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My 16-year-old cat is sneezing and breathing loud. Should I see a vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 16 years and 3 months old | 17 lbs

My 16 year old cat is inhaling kind of noisily and is sneezing. Seems to be breathing in through his mouth but not too obviously. Eating and drinking okay. Moving around okay. Started yesterday. Do I need to take him to the vet or wait it out a couple days?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Davis

Veterinarian

Published on September 16th, 2017

Sunshine probably has an upper respiratory infection, or cold. As this is a viral infection It will run its course in a week or so. As long as she's just quiet and resting, eating a drinking some then you do not need to bring her in. If she should stop eating, the eye and nose discharge turns green and she becomes very lethargic then she may have a secondary bacterial infection that would need to be treated by your veterinarian. Sunshine is an older cat so if she's not recovering well then don't wait too long to bring her for an exam. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sunshine.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! Based on your description of Sunshine, I would suspect several possible causes of what you are seeing. An upper respiratory infection (which we see commonly in cats, especially older cats that spend time outdoors), nasal infection (bacterial or fungal) or foreign object lodged in the sinus passages. I would get Sunshine examined by a veterinarian to determine what the cause of the symptoms are. If this is infectious, he will likely need an antibiotic for treatment. I hope this helps! If you have any other cats at the house, I would keep Sunshine separate from them until you know what he has so that it does not transmit to the other cats. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.

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