I recently aquired a Maine Coon kitten and have noticed that at times it sounds as if his nose is stuffy particularly when he purrs. Also there has been a little brown crust at the edge of his nostrils. I asked my vet who examined him and he suggested that it may be due to pollens in the air (I live in Mass. and our property is surrounded by goldenrod and ragweed). "Cooper" is kept indoors but I do leave the windows open with screens. My other cat, a 9 yr. old Siamese has never had anything like this. My vet said if there were a milky discharge or if the kitten were sneezing frequently then he would treat with medications but that has not been the case. "Cooper" doesn't appear unhealthy in any way. He's growing in leaps and bounds, 6 lbs at 4 mos. old and he's super active with a great appetite and beautiful coat. Any second opinions or suggestions would be helpful. Thank you, Lisa

-- Anonymous, October 09, 1999

Answers

I don't think you mentioned what color Maine Coon he is.....that may sound like a funny question but I have found that certain colors of MCs seem to be more apt to have dirty noses! This seems to occur particularly on the reds and silvers....much more than I have ever seen on the browns. We generally use a piece of kleenex which has been wet with warm water, and gently dab at their nose. That usually loosens up the "gunk" and then it is easy to wipe it away. Some people use a q-tip but you must obviously be careful with this weapon! Anyway, I would not worry about the gunk, unless your cat is obviously having problems with breathing. You just might always want to check he is clean before visitors arrive!! It sounds like he is growing beautifully. Enjoy your kitty.

-- Anonymous, November 03, 1999

I know this is a very old reply to an old question and hope you're still on here. I have a Maine Coon Brown Tabby w/white, 8 months old. She has always seemed to have a stuffy nose of sorts or sat the very least sounding like it and the sides of the nostrils get a lil brown not gunmkybut a lil cakes when it drys. Now she is sneezing, this just started, I wonder if she has allergies, she is also coughing a little too mainly when she eats, I am taking to vet today but wonder is this signs of allergies??? I also have 5 other domestic short hairs and they are all fine.

Cindy

-- Anonymous, April 11, 2000