollens. Very common spring and autumn causes of sneezing in cats are inhaling airborne particles such as pollen from trees, weed spores, grass and outdoor molds. If the windows are open or when your kitty is in an outdoor enclosure, your kitty is likely to sneeze, then an environmental allergy is likely to be the cause.
4. Household Chemical Irritants
A cat’s sense of smell is about fourteen times as powerful as a human’s. Household cleaning chemicals, synthetic perfumes, scented candles and aerosol air fresheners can be strong cat sneezing causes. The chemical odors poison the nasal lining and cause immediate coughing or a sneezing fit the first time you clean your house or use perfume close by.
5. Dusty Cat Litter
If your pet sneezes right after using the bathroom, this could be the litter box as this is happening on a regular basis. Clumping litters made of clay can generate fine dust particles of crystalline silica from the dust when stirred or when scooped. When your cat digs in the litter pan, it picks up the fine dust and inhaling it is one of the easier to correct causes of a cat sneezing.
6. Secondary Bacterial Infections
Viruses are the usual cause of the respiratory upsets, but secondary infections are likely to follow and are often caused by opportunist bacteria such as Chlamydia felis or Bordetella bronchiseptica. These secondary invaders are important factors that change watery nasal mucus to thick, yellow or green and are important causes of cat sneezing. Bacterial infections require antibiotic treatment specific to the bacteria and must be administered by a veterinarian..
7. Foreign Objects Inhaled (Blades of Grass)
Cats are inquisitive and ground-level explorers. A small piece of foreign material (like a bit of carpet fibre, a small seed or a blade of grass) may get sucked up the nares instead. This causes a great amount of localized irritation. Inhaling an object is the only one of all cat sneezing causes that causes the cat to sneeze violently and suddenly, continuously, as it attempts to remove the object.
8. Very Poor Dental Health and Tooth Root Abscesses
A cat’s upper premolars and molars have roots that lie right under the nasal cavity with only a thin layer of bone between. When a tooth is very decayed or has a deep bacterial infection, the tooth infection can penetrate that thin bone barrier into the nasal passages. Tooth root abscesses are one of the most understated causes of cat sneezing in senior cats, as it is a dental inflammation.
9. Polyps or Tumors in the Nose
If older cats have chronic, unresponsive respiratory symptoms, they could indicate the presence of structural growths. There may be slow growth of the nasal passages, either as benign nasal polyps or malignant (lymphoma or adenocarcinoma). They physically block the airflow from the nose and tire the tissue constantly; they are some of the more serious medical causes of cat sneezing.
10. Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) or FeLV
Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) or Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) are systemic retroviruses which weaken a cat’s immune system. These viruses do not directly cause a sneeze, but your pet is totally vulnerable to minor environmental pathogens. One of the indirect causes of cat sneezing is a weakened immune system, which can turn harmless, common germs into never-ending lung infections.
Some practical advice on how to help your cat when he is sneezing.
There are a number of easy home care techniques you can implement while you are working with your vet to determine the exact cause of the cat sneezing, to keep your cat more comfortable while waiting for your veterinarian’s advice:
Make a steamy bathroom: Take your cat in the bathroom while you take a hot, steamy shower for 10 to 15 minutes. The hot, moist breath releases the thick, irritating nasal mucus, which is a natural decongestant.
Use a low dust litter: Avoid using dusty clay litter and use a low dust paper pellet, pine wood shavings or crushed walnut shell litter instead to prevent mechanical tracking irritation.
Avoid using artificial fragrances: Avoid using plug-in air fresheners, heavy perfumes, floor cleaners, incense, or strong scented candles, in the rooms where your pet sleeps or spends most of his or her time.
Keep their face clean: Gently clean around their nostrils and eyes with a warm, moist and unmedicated washcloth to remove dried crust and secretions without causing secondary skin irritation.
Conclusion
Careful consideration of your cat’s lifestyle, home environment, and physical symptoms is necessary to pinpoint the exact cat sneezing causes. If it is just a sneezing fit every now and then from a corner of the room that needs dusting, it is not alarming but if it sneezes repeatedly, it should not be taken lightly. If you pay attention to those signs that your cat is showing, your vet will have the key information he needs to help your cat get back to a life of comfortable, clear breathing and get to the bottom of your cat’s sneezing.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A1: If a cat is sneezing constantly but showing no other signs of illness, there is probably nothing wrong with them.
A: If your cat is active, playful and eating well, but sneezing often, he is probably reacting to some environmental irritant. Household dust bunnies, strong perfumes or a change to a dusty brand of clay cat litter are all common causes of non-medical cat sneezing.
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A: Yes, respiratory viruses can be transmitted to indoor cats. Viruses are possible for all indoor pets, as they can be transferred to your home via your shoes, clothes or hands after encountering an infected cat in the outdoors.
Q3: What are the signs of medical emergencies to observe when a cat sneezes?
A: A sneezing should be treated as a medical priority when you see fresh blood in their nasal discharge, if they refuse feedings for more than 24 hours, or if they are very lethargic and breathing with an open mouth.
Q4: Is the dirty litter box one of the usual causes for a cat sneezing?
A: Yes. Ammonia fumes from un-scooped urine will accumulate in the litter box when it is not scooped regularly. These intense ammonia fumes affect the delicate lining of the nose and cause intense coughing and sneezing attacks.
Q5: Is dental disease a possible cause of my cat's sneezing?
A: Absolutely, dental issues are well known cat sneezing causes. Since the roots of a cat’s upper teeth are directly under the nose, if the root of a tooth becomes extremely infected, it may be able to pierce the floor of the nose and lead to chronic single-sided nasal discharge and sneezing.
