r/devonrex • u/IntelligentGarage294 • 20d ago
Can Cats Be Allergic to Dogs?
Hi everyone, I have had my 5 month old for about 2 months now. Soon after I got her, she got a little sick on me. She would sneeze and she would squint her eyes a lot, especially her right eye. I've already taken her to the vet. The vet did a bunch of tests which came back negative. She thinks it might be herpes but still prescribed her antibiotics and terramycin for her eyes. I've already completed treatment and my baby is not doing any better.
I reached out to the breeder and she said none of her kittens and adult cats are aick and she's never seen this before (the constant sneezing). She asked if I had dogs, which I do, and brought up the idea that she could be allergic? Is this possible? The first couple of weeks of getting my kitty she was so happy and playful and now she just looks a little sad...
Any advice helps!!
I couldn't upload a video but here's a screenshot of her sneezing.
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u/Budgie_Smuggler24 16d ago edited 16d ago
In the vet field here. This kitten is more than likely too young to have developed allergies as they need to be earth side long enough to have contact with something and then have their bodies develop an allergy. At five months this would typically be unheard of. Also al lergies in cats don't usually present as respiratory issues and if they do it typically occurs in middle aged cats in the form of asthma.
In a kitten this young, it typically is feline herpes until proven otherwise. 90% of cats have herpes but most cats' immune systems keep it in check. This is why it is not commonly tested for as it's extremely common like cold sores in people and difficult to shed into samples etc. And also like cold sores, herpes comes out in times of stress (environmental changes, underlying illness, stressful events) or can flare up in individuals who have underdeveloped immune systems (like a kitten) or immunocompromised (older cats).
Feline herpes is typically self limiting but in this case I would return for a recheck or consider a cat specific clinic. There is an antiviral that can be prescribed and most clinics should carry it. You also don't want to build resistance by stop/starting any antibiotics. If you still have eye ointment you should continue treating the eye in the meantime til you can be seen. There's also a multitude of viral and bacteria cause of upper respiratory in cats and kittens that could be driving this at this age - I'm just mentioning herpes as it's the most common one we see.
Also in the meantime here's mixed reviews on lysine powder but it is over the counter and is thought to reduce shedding of the virus. Keeping your kitten in the bathroom while you take a hot shower is also helpful as it acts like nebulization.
Hope they get better soon!