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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / March 2005Cat With Asthma
My girlfriend's cat has asthma and she's had a difficult time treating it successfully. The cat has at least two attacks per day lasting anywhere from a few seconds to about a half minute. She is using homeopathics given to her by the vet of her choice with the option to move into more potent drugs- I think steroids or cortisone- if she felt the cat was having too difficult a time. Have any cat owners out there dealt successfully with the problem of feline asthma without needing to resort to drugs which could have serious side effects down the road? thanks > My girlfriend's cat has asthma and she's had a difficult time treating > it successfully. The cat has at least two attacks per day lasting [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > needing to resort to drugs which could have serious side effects down > the road? thanks Asthma is nothing to screw with. Her cat could die during one of these attacks. Also, if not controlled asthma causes permanent damage that cannot then be adequately treated. My cat's asthma is controlled a couple of Depo Medrol (steroid) shots a year and avoidance of irritants. For example I do not wear perfume as I found that was a trigger for her, and we sleep with a HEPA filter in the room, the only filter that cleans the air on the molecular level. (It really helps with dust.) >> My girlfriend's cat has asthma and she's had a difficult time treating >> it successfully. The cat has at least two attacks per day lasting [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >that cleans the air on the molecular level. (It really helps with >dust.) Thanks for the reply. She does use an air filter and humidifier and doesn't wear perfume. She does, however, live in a very major metropolis so I'm certain the auto pollution and restaurant exhaust is having an effect on the cat. When she got the cat from a shelter, it was suffering from a respiratory infection which probably contributed to the asthma problem. Are there any negative side effects of the steroid shots down the road? And do the shots completely prevent the recurrence? > >Asthma is nothing to screw with. Her cat could die during one of > >these attacks. Also, if not controlled asthma causes permanent [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > steroid shots down the road? And do the shots completely prevent the > recurrence? The negative side effects, according to my vet, come with a frequent use of steroids over a long period of time. When I weaned my cat down to three per year and still expressed worry, he said, "Listen, when we say frequent, we mean there are cats that need these every month. Three or four times a year should pose no danger. That said the chief negative side effect I recall is diabetes. The way the Depo works (in my limited knowledge) is to decrease the two main culprits in asthma--inflamation and irritation that causes the passages to narrow. (I have severe asthma, hence my interest.) Allergens and other things like smoke and even cold air can "trigger" muscle spasms that close up the passages. If you "lock down" in a place where you cannot get medical help, you can die. Asthma is incurable, but the important thing is that it can be controlled. If it is controlled the damage it causes (it actually changes the structure of the lungs) is controlled. Get your friend off the homeopathic idea. As an asthmatic, I can tell you and her that it is no fun to feel like you as suffocating. Get that cat on Depo. Her vet can tell her about other means of delivery, and other steroids--prednisone, etc. But having the cat get a shot three times a year beats the hell out of pilling her twice a day. Good luck, and keep us posted about the kitty. This is certainly an indoor only cat, right? >> >Asthma is nothing to screw with. Her cat could die during one of >> >these attacks. Also, if not controlled asthma causes permanent [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > >This is certainly an indoor only cat, right? Yes, it is an indoor only cat since we got him- we're not sure of the cat's history before we got it from the shelter other than it was sick with the respiratory disease that seems to be so prevalent in cats that spend some time in a shelter. I'm definitely going to pass this info on; we would really like to make the cat as comfortable as possible without creating more serious problems in the future; I'm sure you can understand that sentiment. If the steroids are only needed several times a year then and they are effective, then that certainly seems to be the avenue to take. Thank you for the detailed info and encouragement. "soinie" <soinie@hotttmail.com> wrote : > Yes, it is an indoor only cat since we got him- we're not sure of the > cat's history before we got it from the shelter other than it was sick [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > certainly seems to be the avenue to take. Thank you for the detailed > info and encouragement. Soinie, on the good side, once you get it under control aside from a little congestion that you can hear when they purr, you have a normal cat. At least that is what happened with mine. She was having an attack or two every day when I got her at the shelter. After the depo, it was an attack every two months. After two years of the Depo three or four times a year, I got her a shot last July and she has not needed another yet. I expect she will cough once or twice in March or April as things begin to sprout outside, and I will get her another. It is a miracle worker.Best of luck, you are a good friend to this cat. Let us know what your vet says. She needs to quit screwing around and get this cat to a vet and get him on medication. She is going to kill him a hell of a lot sooner by screwing with homeopaths. They have their place but when a cat can't breathe it's serious business. A cat having any attack on a daily basis is not acceptable. It's an awful feeling when your cat is gasping for air and their lips & tongue are blue. Obviously the asthma attacks are not this severe YET or she wouldn't be messing around but eventually they will get worse if you don't get them under control now. I had a cat who had SEVERE asthma the most severe my vet had ever seen. We successfully treated her with a combination of prednisone pills daily (shots when it was severe) and theophyline on a daily basis. I also kept her in air conditioning with a hepa filter running to help clean the air further. As she got older we had to add lasix to the medications because the prednisone will cause them to retain fluid which can be hard on their heart. We managed to get Skippi under control to the point that she would have attacks about ever 10 or 12 weeks. I learned over time to watch her closely and could about 90% of the time catch the attack and dose her up on Pred before she had a full blown asthma attack but it takes a lot of close observation to watch their behavior and know the warning signs. Skippi eventually died from a heart attack at the age of 4. Celeste > My girlfriend's cat has asthma and she's had a difficult time treating > it successfully. The cat has at least two attacks per day lasting [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > needing to resort to drugs which could have serious side effects down > the road? thanks >Have any cat owners out there dealt >successfully with the problem of feline >asthma without needing to resort to drugs >which could have serious side effects >down the road? Treating what is from your description an obviously seriously asthmatic cat with homeopathics is IMO malpractice and is putting this poor cat at serious risk of death. This cat needs to be treated with medication ASAP. Your friend can start with steroids for the short term just to give this cat relief and in the meantime look into getting an inhaler. Inhalers direct the medication into the lungs where it is needed and nowhere else, so you don't have the potential side effects that you might have with oral or injected steroids. Inhaled meds are bedoming the treatment of choice for asthmatic cats. I have a cat that is at present on oral steroids for his asthma, but I've just received the inhaler and will be transitioning to inhaled meds soon. You can read more and order the inhaler apparatus here: http://www.aerokat.com Megan  Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray >>Have any cat owners out there dealt >>successfully with the problem of feline [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Megan Why would prescribing a homeopathic remedy be considered malpractice? You're might be assuming that homeopathics are a joke, but they are very successful in treating pets of a variety of illnesses, and humans too I might add and are used extensively in Europe. And the side effects won't ultimately destroy your pet with another serious illness. The remedy was prescribed by a vet, by the way; I may have given the impression that its choice was a guess on my friend's part. We're thinking of the cat's longevity and want to balance treatment with that factor. > Why would prescribing a homeopathic remedy be considered malpractice? > You're might be assuming that homeopathics are a joke, but they are [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > We're thinking of the cat's longevity and want to balance treatment > with that factor. Soinie---asthma is one of those things homeopathic medicine does not help and may actually hurt. To even try this or consider it is upsetting. Asthma does not play. It is a killer. It has only been recently that there are drugs that actually control it. Zuzu means well--and is actually right--she just has a tone. I was tempted to reply in the same vein, only out of worry for the cat and knowing asthma as I do. Nothing personal. I am not into pumping drugs into things that don't need them either. >Why would prescribing a homeopathic >remedy be considered malpractice? Because asthma is a life threatening condition and AFAIK there are no *proven* homeopathic treatments for cats with asthma that can guarantee reilief. If someone wants to experiment with homeopathy for something less serious that won't result in death that's fine. Your friend is forcing her cat to suffer and the homeopathy is obviously NOT WORKING as the poor cat is suffering from at least two attacks a day. What the hell is your friend waiting for? To worry about "possible" side effects when the alternative is death is mind boggling to say the least. As I described in my message the Aerokat inhaler is an effective alternative, and short term oral steroids aren't a big deal. Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray > >Why would prescribing a homeopathic > >remedy be considered malpractice? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Megan Megan, I think the thing about asthma that might lead many to underestimate its danger is that it is fairly common. However, this does not make it less deadly. They understand so little about it, in terms of what makes the lungs clamp down to the point that not enough air gets in to keep the person or cat alive. It is truly nothing to mess with. Asthma is what killed my father. I was just diagnosed a few months ago. What is ironic is that Cheeky was diagnosed first, then me, three years later. It never occurred to ne that I would get it as an adult when I never had it as a child. My dad had it all his life. As it turns out, it is hereditary. I really should have known I might get it. Ain't denial grand? > Treating what is from your description an obviously seriously asthmatic > cat with homeopathics is IMO malpractice and is putting this poor cat at [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Megan Hummm...I'm suspicious that this inhaler actually allows the cat to breathe deeply enough for the meds to get where they need to be - it's basically just an extension chamber with a mask attached. In humans, you need to purposely deeply inhale the meds for them to work properly...I'm not sure how you could get a cat to inhale deeply enough. I would be cautious of under dosing. Also, inhaled steriods and other bronchodialators aren't without risk, as well. -L. >I'm suspicious that this inhaler actually >allows the cat to breathe deeply enough >for the meds to get where they need to be http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00200.htm Also see: http://www.fritzthebrave.com/ Megan Signature"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." -Edmund Burke Learn The TRUTH About Declawing http://www.stopdeclaw.com Zuzu's Cats Photo Album: http://www.PictureTrail.com/zuzu22 "Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way." - W.H. Murray > >I'm suspicious that this inhaler actually > >allows the cat to breathe deeply enough [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Megan Thanks for the links. That's really good to know. :) -L. > My girlfriend's cat has asthma and she's had a difficult time treating > it successfully. The cat has at least two attacks per day lasting [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > needing to resort to drugs which could have serious side effects down > the road? thanks At this point, the cat needs to be on prednisone or another cortisone derivative to break the asthmatic cycle. Two attacks per day is a lot - don't mess around with other methods of treatment. -L. >> My girlfriend's cat has asthma and she's had a difficult time >treating [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > >-L. We're taking the cat to another vet tomorrow- there's a 24 hour vet/hospital that we want to build a relationship with since anything can happen and usually does in the middle of the night or just after the vet has locked up and gone home. There's a major animal hospital in the middle of town but we and a number of our friends have all had such mediocre success with it that we have been hoping to find an alternative. I read your posts to my friend and she's encouraged by the fact that the steroids can be given as few times as Mary described with, hopefully, little or no side effects.. Here is a site about asthma and its treatment that you might find interesting, whether you agree with the treatment or not. http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_Health/Bronchial_Asthma_in_cats.html I did want to mention that the cat had Calici Virus when we got him and had a number of puncture marks around his neck where he was probably given shots of antibiotics to bring the virus under control, although he had a major relapse after two days and looked close to edge of death. We were able to pull him through with the help of our vet (the one who prescribes homeopathics) and lots of handling and care. I suspect that the virus may have done some lung damage which may have contributed to his getting asthma. Thanks again for all your help soinie laid this down on his screen : > We're taking the cat to another vet tomorrow- there's a 24 hour > vet/hospital that we want to build a relationship with since anything [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > may have contributed to his getting asthma. Thanks again for all your > help One of our cats has asthma too. We are treating her with a natural cortisone that we get through our vet, who gets it from a pet pharmacy. It works the same way as conventional cortisone but is not supposed to have the side effects. We are also treating her nutritionally. I do agree with the others regarding the homeopathy. While homeopathy can sometimes work, in the case of asthma you can't wait for the time it takes to find the right remedy, as the cat's lungs can become damaged in the meantime, and it can even be life threatening. The natural cortisone and nutritional therapy has worked well for our cat. If there comes a time when it doesn't, I would definitely look into the inhaled meds. Thanks for providing the link, I will check it out. Lauren SignaturePawsForThought >The natural > cortisone and nutritional therapy has worked well for our cat. If > there comes a time when it doesn't, I would definitely look into the > inhaled meds. Me too. Thank God Cheeks has improved so much. She has not even coughed since last July that I have heard, and I am with her almost constantly. But if she gets bad I will do anything and everything to help her. Mary explained on 3/15/2005 : >> The natural >> cortisone and nutritional therapy has worked well for our cat. If [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > almost constantly. But if she gets bad I will do anything and everything > to help her. That's great to hear, Mary :) SignaturePawsForThought > We're taking the cat to another vet tomorrow Wonderful. Let us know how it turns out. |
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