Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi all.
Just joined the forum.
My daughter has a 5 yr old b/b which she has had for around a two years. No problems until this summer. She seems to be snuffling and sneezing all the time. The vets dish out antibiotics which to be fair do make a difference, but only for a couple of weeks. Then it comes back again. Otherwise she seems healthy enough.
So I have been wondering if this is something an antihistamine may be worth trying?
If so, I have read loratadine or benydril may be worth trying? Also what would be the dosage per pound etc. Any advice welcomed. Thanks.

Hi, please never give human medicines to cats unless a qualified vet gives you the OK and correct dosage. There are some antihistamines that can be given to pets but not all, and dosage is important.

Not sure the breed is relevant, but is this cat a pedigree originally from a breeder who had several cats? Is she a retired breeding queen? That could be relevant.

Never give a cat human medication unless you have been told to by a vet. There are some common drugs that we can take perfectly safely, that would kill a cat, even if the amount given was comparable to the size difference.

Has the vet actually taken any swaps to check for infection.

If it is a reaction to something, such as hayfever then there will be no sign of infection and from what i have heard the discharge is often different to that when it is an infection.
If it is a bacterial infection then it should be easily identified and the correct antibiotic cna be given.
A viral infection can be harder to identify but they might have access to the facilities to do so. Antibiotics aren't any good against a virus, but can help against any secondary infection the pet might get.

Unfortunately bugs are getting more resistant to antibiotics so it can take different ones or longer courses to clear an infection up. At one point my old girl ended up with 3 courses of antibiotics over a six month period, each course was a month long (the last one was done by injection as I could no longer get them into her). The vets had identified the bacteria, but it just took a long time to clear it out of her.