Curing the Common Cold for Your Cat

Tried, tested and true tidbits to keep your cat happy and healthy.

Was that a fit of sneezing you just heard? You call out to your youngest child and ask if they need a tissue, only to hear a reply of “it wasn’t me”. Your mind tries to rationalize if it wasn’t you, then who? You move into the next room and find a teary-eyed cat who really needs to have her nose wiped. Yes, the cold season can affect your precious cat, too.

Now we all know the common cold will eventually work itself out of your system if you take care and heed a few home remedies, but how do you tell a cat to get plenty of rest and eat properly? Well, certainly you could speak to them, and chances are they would listen to every word, but it would not change the outcome because they already sleep too much being indoors for the winter, and you already control their diet with regular feedings.

A trip to the vet could enlighten you as to how to proceed with your much-loved cat, but it would also lighten your pocketbook. The remedy could already be in your medicine cabinet; you just didn’t know it. I received this handy tidbit from my daughter, who worked in an animal clinic at the time. Her comment was simple: if you take her to the vet, they will probably give her a bunch of tests to prove she only has a cold and then feed her some vitamin C. I’m not a vitamin taker, so I actually had to go to a store and purchase a bottle, but the cost was minimal.

My daughter returned home and showed me how, and I was amazed at the results and how quickly they took effect. By administering just a quarter of a Vitamin C tablet to our cat for four (4) consecutive days, her symptoms disappeared. Over the years, we have come to know the symptoms early, including runny eyes, fits of sneezing, lack of appetite, and excessive sleeping. We have been able to cure the common cold in our cats, and they have lived a rich life, just celebrating their 16th birthdays this past December.

Using two straws, we can easily administer a piece of the Vitamin C tablet and make her happy and healthy once more.

Here is the Straw Method:
Take two straws and cut one straw just a bit shorter than the other.
Carefully place the longer straw inside the shorter one; this will act as your plunger.
Take one Vitamin C tablet and cut it with a knife on a cutting board into four (4) even chunks. This is easy, as most have markings on them for cutting.
Draw the straw plunger up, take the piece of Vitamin C, and place it at the end of the straw, making sure the longer straw is ready to be pushed with ease.
Cradle your cat in your lap and stick your thumb and forefinger on opposite sides of the jaw, and gently open enough to insert the straw towards the back of the tongue.
Push the straw plunger, and the Vitamin C will drop onto the back of the tongue. Remove fingers and allow the cat to swallow.

While this is extremely simple, it may sound complicated when written out; you do have an alternative. Since we have two cats, one likes the straw method, and our other cat, also 16 years old, prefers this method.

Here is the Syringe Method:
Crush one quarter of a Vitamin C tablet and mix with half a teaspoon of water.
Fill the syringe with the mixture and administer it into the cat's mouth as close to the back of the tongue as possible for easy swallowing.
Because Vitamin C can leave an aftertaste in your cat's mouth, be sure to have a fresh supply of water which they can drink from.

Please Note: While we maintain this practice with our cats, and it has proved to be very successful,l we never need to give either of them Vitamin C for longer than four (4) consecutive days to relieve their runny eyes or sneezing symptoms. It is not recommended to give a cat a regular dose of Vitamin C as preventative medicine. Only use when needed for best results. If in doubt, consult with your veterinarian first.

2026-01-24 Update: Izzy and Wrilly were both 16 when this article was written. Izzy passed away when she was 18, and Wrilly passed away when she was 22. Beau has since joined our household at just a year old. His 12th birthday is in a couple of months, and we continue to cure our cat's common cold with a touch of Vitamin C.