Did you know that there are home remedies for cat cold? Felines are prone to respiratory diseases and the most common is the cold. Have you seen your kitten less active than usual, looking for heat, tearing up and sneezing? If the answer is yes and you have noticed any of these symptoms or several, it is likely that he has a cold.
Colds in cats are a minor problem, but no less important for that. To treat it, the veterinarian will indicate the best medicine depending on the state of the animal. In parallel and as a complement, we can apply a series of home remedies in order to speed up recovery. Likewise, these remedies can be administered if we cannot go to the specialist immediately. Next, on our site we share the best home remedies to cure a cold in cats
Cold in cats: symptoms and causes
A cold in cats usually occurs in the winter months due to low temperatures, but it is also very common during the summer months. heat due to air currents and sudden temperature changes. Like most respiratory diseases that occur in cats, the cold, as well as the feline flu virus, are highly contagious diseases among them. Due to this, if we detect that one of our domestic felines is in the process of a cold and lives with more, we must isolate it as much as possible during the viral process and, above all, wash our hands well before and after being with it.
The fact that our friend catches a cold tells us that he most likely had low defenses due to some lack in his dietFor this reason, we must strengthen the immune system and check that it does not have any other problem or disease that may have caused the lowering of defenses.
The best prevention is to follow the vaccination schedule that our veterinarian indicates for our pet. In addition, we must always be careful with air currents and sudden changes in temperature.
Cold symptoms in cats
To detect if our cat has a cold we must look at the symptoms, which luckily are quite obvious and clear:
- Heavy breathing
- Runny nose and eyes
- Slight fever
- Sneezing
- Slight lethargy
- Slight loss of appetite
- Slight conjunctivitis and swelling of the third eyelid
- Sore throat
- Cough
How long does a cold last in cats?
In adult and he althy cats the process will last about 10 days, but in small kittens, nursing mothers, sick individuals and old cats, a simple cold can become complicated and lead to more serious problems, such as pneumonia. For this reason, we recommend that if your cat meets the profile of one of the weakest specimens in the face of a cold, take it directly to your trusted veterinary specialist. On the other hand, if your cat is normally in good he alth and is an adult, you will be able to help him at home in a calmer and more economical way, being able to help him get over the cold before the average 10 days that the process usually lasts.
How to cure a cold in cats: treatment
This respiratory disease can be simple and temporary, but if we don't help our colleague to overcome it by treating the symptoms, there may be complications and end up with secondary diseases of the respiratory tract. For the cold in cats there is no direct cure, that is, it is cured by letting the virus carry out its process and suffering from the symptoms in the most bearable way possible until The illness usually ends in about 10 days. Antibiotics for cats with colds are only prescribed when a bacterial infection is present. As it is a mild illness, we can try to follow a symptomatic treatment from home, but always keeping in mind that if our pet gets worse we should go to the vet.
This disease in cats has nothing to do with the one that occurs in humans, so we cannot infect each other.
How to help my cat get over a cold: home remedies
We are going to explain a series of remedies and basic things to treat the very annoyingsymptoms of our sick colleague's cold. But we will keep in mind that if we have to provide some type of medication, it is extremely important that the veterinarian prescribe it and indicate its dose, since we must remember that cats are very sensitive to medication and we run the risk of poisoning them if we give them medication. humans and/or in the way that may seem correct to us, so we should always go to the vet in these cases.
If you are wondering what can be given to a cat with a cold, we show the care and remedies that you can give to your sick kitten:
Help him eat
We have to help him eat, since he himself will eat very little or nothing due to the reluctance caused by the viral process. As it is vital that the animal continues to be nourished so that its immune system is strengthened, we must help it by stimulating its appetite or by feeding it ourselves. As a result of nasal congestion, it will be difficult for him to notice smells and tastes, so we recommend give him hot food because it gives off much more odor, or offer him food that is still cold has a strong odor, like canned tuna.
On the other hand, you can soak their usual feed with chicken broth which will soften the pellets and give them much more flavor, making it easier to the cat eats it. If you notice that it is difficult for him to swallow due to an irritation of the throat, we recommend that you crush his food, this will make it much easier for him to swallow and digest it. If he still doesn't eat by himself, you should bring the food closer to his mouth and nose and even open his mouth a little and make him taste a little, maybe that way it will whet his appetite a little. Another way is to spread the food on a front paw, since that way it will lick it to clean itself and will make it want to start eating something. You can even spread on some honey, both to whet his appetite and to provide extra energy. Undoubtedly, this is a very effective remedy against colds in cats because it also allows to relieve inflammation of the throat if it exists.
In addition to the above, you should provide Abundant fresh water, as this viral process causes dehydration easily.
Keep warm
It is very important that you provide warmth both with room temperature and with blankets that he can snuggle up and sleep in.
Also, avoid any possible drafts that may be in the house. Drafts are completely undesirable, as they will only worsen your condition.
Wipe his eyes and nose
Help him clean his eyes and nose often so that bothersome tears and mucus do not accumulate and form scabs and cause hygiene problems. With a sterilized gauze and physiological saline you can clean your cat's nose and eyes, using a different gauze for each eye and another for the nose, thus avoiding possible infections. Thus, your sick furry will breathe and see better. Also, if there is conjunctivitis, you should clean his eyes with an ophthalmic solution prescribed by the vet. If you notice that the nose is very stuffy, you should administer saline solution inside the nose to help it clean and unclog.
Now, if you don't have serum and you are looking for a home remedy for these cases, the most effective is chamomile infusion. You simply have to prepare it, let it warm up and clean the eyes and nose by moistening a gauze pad in it. Remember to use one gauze for each eye and one for the nose. For more details, you can review this article: "How to clean a cat's eyes with chamomile?".
Use a humidifier or have a steam bath
Increase the humidity of the environment with a humidifier. If you don't have a humidifier or vaporizer, provide steam baths. To do this, let the very hot water run from the tap keeping the bathroom door and window closed, thus managing to accumulate steam, and allow your cat to be in there, better accompanied by you, for a few minutes (maximum 15 minutes) breathing the steam. This home remedy for colds in cats is really effective because it allows to open the airways and promotes the expulsion of mucus In this way, if your cat has mucus and you breathe badly, do not hesitate to prepare a steam bath to alleviate these symptoms almost immediately.
Offer a comfortable place to rest
Let him rest a lot and sleep peacefully. Do not force him to play or go out to move, because he needs to recover his strength. Thus, although it may seem obvious, the truth is that resting in a comfortable bed and with adequate heat favors healing a lot.
Once he has passed the process, it will be good for you to help him prevent possible relapses. You can do this with natural supplements that boost your immune system. And if after about 4 or 5 days of the viral process doing all of the above, the cat still has a cold or its symptoms have worsened, it is important to immediately go to the vet, because surely it will have been complicated and should be treated as soon as possible.
In the following video we share a simple recipe for homemade food, easy to digest and very appetizing, perfect as a remedy for cats with colds.
