hi there and welcome back to Kitten School! I get a lot of questions about
how to help a kitten suffering from a kitty cold, and there's some really easy
things that you can do to keep your kitten comfortable while she recovers... so
let me show you what I think helps the most. First we need to talk about snot -
yes I know it's gross - but a kitten with a cold will have lots of it and your job
is to keep the Kitty's nasal passages open so she can breathe. There are two
things that I always do for a snotty nosed kitten: one is dripping warm saline
drops into the nostril a few times a day, this will make the kitty sneeze which
will help to release any congestion. you can use store-bought saline or you can
make your own by dissolving a teeny pinch of salt into a cup of warm water.
Another great snot buster is steam therapy you can put your kitty into a
steamy bathroom for a while or place her in a towel covered carrier with a bowl
of hot water under it to create a mini steam room the warm steam will penetrate
congested noses and also helps to loosen gunk around the eyes. The kittens seem to
find steam therapy very comforting and often they fall asleep! A congested
kitten is not going to be very interested in eating or drinking, so you
have to make sure that she gets enough nutrition and fluids. You will probably
want to feed her with a syringe using kitten formula or soft baby food.
Dehydration is the main cause of death for sick kittens so make sure she's
getting enough fluids - and I can't emphasize that more. Kitty colds can
often affect the cat's eyes so it's important that you keep your Kitty's
eyes clear of puss by gently wiping them down with a damp cloth. If needed your
vet can give you some antibacterial eyedrops or ointment to help the eyes
heal. A little warm plain water is fine to
clean the eye. but never put saline or anything else not prescribed by your vet
into a kitties eye - you could damage it. And finally allow your kitten to sleep
as much as she wants. Her immune system is working hard to fight the illness so
she needs a lot of shut-eye. Make sure she has a warm quiet place to sleep and
keep children and other pets from disturbing her. I want to emphasize that
although Kitty colds will often resolve on their own they can sometimes develop
into serious respiratory infections or even pneumonia. If your kitty is not
getting better and refuses to eat or drink, you will need to see a vet for
antibiotics. Thanks so much for watching! Let us know in the comments some of the
things that you have done to help nurse a sick kitty. If you like this video
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