Do I need to bring my cat to the vet? Can I help him at home?

I have 2 indoor only cats. Both are up to date on all of their shots/vaccinations. Neither has gotten out of the house in over a year, or had any contact with any other kind of animal in more than 5 months.

3 days ago my 3 year old male, Pete, started sneezing. He feels warmer than usual (not ot though), and his nose is warm and dry. His eyes are not weepy, he seems to be eating normally (although he is drinking a lot more water than normal), but I have noticed he sleeps slightly more than normal.

I do not want to be mean to him, but money is so tight that I really can't take him to the vet unless it is the last resort. Is it possible that this just a little cold that I have to wait out? Are there any home-remedies/aids to help alleviate the symptoms in any way? My other cat isn't sick at all. Thank you!

Can you check his temperature with a rectal thermometer - normal is around 102. If it's 104 he should see a vet right away.

His system may just be dealing with a virus and it can resolve itself in a few days and there is a risk of passing to your other cat. A vet can't do anything about that.

If he has a high temp and if he stops eating and drinking he MUST get to the vet. Sometimes waiting can mean an emergency vet visit to save a life and that's much more expensive than a routine exam at your regular vet's.

It sounds like a cold and if he is eating , drinking and it comes out the other end fine then just watch him. He doses not need ant meds at this point just let him rest up and recover. If he quits eating and drinking for 24 ti 48 hours then take him to the vet. I bet he will be just fine in 3 days.

You might aspirating his nose. Don't wait too long, because cats can die from colds.

Don't give him any over the counter people medications - some of them can be deadly such as ibuprofen! You can try waiting out his symptoms, but honestly he probably does need to go to a vet if he feels warm to the touch - a fever indicates infection of some sort. Also, you want to make sure he is drinking plenty of water (sick cats can get dehydrated easily) and keep an eye on his food intake as well as his urinating and defecation. Good luck - I hope he's better soon!

Believe it or not my cat Lui was experiencing the same thing a little over a month ago. We kept an eye on him & during a one week period, it just digressed until he stopped even eating & going to the litter box. My other 2 were fine just like your other cat is fine. He needed an I.V. & antibiotics so you can probably save yourself a bit of money if you go now, the I.V. alone was about $80. While it's very possible, I've just never heard of a cat getting sick & getting better on it's own. We can take Aleve or Tylenol to mask the cold until we feel better, but kitty's can't do that. It's not necesserily mean, but unfair because it takes a lot for a cat to noticeably not feel well. They're very good at under exaggerating just how sick they're feeling. I hope he's okay.

Understand that cats don't have a much of a thirst drive & when they show it, it could be an underlying health issue, diabetes, kidney disease, thyroid etc.. Read up on upper respiratory infection & the above mentioned.The sooner a diagnoses the sooner a maintenance plan. Down the road it's cheaper then a critical situation. I'm sorry for all of us that are in monetary struggles. I have made landlords & utilities wait when my pets have shown a red flag of urgency. I have scraped by and /or borrowed, in certain situations. Chicken soup isn't gonna do here, not that you would do that but a vet prognosis is your best defence with these symptoms. Call around to vets, explain your financial need, try the shelter vets. You might get an appointment at cost. Even shelling out for an antibiotic if that's all that's needed could make a difference between URI(if that's what it is ?) & scar tissue( worse problem) if left of it's own accord.All the best