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I recently adopted a 3 year old female maine coon mix from the local shelter. When I got her she had was sneezing constantly and the vet put her on an anti-viral-lysine. She then began sneezing blood, and the vet put her on clavamox for an upper respitory infection. The sneezing then cleared up. It has been about 2 weeks since the last dose of clavamox and she has begun sneezing again, with some discharge from one of her eyes. The sneezing isn't as bad as it was before, but I am afraid that it will progress. My vet has yet to return my phone call...which is typical. (I need a new one) Does anyone know anything about recurring sneezing, and how to treat it? Will she suffer from this for her lifetime?

Hi There,

Thanks for adopting an adult cat from a shelter! Chances are that you have saved her life.

The fact that your vet initially put your kitty on Lysine tells me that he or she suspects that the URI is related to feline herpes. Herpes in cats often causes sneezing and runny eyes and it is either a chronic problem or an intermittant one. I have 3 cats with herpes myself and they all have URI symptoms from time to time. I always have Lysine onhand and all 3 cats tend to do well with it. Some people prefer to keep a herpes cat on Lysine all the time and this is fine also. It's an amino acid and is totally safe. Occasionally one of my herpes kitties does need an antibiotic. Although herpes is a virus, it isn't unusual for a bacterial infection to be present as well. If this occurs, you might see a cloudy or greenish discharge from the eyes and/or nose.

Stress affects feline herpes also, so just being in a shelter or a new home can bring on symptoms. Plus, there is the possibility that your cat picked up something while she lived at the shelter.

Most cats that have herpes were born with it and they may have a poor immune system as a result. But there is a chance that your baby, once she settles in, will have fewer symptoms. There is no way of knowing at this point if she will have a lifetime problem, unfortunately.

Please feel free to ask if you have any other questions.

Regards,
PHKitkat

Thanks for your informative response!! I called the vet about the sneezing and they mixed another round of clavamox for me to pick up. Do you think that I should try the lysine again first before I give her another round of antibiotics? I may ask them if I can get lysine to keep on hand as you suggested. She is such a sweet girl I hate to see her feeling sick. Thanks again!

Hi Again

You are welcome!

I would go ahead and give another round of Clavamox. It can't hurt and might give your new baby the boost she needs.

You can get L-Lysine just about anywhere. It doesn't have to be in gel or powder form through a vet. I got my supply from Walmart, 500 mg tablets, and usually give 1/4 tablet once or twice daily. The pills are big, but they crush easily and can be mixed in canned food.

Take care, and please keep us updated!

PHKitkat

Thanks again PHKitkat!!!

I am going to give her the second round of clavamox and definitely get the L-Lysine from Wal-Mart. I had no idea I could get it there! I'm sure it will be less expensive than the paste from the vet. I will keep you updated on Zoey, Thanks so much!