Ask Dr Claire

Recently adopted 1yr old cat is sneezing with discharge from eyes

Moving into a new home, no matter how perfect, is a very stressful event for a cat with a lot of change. Times of stress can predispose to some infectious causes of upper respiratory tract disease (watery eyes, sneezing, etc).

Sneezing is really just a symptom and can be the result of many underlying causes. In this case, we really need to find the cause of the sneezing so that we can treat your cat’s underlying problem (not just the symptom). This will help us reach the best treatment plan too.

Some of the underlying causes of sneezing might be:

• Infectious disease (bacteria, viruses)
• Allergies
• Inhaled Irritants (think cleaning products, scented air fresheners and candles, perfumes, smoke from fire place)
• Polyp or mass in the nose
• Foreign object in the nose such as a grass blade

If your cat has a coloured discharge from their eyes or nose, is not eating well or seems unhappy a hands-on examination from your local vet is a great place to start.

If you’d like to chat in person, you can get a vet on a live video call or start a chat to discuss in more detail now.

We’re here to help!

Chat soon,

Dr Claire