Friday, November 28, 2008

Kitty Asthma Question

Cloud: Hey effuryone!

The silly picture contest was postponed one more week, Mom's still furry busy but things should be settling down soon.

Mom has a question. I've been breathing kinda loud lately. I don't sound congested when I purr, or even congested when I breathe, it just sounds a bit loud with sometimes a very very faint wheeze to it. I don't do it all the time, and I'd otherwise been seeming normal except for a very occasional sneeze (the vets say as long as they aren't more than 2 or 3 times a day it's probably just herpes and I'll grow out of it eventually) until yesterday. Yesterday I was a bit sleepy- not enough for mom to say something was definitely wrong or anything, but a tiny bit sleepier than normal. Problem is, with all the problems she's been through with Texas and now Niko, Mom has turned into a bit of a kitty hypochrondriac. She made an appointment for both of us to be seen on Monday- Niko needs his last distemper shot and recheck of his UTI/ pooper problems anyway, but Mom is still scared. Does anything think this could be kitty asthma (she's only heard me cough once, and that was several days ago)?

Niko: Poor Mom, always worrying about us. I've been doing well- Cloud isn't supposed to be sick now! Mom doesn't think whatever Cloud has is a cold, or at least ONLY a cold. Cloud was sneezing alot back when I was, so with the vet's permission she gave Cloud antibiotic too and we both stopped sneezing for the most part. But the wheezing started about 2 weeks ago, right as we were on our last doses of the antibiotic. It wasn't so loud back then (even now though you still have to hold Cloud pretty close to hear it) and Dad's been insisting this whole time it was just normal cat breathing, so that's why Mom waited so long- but Mom is finally convinced this just isn't normal cat breathing.

Any kitties have any advice? Yoo can email us at catsinmd at gmail dot com if that's easier then commentin'. Fanks!

8 comments:

Margaret Cloud said...

I do hope things get better soon, my cat Melody (now at the Bridge), started by sneezing and breathing funny, she never improved. I am glad the vet is keeping tabs on you cats.

Laura said...

Cats can get hay fever just like their not so furry friends. Some benedryl in the evenings helps aleviate that.

Tama-Chan, Benny, Vidock, Violette, Ollie, Heloise, Momo, Ryu said...

I breathe loudly almost all the time and have done so ever since I had two different cat flu viruses as a kitten. #1 always knows when I am in the room as she can hear me breathing! Most of the time, it doesn't bother me at all, and the vet says it's the aftermath of the cat flu and i will probably always be like this. Occasionally, though, I et upper respiratory infections and need treatment.

Your Pal,
Sen-Chan

Maggie May said...

Hi Niko, Cloud, and Mom!
This is Maya, and I have kitty asthma. When I was much younger and I would play for too long I would begin to pant, mom and dad would call it "desert kitty."
Then when I got a little older I would get really low to the ground and make coughing noises for about 20 seconds or so. At first they thought it was a hairball, but then we found out they were asthma attacks. I sound very congested when I have an attack and I take predisone during the attack and it helps.
Our mom is also a "kitty hypochondriac" after our brofur, Sylvester, died suddenly and out of the blue last year.

Max said...

I hate stabby people, but I'd demand a chest x-ray just to make sure there's nothing like fluid in your chest.

I have asthma, just a tiny bit, and I cough once in a while, especially in spring or when I suck in sudden cold air. I think most kitties with it are like me, it's allergy or temperature induced and doesn't happen enough to even need meds. Some kitties need breathing treatments.

It's probably just allergies, BUT...wheezing (is there a whistle kind of sound to it?) and coughing can also mean fluid in the chest, and that can happen with some cardiac conditions...it's just better to get looked at if it hasn't resolved pretty quickly.

Kaz's Cats said...

Hmmm, we don't have much experience of anything like that round here, but some other kitties have made some smart suggestions here. We hope that your Mom works out the best thing to do for you with your v-e-t, and we'll say some purrs for you as well.

{{kitty hugs}}

Gypsy & Tasha

Zoe and Indy said...

That sounds similar to what Indy is experiencing right now. The vet said it's possible he could have asthma. Two weeks of antibiotics helped, but he's not completely better yet. It could be a virus and they can take a long time to get better though. A chest x-ray is a good idea, and we're going to do that next if he doesn't continue to improve. He's taking Enisyl-F right now and that seems to be helping a bit. It's good for herpes too so that might be worth a try.
It's good to get it checked out, but don't worry too much. The vet said Zoe had asthma when she was about 6 months old, but we changed her dusty clay litter to the wheat stuff and she got better right away. So it could be something simple like that too.

Everycat said...

Our Mum thinks that it's not that long ago you were so poorly. Cat flu (herpes/calici) can take a really long while to settle down after a bout. The inflamation in your nasal passages and other airways can cause this sort of wheezy breathing. Even small amounts of stress can cause little outbreaks, because the tissues that are still healing are vulnerable to the viruses and become a sort of home site for them. Your Mum isn't a hypochondriac, she's showing how observant she has become from looking after Texas when he was so poorly. Going to the vets is totally the right thing to do.

Hope you feel better soon little sweeties!

Rumbly purrs from Whicky & Family