If your cat sneezes from time to time, you don’t have to concern yourself because this is completely natural. Just like humans, cats are occasionally affected by particles in the air that can tickle and irritate their breathing passages. Some of these irritants include things like dust, mold and scented cleaning products. Cats rely on their sense of smell heavily as they use it to sniff their way around. This makes it very likely that they will inhale an irritating particle, causing them to sneeze.
You have probably noticed that your cat sneezes excessively after you have cleaned your house. This is probably caused by the scented products you are using. Overuse of these products can cause your cat to excessively sneeze and possibly develop asthma. Next time, try to keep your use of scented cleaning products to a minimum and use organic cleaners instead.
If you are finding that your can is sneezing when it is outdoors, this could be because it has sniffed a flower and gotten some pollen up its nose. Some cats can even have a hay fever like condition in the summertime when many plants and flowers are blooming. Cats with hay fever will sneeze excessively and will sometimes develop a rash.
Cats that are allergic to parasitic worms, fleas or their food will also sneeze frequently. This source of sneezing however is most likely due to mucus that is excreted from the cat’s ears and eyes when experiencing an allergic reaction.
Sneezing can also be telling you that your cat has a respiratory tract infection. If your cat has a lowered immune system, it will contract bacterial infections more easily. One such infection is streptococcus, a common bacterium that is transferred through the air. Another similar illness is cat flu. Sometimes cats that have been given a needle to prevent cat flu still contract the illness. This is a serious problem and these cats must be hospitalized and kept under constant monitoring.
If your cat is sneezing excessively but there are no other signs of infection or cat's sneezing is an infection, then it could be due to a larger particle that is blocking the nasal passage. Your cat will keep sneezing to try and get the particle out. If your cat does not stop sneezing after several hours, call your vet to get your cat analyzed.
Inspect your cat’s teeth on a consistent basis so that you will find gum infections and abscesses as soon as they start forming. This way you can stop the problem from getting worse and you can save your cat from a lot of pain and discomfort. Believe it or not, but abscesses can also causes a cat to sneeze. If the abscess gets too big, it will disrupt the nerves that travel to the nose, causing the cat to sneeze for seemingly no reason at all.
If you find out that the source of your cat’s sneezing is an infection or cat illness, you should use a cotton swab that is wet with warm water to dab at the runny nose. Buying a humidifier can also help as it moistens the air and settles most of the airborne irritants.
