Cats' Cold Symptoms: Identifying and Treating Your Feli

Common symptoms of a cat's cold include coughing, fever, sneezing, watery eyes, and a runny nose. If left untreated, these symptoms can lead to secondary conditions such as feline herpesvirus, pneumonia, and other illnesses that can severely compromise the cat's immune system.

Beyond these typical signs, there are other symptoms to be aware of:

1. Dry and Warm Nose: Normally, a cat's nose is moist and cool to the touch. If you notice that your cat's nose is dry and feels slightly warm, it's a sign that your pet might be unwell. It's best to take your cat's temperature immediately in such cases.

2. Lethargy and Decreased Appetite: When a cat is sick, it often experiences a loss of appetite and a general lack of energy. If this is accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea, it could indicate gastrointestinal issues.

3. Coughing, Excessive Phlegm, Runny Nose, Watery Eyes, and Fever: Cats can suffer from both dry and wet coughs, which are often accompanied by other symptoms like runny nose, watery eyes, and fever. Common diseases that cause coughing include pulmonary edema, bronchopneumonia, tracheitis, bronchitis, laryngitis, allergies, asthma, and more. Primary coughs are usually due to colds, which can stimulate the bronchial mucosa, increasing mucus production and promoting the growth of resident bacteria.

4. Cat Fever: The early symptoms of cat fever are characterized by a rise in body temperature, sneezing, watery eyes, and a runny nose. When a cat is infected with feline distemper virus, it may exhibit a fluctuating fever, with temperatures that rise and fall. Most affected cats will also have eye discharge. In the early stages of feline panleukopenia virus, symptoms like vomiting and diarrhea are prominent, usually starting with vomiting followed by diarrhea.

5. Vomiting and Diarrhea: Cats may vomit due to hairballs, which are clumps of fur that accumulate in the stomach. This is more common during shedding seasons, when cats may regurgitate food mixed with fur. Diarrhea can be a sign of acute gastroenteritis, which may be related to changes in diet, feeding methods, environmental changes, or acute infections. If a cat is experiencing frequent vomiting and diarrhea, and the inflammation is limited to the stomach without affecting the intestines, it's advisable to withhold food and water for 612 hours, then gradually introduce easily digestible foods (such as canned or wet cat food).

Other conditions to consider include acute pancreatitis, liver and kidney diseases, infectious diseases, and parasites.

For relief, consider using products like MeowMeowPet's Cold & Cough Remedy, which is designed to treat cat colds, coughs, sneezes, runny noses, feline herpesvirus, and respiratory viruses.