How to Treat a Kitten or Cat at Home for Nasal Congestion

Oh no! My new kitten is suddenly sneezing and has a stuffy nose! What is wrong with her? She most likely has a "Kitty Cold", which is a very common illness caused by a virus. It's similar to the kind of colds people get. With proper care a kitty with a cold can make a full recovery, but there are some things you can do at home to help them feel better. Kitties with upper respiratory congestion can get really "stuffed up" and here's an easy at-home treatment using plain saline to help them loosen up a stuffy nose. A kitten that is congested will gasp for breath, have trouble sleeping, and most dangerously, refuse to eat. Think back the last time you had a bad cold: you may have been hungry but nothing tasted good, right? It's the same with cats and they rely on their sense of smell to stimulate appetite. By relieving the congestion with the saline drops, a kitten will be able to smell food want eat. Watch the easy tips here to help ease that stuffy nose until the "kitty cold" is gone!

Kitty colds can also lead to bacterial upper respiratory infections which can be very serious, especially to small kittens. So if your kitty is not eating or is acting lethargic you MUST get her to a vet. Most often the vet will prescribe a round of antibiotics to help fight the infection.

[cindylou]

There should be more compassionate people like you.Great job.

[Lady.Marmalard]

My cat sneezed on my phone as I was watching this....

[begoodbebetterbeblessedix]

For adult cats, adult cats mind you, , go purchase Quantum Health (brand) of Super Lysine+ liquid extract (sold online or local human health food stores), was a game changer if your cat has the herpe virus (or a cold commonly known as URI...upper respiratory infection). All u need is one dropper full into a reg wet can food size size (such as friskies) n was approved by 3 different vets. Do this every day for 3 wks and you most likely won't need a vet nor their costly bills...well, as long as you start giving ur cat the Lysine from day 1...when symptoms first appear. I just had 2 bottles delivered for a total of $25. Now they (vets and online) do sell Lysine treats for cats, but with picky eaters, most all won't touch it. That is lost time n money, thus dragging the sickness further along. Oh...one bottle for one cat lasts me, personally, about 2 yrs. N make sure not to use expired when of in need. Hope this helps the parents wallet, and most importantly, just want a safe reliable method to a speedy recovery for your animal. N remember, SuperLysine+ liquid extract takes time for it to work. So 3 wks is a must...and if u decide to do this longer for more prevention, totally fine n won't be of harm. Good luck folks....am rooting for all n GOD bless you All allways

[asasin]

This is such an awesome simple guide! Vet recommended we apply saline drops to our cat's nose and I had no idea how to do it since her nose is so tiny. Love the instructions, thank you!!

[donnaolm]

It had not occurred to me to use a cotton swab to drip the saline. My kitty with sinus issues and I thank you!

[mrsjennifersteele]

So glad I found this video. I have a senior cat and she's congested with a sinus infection. This will help! 🙂💞

[CelticCat]

This approach worked, thank you! I've been washing baby's little face just as you demonstrate here, but hadn't thought of dripping the saline drops into his nostrils. Did so yesterday afternoon and today he's breathing much better! THANK YOU from myself and little Merlin... his siblings as well!! 😻

[hamusta]

Thank you! This is the second day that I’ve hardly slept because my kitty has an upper respiratory infection. Steamy showers help but for very short periods. I really hope this helps him breathe better. It really scares me when he’s so congested 🤧

[marcysikes]

Thanks for this suggestion! I wondered if I could use saline for my cats stuffy nose. I never would have thought of using a cotton swab to administer the saline!

[jennymendenhall]

Perfect tutorial. I don’t know a lot about cats & this kitten found me. I’ve taken her to the vet twice she had to be on antibiotics & ear medicine. She hated it but we got thru it. Now her nose is so stuffy it’s scary. The vet didn’t offer any suggestions to help & I’m st my wits end. I keep thinking she’s going to die. She doesn’t eat much but she eats often & she’s scrawny but that may be her stuffed nose. I’m going to try this right away & pray she heals. Thanks again.

[tylerbranham]

Very helpful! My son's kitten "Maid" and her brother "Marty" were just adopted by us last week. He came down with it first and has now passed it to her. She's smaller than him, so she's taking it harder and is just plain pitiful. Thanks so much!

[googlegreekmythsthatprove.]

I looked this up to see if people are treating the cats correctly that have nasal issues and found your video a delight > you hold the kitten secure, i personally wrap kitty and leave the tail out so i can always see it.
I 😍 this video.

[colleendarley]

Thank you so much! I am fostering some kittens with "kitten cold" and while I was given instructions on how often to give antibiotics and how much l lysine to give them I was not instructed on how to help their stuff noses. I am going to try this on my poor babies right now!

[TrueNomadSkies]

This is so smart. I would have never thought of dripping from a squeezed q tip, and it seems a lot more controlled than using a piece of tissue or trying to drip from the bottle without somehow putting too much all over their face.

[Kikilee]

Thank you for this. I feel like I’m out of options and I’m lost!
A stray had kittens in my backyard and the one my son has basically imprinted on has been struggling. He’s rattling and every 5 minutes or so will gasp like he can’t get a breath. It’s breaking my heart and I have no resources right now to take him into a vet so I have been holding him for the last 7 hours to help at every sign of distress and frantically searching the internet for tips and tricks.
So thank you for this great tip, he clearly has nasal congestion on top of the chest congestion so this will help so much!
I have been in and out of the bathroom, running the hot water shower for steam 6 times so far today because it’s all that seems to soothe him. Unfortunately, it’s nearly 100* out today and I’m supposed to be be doing around 75 other things right now to prepare for my nephews wedding this Saturday, so I’m a bit of a mess all around!
I just need to find a way to heal this lil cutie and make him feel comfortable for my son who’s father just passed in March, if for no other reason, or I will officially have a complete mental breakdown!

[emailabi]

Thank you for such a useful advice. My cat was very congested, he is most likely allergic and it gets worse over the winter. I applied a few drops of the solution, took also my cat to bathroom when I was taking shower so he can inhale the vapour and it massively helped. He sneezed out the snot and thankfully started to eat. Here in the UK vets would have advised antibiotics buts it isn't a great solution...I am very greatful for this video.

[lavenderkitten]

Been up since 2am with my kittie. Just waiting in Walmart to open so I can get it. Hopefully he starts feeling better soon :/

[jenfur]

I’m glad i found this. Been doing this for a week now but i use the drop itself on each nose. Some snot does really goes out every sneeze. And i feel so good for my kitten. Thanks for sharing again ❤

[annphillippsen]

Thank you!! We have a cat with a little stuffy nose, and this helped so much❤️

[audreejamie]

Thank you! This seems like the best video I’ve been able to find on this subject. The little kitty looks identical to my younger kitten. So incredibly sweet 💜💗