What is reverse sneezing in dogs and cats? Warning after cancer sign goes viral on TikTok

Pet owners have become concerned for their pet’s health after a video of a cat showing cancerous warning signs went viral on TikTok.

The video has been seen over 880,000 times on the social media platform, showing a rescue cat ‘reverse sneezing’ after jumping up onto a bed.

Experts have now warned that reverse-sneezing can be a symptom of nasal cancer, allergies or irritation in dogs and cats, and have offered advice to owners if pets continue to show signs of reverse-sneezing.

Here is everything you need to know about the phenomenon and the video:

What happened in the video?

A video was posted in May by a user posting under the handle ‘Toothless.nugget’, with the caption “always be an advocate for your pet”.

Their rescue cat Nugget was seen jumping onto a bed before making a wheezy sound, similar to a sneeze, but breathing in.

Now seen 880,000 times, the creator said they had taken Nugget to three vets who labelled the symptom as ‘reverse sneezing’ and did not get any further tests done.

Toothless.nugget went on to comment that their pet had shown a series of irregular breathing patterns for a full year, leading to Nugget’s’ diagnosis of osteosarcoma, a bone cancer in cats signified by masses or swelling.

After the video went viral, other pet owners flooded to the comment sections to share their concern for their own pets, who showed similar signs, with one saying: “My cat makes the same noise and now I’m worried”, while another wrote: “My cat started doing this a couple months ago…I don’t know what I should do.”

What is reverse sneezing?

Where a forward sneeze is a forceful expulsion of air which acts to clear mucus out of the nose due to irritation, a reverse sneeze is where an animal’s nose, soft palate or throat is irritated and goes into spasm, leading to forced inhalation to try and ‘catch their breath’.

The phenomenon can occur in cats, but most commonly occurs with brachycephalic dogs such as French bulldogs or pugs due to the malformation of their upper airways, which can be resolved with surgery.

Normally, a reverse sneeze happens in response to dust or other irritants in the air, but can also occur when an animal is excited, is eating or drinking, or pulls on the lead when walking.

To help ease the symptom, an animal’s throat can be massaged, and their neck extended out to help an episode pass, however they are normally self-limiting.

Episodes last for a short period of time, but if reverse sneezing or other signs of nasal cancer continue, owners are advised to visit their vet.

What have experts said about pets who reverse-sneeze?

Every Paw Pet Insurance’s in-house vet Dr Anna Foreman, has offered some advice on how to treat pets who are reverse sneezing frequently.

Dr Foreman said: “It is when an animal is seen to be reverse sneezing persistently that investigations should be performed to address why an animal has irritation.

“In these situations, reverse sneezing can be in response to exercise intolerance because of a heart issue, allergies or an abnormal structure/foreign body in the throat.”

Dr Foreman examined the viral TikTok video and explained that Toothless was reverse sneezing due to the abnormal structure being a cancerous mass blocking its airways.

Owners are advised that these noises could be mistaken if a cat has feline asthma or upper respiratory disease.

“Investigations into reverse sneezing may involve different things depending on what is suspected to be the cause,” Dr Foreman said.

“An animal may be trialled on antihistamines if an allergy is suspected, a heart scan may be performed for a cardiac issue, or imaging may be performed if a foreign body or mass is suspected.”

What other nasal cancer signs should I look out for in my pets?

After the video of Toothless went viral, owners are encouraged to look out for other symptoms in their pets for nasal cancer, to treat it early.

Some nasal cancers are malignant and difficult to treat/non-treatable, however some can be benign and can be removed surgically.

In addition to reverse-sneezing, nasal cancer in cats can lead to other clinical signs, such as:

• True sneezing
• Gagging and swallowing
• Nasal or eye discharge (clear, green or bloody)
• Swellings of the bridge/length of the nose
• Decreased air flow through one or both nostril/s
• Difficulty breathing and a change in the tone of their ‘meow’ or other vocalisations.
• Less specific signs include lethargy and weight loss.