My old cat keeps sneezing with green eye mucus. Is it serious?

Question

Hey! My 11 year old cat has been sneezing chronically pretty much the entirety of summer and even before that had a terrible spell where he couldn't meow (squeaked) and had pinkish mucus in his eyes. He's not like that now but he's always sneezing since. My vet kinda just brushed it off as a cold but I really would like a second opinion. The mucus is light green, thick, but also very drippy & wet. My parents think he's "fake" sneezing to get attention. He's otherwise healthy, eats, and active. Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | 11 years and 3 months old | 14.5 lbs

Ann Dion, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Cats that sneeze and have runny eyes of and on chronically typically will have Herpes Virus. This is like when people have a cold-sore, and when they get stressed it 'flares' up. A flare-up in a cat with herpes virus is sneezing, discharge from the nose, and some red eyes. As long as they are still eating, drinking and acting normally then you can't really do anything as it is viral vs. bacterial. Sometimes these flare-ups can lead to a secondary bacterial infection. If you are seeing green/yellow discharge (the image you have posted looks suspicious but it is hard tot ell the exact colour from the picture) or if Hunter is not eating/drinking, then sometimes antibiotics or an anti-inflammatory are required. If it is worse in the summer it could also be allergies that are causing the sneezing and discharge, in which case as long as he is eating and playing, there isn't any need for intervention. Best of luck with Hunter.

My old cat keeps sneezing with green eye mucus. Is it serious?

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