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My nursing cat has diarrhea & sneezing. Should I take her to the vet?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed

My cat has had diarrhoea and been sneezing for past 4 days was wondering if I should take her vets as it mite be something serious and she has 5 5week old kittens with her and don't want them to catch it

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Darvishian

Veterinarian

Published on September 27th, 2017

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Misty. Most likely you are dealing with intestinal parasites passed from the queen to the kittens and then back to the queen. All kittens are assumed to have hookworms and roundworms from their mother. They get infected while in the uterus and while they are nursing. Thus, kittens should be dewormed every 2-3 weeks starting at the age of 2 weeks old. The queens get infected from the kittens after they start shedding the parasite eggs. I'm sure a good deworming would help Misty get back on track. Try deworming and go from there. The drug to use is pyrantel pamoate which kills rounds and hookworms. You mention something else that is going on which is sneezing. The queen cat often carriers for life the viruses that cause upper respiratory diseases and after she queens, she will break with the viruses and start shedding them to the kittens. Most likely that is causing her sneezing. I would monitor her and the kittens for signs of Upper Resp Infection (URI) such as sneezing, coughing, red/swollen eyes, discharge from the eyes/nose, fever, decreased appetitie, etc. This infection is usually mild in adult cats but not in kittens. It can be quite severe in kittens so early treatment is key. The best advice by far is to always consult with your local veterinarian if this situation progressively gets worse. Let them get a history and do a physical exam. They can run tests if needed (fecal test, blood tests, etc) to make sure Misty is healthy and also discover some of the less common parasites that can infect cats and kittens such as coccidia/giardia. They can also assess the severity of the URI to see if treatment is warranted. Good luck with Misty and the kittens

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Dr. Dayna, DVM, CVA

    Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

    Published on

    Hi there. I'm sorry Misty isn't feeling well. I do think that a visit to the veterinarian would be a good idea. Things like intestinal parasites, upper respiratory infection, among others can cause some of the signs you are seeing. Depending on the diagnosis by the veterinarian, they may recommend treatment of the kittens as well. Make sure to take a fresh fecal sample when you go, and ask your veterinarian if they want you to bring the kittens along to the appointment. I hope she improves soon, and thank you for using Pet Coach.

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