Cat Congestion

by Linda
(Fort Pierce, FL)

Cat congestion problem. How can I clean the inside of my cats nose?

She is stuffed up and not sneezing it out. It's not running just stuffy and can hear it in her nose when she breathes.

Cat Congestion: Cat Health Guide Editor Suggestion

Dear Linda,

Thank you for your question regarding cat congestion.

A cat's nasal passage is complicated and in cases where there is an upper respiratory problem, the nasal passage may become congested. Even if the cat stuffy nose problem resolves itself, some dry or semi liquid matter may get stuffed in the nasal passage. There are other reasons as well that can cause this type of cat congestion, like secretions in the ear and in the sinus.

A cat with nasal congestion or sinus congestion can experience stress, pain, discomfort, and nasal sounds while your cat is sleeping. In most cases, this tends not to be a big problem, but it may cause some severe problems in the future such as a complete blockage, nervous stress, respiratory congestion and possibly infections.

Remember, an owner should never operate deep inside a cat's body cavity; this can cause severe damage to the anatomy of your pet. You should not try to clean any inner cat nasal parts yourself, Let a professional deal with it.

There are other options for treatment, which you can initially try yourself.

Clean the outer parts of the cat nose and remove all blockage and debris, if any at the outer and visible part of the inside of the nose.

You can also try to make your cat sneeze; sneezing will help push the stuffed matter outwards. Try tickling underneath both of her nostril holes and repeat it various times. Sneezing soon after your cat wakes up in the morning will help more. You can try some soft feather like thing as well, to stimulate the nervous supply at the opening of the nose.

Catnip is another option, any spray or formulation containing catnip or Nepeta such as KONG Catnip Spray can help your cat sneeze repeatedly. Commercially available sprays contain distilled Nepeta, which is usually safe for cats, but make sure that your cat is not susceptible to it.

Additionally, you can try some other natural preparations as well; products such as Sinu-Rite will help to alleviate any cat sinus congestion and will resolve any underlying upper respiratory problem, which appears sub clinical (not yet showing any cat respiratory problems).

Please keep us up to date on your cat's condition.