Cat with Asthma

[Dangerdoll]

Some of you know that last Spring, I aquired a rescue cat from a friend who had passed away last year. The only thing I knew about this cat was that he was a prized pet, loved so much, he was an outside cat who came in at night and that he had asthma. Since his owner passed away, my sister and I worked for 3 months to get this cat to bring him home with me. He was virtually outside all this time but we would feed and water him daily, feverishly trying to sneak up and catch him. We knew he needed meds and would pour a cupful into his food every time we fed him. We tried different foods but it seemed he was stuck on only one brand... Kit n Kaboodle. Finally, the guys sister was at his house cleaning it up for selling, leaving the door open and in saunters the cat we've been trying to trap for so long. Great, we finally had him. I bring him to my house and he escaped... of course. BUT he didn't get far, just scoping the surroundings I guess. The next day, I went back (we hadn't moved into the house just yet) and went to see if he had indeed left or was sticking around. He stuck around, thankfully! Now this guy (who passed) was very good friends with my sister and a huge reason I took in yet another rescue animal. He stayed outside for the entire summer and built this little mountain of love inside me for him. As it was getting cold, I was feeling terrible. Knowing he needed inside... but wasn't sure what was going to happen with the other cats (2 of them, 1 declawed). I decided, he could have the entire attic. It's huge up there, lots of hiding spaces and still not as crowded, so his feral side wouldn't be so stressed out. Well, after a few weeks of the attic, he had shown huge interest in coming downstairs into the 2nd story of the house. I was very nervous, inquired here and other fishboards and got some really good advice about their introductions. Well, he's been pretty much ruling the 2nd floor of the house, with the declawed cat while the other stays on the main floor of the home. He's 2 years, maybe 3 tops. My declawed girl, she's about 10 and finds him annoying at times but for the most part, they get along. The question I do have, is has anyone else ever experienced a cat with asthma before and if there is anything other than the meds that I can do for him. He does cough without the med and he does breath pretty weird. Weird enough to have me worry about him. I just placed a call to the vet for more meds but I'm not sure if it's for him to feel better or for me to and is there anything else I need to be aware of.
http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL1021/3558336/11465663/166073482.jpg

[daayda3]

That look just like my cat that got hit by a car...
I've never heard of a cat with asthma...

[lwooters]

A friend of mine has a cat who's allergic to cat hair. He sneezes so hard his hind legs come off the ground and he hop hop hops around in a circle.... Not what you're talking about I suppose

[Madcrawdad]

in people, asthma restricts the airway sometimes resulting in death....I suspect that the meds are more for his comfort, rather than yours. you can always check with a vet though. as he's more of an outdoor cat, I'd keep him on the meds as I would assume that plenty of stuff outside, pollen, smog, other cats, dust, etc. probably have the potential for triggering an attack.

[Dangerdoll]

yeah, I've scheduled him an appointment on Monday. I am guessing they will give him a steroid shot and give me stuff to give him at home. I am thinking though, last summer was his outside time. No more for him. He seems content in the house now so why risk it if the yearning is no longer there.

[webcricket]

Can you post the name of the meds he is on? I'm hoping they don't have him on pred - long term daily steroids can really be an issue with overall health. He's really too young to be on steroids on a regular basis.

I work for a vet and we treat several asthmatic cats. Some of the cats actually get treated with an inhaler (corticosteroid as a maintenance, and bronchodilator in cases of respiratory distress). Ask your vet about Flovent and an inhaler system, they don't have the side effects of oral or injected steroids.

[J double R]

i had a rat with asthma.. the vet prescribed her with inhalant medications and all! she lived a full and happy life with it, and as long as we kept up on her treatment, she was fine. the inhalant was Albuterol.

prednisone/prednisolone is a major immune system killer.. if your cat is being treated with it, take extra steps to ensure that it is not exposed to any other cat illnesses, as something as simple as a common cold can take a major toll on something with a educed immune system.

[phaedraeos]

are you sure that it's really, diagnosed asthma? the reason i ask is, there are many many feline diseases that result in respiratory distress including coughing, nasal and ocular discharge, and labored breathing. if you have the money i would take him in for a full veterinary exam before buying more medication. what were you giving him, anyway?

also, have you had him tested for fiv or felv? the chances of an outdoor cat contracting either of those diseases is especially high, and both lead to a depressed immune system, which in turn can manifest itself in constant respiratory trouble. good luck with him!

[Dangerdoll]

I brought Mr. Kitty to his vet yesterday and things went pretty well, no meds for him though. The doc said he did hear a slight wheeze in his chest but other than that, everything's great for him. Gave him a shot of something and said it was long term and that I should bring him back in a couple weeks for vaccinations because he didn't want to give them to him with the shot (I'll have to see what it is on his paperwork at home). I wasn't giving him anything for about 5 months (been that long since I had him) as he never showed any signs of anything wrong. He did have a medication but I wound up tossing it believing he didn't need it... and I feel totally guilty about that, so no flaming please. I thought his previous owner was just a little over-protective of him since this was his first cat. His breathing this morning looked like a normal cat's breathing though, I was very impressed and happy that he was seemingly feeling better... made a nudge of himself, I chalked it up as him giving his thanks :)

He was hopelessly pathetic at the vet. Never realized how much he likes me, LOL... when I had him on the table, he was plastered to me as close as he could possibly be. I felt so bad for him. Here's a better pic of him.
http://pic2.picturetrail.com/VOL1021/3558336/14025469/230211163.jpg

[ash]

I don't think you should feel guilty for tossing the med- you thought your friend was being overprotective.It could have been worse to medicate him without knowing exactly what was going on. You took him to the vet, asked what you needed to ask to educate yourself on his condition and got him the help he needed- good for you. I bet keeping him inside is helping quite a bit.