Hope your cat gets better Sainters. I took in an elderly barn cat a couple years ago now, as my first-ever pet. And wow, I could not imagine not having a cat after he passes on now. I have grown to love him so much it's crazy.
I've been meaning to post this for a while now, but it's been getting really bad lately, and this is a good thread for it. Don't mean to steal your thunder Sainters, but maybe somebody has some good advice for me about Joey.
He is constantly stuffed up. Sneezing. Often, it's a boogery mess. Never any blood in it, which is a good thing, but it's almost always thick, yellowly/green, and mucousy. Gross. He's in good spirits though almost all the time, the same affectionate cat he was when I brought him home because there were early signs of this illness.
He's been on and off medication from the vet that seems to clear him up alright, but the problem is once he goes off whatever cycle of pills he's on, after about a week the boogers/congestion come right back. I hate to say it, because he's a nice guy, but I don't think our vet knows what the heck is going on. Every time we visit the story changes- chronic this and that, sinus infection, swollen nasal passages, allergies, sinunitis, nothing we can do, try giving him half a Benadryl, could keep him on the meds, could try something... So frustrating.
The thing is, Joey really is doing OK, I just feel quite awful for him when his nose is all crusty when I come home, or when he sneezes a stringy booger all over his face and I have to wetwipe him to death. Or when I hear him trying to breathe and he's straining becuase of the congestion.
Any ideas? My opinion is that it's a chronic condition that I will have to deal with until he passes on. I really don't want to keep him on medication constantly, partly because it can't be good for his immune system, it's no fun to hold him down and stuff pills down his throat every day, and it's ultimately livable as long as I can treat the symptoms somewhat.
Some of the stuff I've done- take him in the bathroom with me in the morning when I have a hot shower (steam), put a little water on his dry food to make sure he stays extra hydrated, got one of those nose things for babies where you put the end in his nose and squeeze it and it sucks boogers out. Joey hates it though, so it's not very useful.
Should I see a new vet? Just go with the meds? Or have any of you out there experienced anything like this with your pet, and have some advice for me?
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