Expert: Jessica - 6/12/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have several cats.  One of my adult cats, and a few of the new kittens I have have "crusties" (I am not sure what to call them) around their nostrils.  They do not ever appear to have runny noses, but I will occasionally use my finger to wipe this out of their noses.  It is usually just a thin layer of crust that has formed on the bottom side of their nostrils.  I have had all of my adult cats tested for everything, and everyone came back healthy.  Is this a serious problem that I should be concerned about?  None of them ever act like they don't feel well.  They don't even act like they know that is there until I start messing with it. I can't even really tell it is there until I look really close.  I just want to make sure that I am not overlooking something.  Thanks for your help!!

ANSWER: Hi Lori.  How long have they had the symptoms?  It could indicate that they have one of the milder upper respiratory infections, such as one of the strains of corona virus.  There are many of them, most of which cause barely noticeable symptoms such as a slightly runny nose, but they typically tend to run their course in about 10 days.  Some strains of calici virus, another form of "kitty cold", are also relatively mild, and calici can hang around a little longer.  Many cats actually become calici carriers for life and will struggle with symptoms from time to time.

What sort of litter are you using?  When I used to use clay litters, I noticed a lot of crust on my cat's noses, and also dust around the house.  This was because of the silica dust found in the litter.  It also gets into their airways and lungs, where it can cause inflammation and breathing problems.  These litters tend to cause runny noses, too, because they have harsh perfumes that irritate cats' sensitive noses.  If you happen to be using traditional clay or clay clumping litters, I would say to give a different type of litter a try and see if that makes any difference.  I personally use Feline Pine Scoop (pine-based) and love it.  Others love Swheat Scoop (wheat-based), World's Best Cat Litter (corn-based) and Cedarific (non-clumping cedar-based).

If you use a dust-free, unscented litter already and the kitties still have crusties, I would say to have them checked out, just in case.  There are a few bacterial bugs that can cause some nasal discharge, like chlamydia, pasteurella or bordetella.  Typically, these germs will cause worse disease than what you're seeing when they need to be treated, but the vet will certainly make that call!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: They have had the symptoms from the beginning (as far as I can remember).  Is it not odd that they don't all have the symptoms?  Is it contagious?

I used the Sweat Scoop for the first couple of weeks for the babies.  Now I still have a couple of boxes with that in them, and the other boxes have a non-scented clay litter that is non-clumping.  It is rather dusty, but I have an arrangement where I get it free, since all of my cats are rescues.  I could not afford to keep them otherwise.  I also have a couple of the Breeze litter boxes that I keep for my kitties that are more particular about their boxes.  They only urinate in them, though.  They all seem to like the clay litter the best.  Even the kittens use the clay a lot more than they do the Sweat Scoop.

Thanks for all of your help!!


Answer
I know, it's awful that litter is so expensive, just for something we're going to throw away.  The things we do for them!

The germs are all contagious.  Cats are generally resistant to bacterial diseases caused by chlamydia, pasteurella and bordetella.  Many carry the germs without showing any symptoms at all, and there’s generally no need to treat the germs if they aren’t causing symptoms.  Although the majority of cats do not suffer clinical disease from these germs, some kittens and cats in the same household, depending on their immune response, may end up with symptoms and need treatment.  

The viral diseases are all contagious as well, and most of the cats are probably infected with calici in any sort of mutli-cat environment.  It’s the second most common upper respiratory infection, and around 3/4 of cats become infected in their lifetime.  Cats all receive calici vaccines in their combo shots, but this only protects them against certain strains.  It also doesn’t prevent those strains, it only lessens the blow when they do become infected.  Again, those with the weaker immune system may have runnier, crustier noses for a longer time, while those with stronger immune system show almost no symptoms.

It could be a germ…aside from that, a fragrance that could be bothering them or the dust from the litter box, I don’t think there’s much else to worry about!

Thanks for helping out the kitties!