Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Anyone else's cat(s) get black boogers in their nose(s)?

   Augie & Lucy are my new awesome, sweet, fun 5-month-old kittens(littermates). They seem healthy and energetic in every way but they both frequently get dry black boogers in their noses: Lucy more than Augie. I have to clean her little nose about once a day.

   I asked the vet about it when they were getting their shots and he sort of brushed off the question by saying black's a normal color for cat boogers and I should worry if the boogers are green or wet because that could mean an infection. I'm thinking maybe I should get a second opinion.

   I thought the boogers could be dust-related, but I've tried switching to a less dusty litter and made sure to sweep out under all the furniture where little kitties can run into dust bunnies, but no change.

   Any ideas?

   Posted 3 years ago by Starfish #

2. 

   Are you using clumping litter or regular litter? If you are using clumping litter, that might be the problem, believe it or not. Some cats, especially young ones, will get some of the tiny particles up their noses and have that produce irritation that causes the problem you describe. Small kittens shouldn't use clumping litter, because they are prone to ingest some and have it cause severe intestinal problems and blockages.

   Posted 3 years ago by Marnet #

3. 

   My kitten gets little black boogies sometimes, but she's fine otherwise. I was originally hesitant to use clumping litter with my kitten but I can't find any actual proof that clumping is dangerous for cats in terms of them ingesting it. The guy responsible for "Kitten/Cat Attract" litter talks about it as if it were just a misconception, and that most of what has been said about the "dangers" is lacking any physical or documented proof. We had to switch to clumping because one of the other kittens wouldn't use the pellets, and the kitten we have currently uses her mom's litter box so we had little choice.

   Posted 3 years ago by Tobert #

4. 

   Are your kits fea-free? Hopefully it isn't flea related.

   Posted 3 years ago by jeankit #

5. 

   That's what I was thinking too, jeankit. I've never had a kitten with it and I used to breed Siamese and work with a Balinese breeder, so I've been around a lot of kittens. Can't say my ferals h ad it either, although some of the mamas wouldn't let me get close enough.

   Posted 3 years ago by Sheba's Mom in Raleigh, NC #

6. 

   All my cats have always had lil black boogies sometimes and all have been healthy. I don't think it's anything to worry about.

   Posted 3 years ago by ama58873 #

7. 

   No worries with the black boogers. My sumi had them constantly for 6 months and now they seem to be lessening as she gets older. It's because they've been exposed to feline rhinotracheitis virus (herpes family, like cold sores are) when they were tiny, and as their auto-immune system develops, the little traces of symptoms will fade. No worries - if your kittens are alert, energetic, bright and hungry, they are healthy! No harm to wipe the outside crusts daily though, with cotton wool or tissue in warm water - makes it easier for them to breathe and smell, and helps discourage any bacteria or infection!

   Posted 3 years ago by eleniki #

8. 

   Thanks to everyone who replied! I'm glad to have discovered this forum of cat-lovers.

   The boogers are not from fleas and not from the litter. My little ones are flea-free and I've tried totally dust-free litter with them.

   Eleniki, I think you might have nailed it! My kittens were definitely exposed to the feline rhinotracheitis virus. Lucy had the characteristic eye infection when I got her. Also, my babies were abandoned kittens and bottle raised from 2-weeks, so they didn't get that immune-boosting mama cat milk.

   I think I will chat with my vet again about the boogers, but as otherwise Lucy and Augie are the picture of health, I'm not going to worry too much about it. Hopefully like it did with Sumi, the symptom will fade.

   Thanks again!

   Posted 3 years ago by Starfish #

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