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I'm getting a bit frantic here and thought who can I talk to about this. Well, that was a no-brainer, eh?

Anyway, back in November, my 7 yr. old rescue (had been abused) cat started sneezing, 2-3X/day and a couple of times, sneezed a small drop of blood. It seemed to go away and I was gone most of December and she stayed at my daughter's house and seemed OK. But after I got home, she was really congested in her left nostril. Took her to the vet. Had antibiotics. No change so they put her on allergy med. Those didn't seem to help and then she wasn't eating well and I went through every gyration known to mankind to get food in her, resorted to treats. Well, ended up back at the vet because she was lethargic, still congested, not eating, etc. I was beside myself, thinking I hadn't pursued it strongly enough. They did xrays and turned out she was badly constipated so they gave her an enema. She immediately was a lot better although still badly congested. They also did blood work and except that her calcium was one point over the normal range, it was all fine.

Vet suggested a CT scan so we booked the mobile unit for today. But last Thursday, she had some really strong sneezes again and the congestion went from sounding like a blockage to sounding "juicy" (for lack of a better word). So I called and asked if we could postpone the CT scan for a couple of days, that maybe she'd had something up her nose and that sneezing had dislodged it.

So, Murphy's Law is alive and well because over the weekend, her appetite is off again and I noticed her left eye is bloodshot. I woke up this A.M. and not only is it bloodshot, it's not its normal round shape anymore but sort of oval, like an almond.

The vet had originally guessed it might be a polyp in her nasal passage or a growth or even a brain tumor. I moved here from Ohio where I had access to The Ohio State Univ. Veterinary Clinic AND Medvet and I'm so out of my comfort zone, not knowing where to go or what to do. My vet is nice enough but I've only known her during this (I just moved here in July) and so I'm finding myself wondering if I should be doing something different.

The CT Scan will cost $1000-1500. Depending on what they find, we'll be referred to a specialist. So my mind is racing all over the place because what if the specialist wants to do their own tests? Will I have to pay again for a CT Scan?

And, of course, now I butt up against the other questions that I won't even articulate yet but how far do I go with all of this? But what if it's just something benign and can be fixed? I had a one-eyed cat for years and he got along just fine and I could do that again. But of course, I don't know if it will be something benign.

Any advice? Words of wisdom? Anyone know of a clinic like a Medvet near Orlando? I see there's a Medvet in Jupiter but do I drag her that far? How many trips? Is she in pain?

I hate being a grownup. And it's not helping that I'm having so many memories of 45 yrs. of visits to the veterinarian with my XWH and how much we loved our cats and dogs. And then my cynical side comes out and I think maybe he didn't love the pets any more than he loved me but was faking. And, well, please talk me out of all this mind ****ery.

I wish I had some advice to give you. It's awful when our fur babies are sick and can't tell us what's wrong or if they are in pain.

I hope you get an answer soon and she is feeling better.

Double post

[This message edited by zebra25 at 10:32 AM, February 14th (Monday)]

My cat started violent sneezing, literally would knock him over. He eventually started sneezing blood, lots of it and then swelling/ lump between his eyes. I eventually had him put down. He was 18. I’ve had dogs, cats and rabbits for 37 years, he was my last and it was very, very difficult.

I’m sorry to share that story with you. Since she’s only 7, I’d get her scanned. There’s probably something you can do.

I don't necessarily know what's wrong with your cat, but just noting that I once had a cat with recurring polyps. He had around three or so surgeries to have them removed (over multiple years). When we adopted him as a stray (but super friendly) cat he had a giant polyp in his ear and what the vet originally thought was a cold but turned out to be a polyp in his throat. The first surgery removed both of those polyps, he had a third one identified during the surgery that they couldn't remove so we had to wait for it to grow and then go back for a round two. And, I think he grew one more polyp a few years later.

Unfortunately the polyps would make him really snotty. But otherwise had very little effect on him. He was an amazing cat with the most fantastic personality - best cat I've ever had and I've had many. He unfortunately passed away due to unrelated reasons several years ago.

But just noting that if polyps is the problem it's nothing terrible to deal with.

Keeping you and your kitty in my thoughts Josiep!

Thank you all. I ended up taking her to see the vet yesterday and it turns out she has conjunctivitis in her eye so that was a huge relief.

We are going to proceed with the scan and the doctor was very reassuring, that it could be a polyp or even a foreign object that she somehow got stuck up in her nose. She told me about a dog who has somehow gotten a piece of broom straw up in his nasal passage, had surgery and a complete recovery.

So she prescribed an RX ophthalmic salve for her eye and also another antibiotic for a type of herpes that she said can cause similar symptoms.

Again, thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the replies. Just getting to talk to someone about stuff is such a relief.

josie,

I'm so glad your cat is better. Hopefully the scans will come out ok. I've had the situation with worsening health where we had to eventually make the tough decision to put our sweet greyhound to sleep. It's awful.

I have a snotty cat who's 5 years old now. The first time the vet said she had "a bit of a cold", but she has been snotty and sneezy off and on since. The vet said to start keeping a record.

So glad your appointment went well!!!

Late to this, but glad your kitty is on the mend. It’s so challenging because the animals can’t tell us what is wrong, and it seems like it’s $500 every time you, well, sneeze, at the vet’s.

Sending mojo your cat’s way.

So she prescribed an RX ophthalmic salve for her eye and also another antibiotic for a type of herpes that she said can cause similar symptoms.

I was just coming here to post about feline herpes. Can they test her for that? It sounds very much like an outbreak of herpes and if that's what it is, she might have those every so often for the rest of her life. It's manageable, but you would at least know what it is when it strikes her.

I am glad you got some answers.
I hope the CT gives you more.
I had a cat that was a mutt, but was guessed to be Maine Coon, and Persian. He was awesome. But he developed a sinus infection every winter for his last 3 years, and they were difficult to rid.
Early treatment is the key to making sure it doesn't turn into a full blown infection that turns into eyes, ears, sinuses, and even bronchial, or lungs.

I hope you get good news and that your kitty is feeling better.

An update: it was a very aggressive cancerous tumor in her nasal cavity. I had to have her euthanized. My heart is broken all over again. Thank you all for the words of support at the time - it helped, it really did. Even though I don't post as much anymore, I appreciate all of you more than you will ever know.

Oh I am so very sorry for your loss. Hugs. Its so hard losing pets.

I'm so sorry.

Ooh, I am so sorry josiep

(((hugs)))

Oh I am so sorry Josie. Losing our pets is the hardest thing. Sending you positive thoughts. >^..^ ❤️

I’m so sorry. Those decisions are never easy and never forgotten.

((( Jo))))
So sorry you had to go through that. May happy memories give you peace and comfort.

Oh no. I am so so sorry.

So sorry to read this Josie. Our fur babies are the least judgemental creatures in our life. Every dog and cat we've had have been a blessing 🙏💗.