How to Treat a Cat With a Cold - Helping the cat through the cold

1. Take your cat's temperature. Gently pinch his ear (thumb inside, finger outside). If it is winter, the ear should be cold; if summer, it should be warm. Note that central heating is not a major contributor to the cat's temperature, although it may have a vague effect.

2. Listen to the cat's breathing. Lay your ear gently on the cat's chest and listen for up to 1 minute. If the breathing is raspy, or wheezy, press on the chest and rub it until the breathing calms.
- Massage the cat's muzzle, throat, and chest area.
- Try to make it easier for your cat to breathe. Maybe place a humidifier in the room.

3. Deal with the discharge. Gently wipe away excess discharge from the eyes and nose. Use a moistened (warm water) cotton ball to wipe away the discharge. Use a separate cotton ball for the nose and a separate ball for the eyes, to avoid transferring germs from the nose to the eyes. Discard after each use.

4. Encourage your cat to eat. The smell will help his nose and maybe test if he has a cold. For example, prepare some food where the cat cannot see. When it's ready, you will know if he has a cold because the cat will not come running owing to the fact that he cannot smell it.
- Warming the cat food might entice your cat more and help increase the odor. Baby food with a meat flavor can be useful as it is already well puréed.[1]

5. Keep your cat from dehydrating. Feed him a constant supply of water and check that he has drank it.

6. If you have other cats that don't have a cold in your household, then it is strongly recommended you keep them separate. If not, the other cats may catch the cold. Then you would have to treat all those other cats, which is more effort and worry, as well as potentially being more expensive. Keep your cat with a cold away from any other pet cats you may keep in your house.

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