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My kitten has a runny nose, sneezes, and won't eat. What to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 1lb

Hello my name. Is Lisa, I found three kittens beside the road unfortunately one was already dead. Couldn't be over 3 weeks old. One is eating really well but the other I'm having to hand feed. He acts like he wants to eat but just walks away his right nasal cavity is draining and sneezing,it only doing that when I try feeding him are they somehomemade solution drops I could try to clean Thai nose with. I'm thinking like when he was born the mother didn't get allthe muses out

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Mirissa Duncil, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 16th, 2017

Hi there. It is probably a respiratory infection in your kitten that has nasal discharge, as these are very common in young kittens and may be bacterial or viral in nature. The best thing is to take the kitten in to your veterinarian to be seen and probably for a course of antibiotics. A humidifier in your home in an enclosed area like a bathroom may help as well as long as temperatures aren't extreme and the kitten isn't getting dehydrated. I hope this helps!

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    How lovely of you to take in these two kittens! The mother doesn't clean the mucus out of a kitten's nose, and it sounds like he is suffering from a respiratory infection. Please do not try to clean his nose out with homemade solution, he needs to see a vet asap for this. He likely isn't eating well because he can't smell his food. When a cat can't smell their food, they won't eat. At this young age, they can go downhill very quickly and require immediate medical attention when ill. Please take him into an ER vet clinic; if there isn't one in your area, there will be a vet on call for emergencies. The information to reach that vet is found on a clinic's answering machine or website.

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