“I didn’t know dogs and cats could get colds…” said a co-worker to me the other day in response to my comment about Lexington having a bad snotty nose.
His nose started to run again in this photo–don’t worry I didn’t take photos of the really gross nose runs.
Yes, indeed, cats get colds as evidenced by Lexington’s snot-crusted right nostril and cheek, and runny right eye, and his dodging the nose wipes like a stubborn little boy who would rather endure a runny nose than have his mother clean it for him. “Seriously, Lex, you want to have snot on your face?” I said while struggling to wipe. If only he understood the words “blow into the tissue”. After a weekend of this it was time for a vet visit.
He jumped off the sofa after enough of the nose wiping.
Ten days after being diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and receiving a long-acting antibiotic shot, Lexington finally recovered from the cold. While he was fighting the infection, I switched from using a tissue to a warm-watered washcloth, which he tolerated much better—he actually held still as I gently pressed the warm cloth on his cheek and wiped his little nose. A few times after I’d gotten him nice and clean with the washcloth, he “kissed” my hand then looked at me straight in the eye as he let out a soft “meow”, his way of thanking me for helping him feel better.
Animals get many of the sicknesses that we humans get, including cancer, which Lexington is also fighting and for the moment, winning.