Feline Asthma? Don't Know What To Do

About 3 or 4 years ago my cat had what appeared to be a severe asthma attack (according to the emergency vet I took him to). They treated him then kept him overnight. Since then he's had occasional bouts of coughing and hacking whenever it's hot and humid. About a week ago he was coughing and hacking, had runny eyes and nose. He was better the next day except for the hacking cough. I took him to the vet and she looked at him for about 30 seconds. I guess his lungs seemed ok, he was alert and he eats well, but as I type this I just heard that hacking cough again. She prescribed temaril for him but it's impossible to give it to him. Best I can do is crush the pills, add tuna water, put it in a syringe and give it to him this way, but he drools most of it out. The thing is, going to the vet and giving him pills is EXTREMELY stressful for my cat. I keep thinking it will clear up on it's own. I'm torturing my cat by trying to give him pills that make him sick and taste AWFUL. I'm going on vacation this month and I'm terrified he will have an attack. The vet says it could be allergies since it's seasonal. She seems to think that he will get over it then be fine again once the weather changes. I'm trying to do the right thing, but I just don't know what the right thing is. He eats well and seems to breathe fine, he just has a hacking cough every once in awhile. He will sometimes cough after exertion. The stress of going to the vet or getting pills doesn't help. I don't know what to do.

My Bob has asthma. He's on Presnisone 5mg every other day and I'm working on getting him on inhaled meds. I give him his pill squished between two pieces of kitty treats. If you have a concern about pilling your cat (especially while you're away on vacation) you might want to ask your vet about a depo shot. Those are usually good for up to 6 weeks, but the downside is it may induce diabetes over the long term in some cats. There are a couple of feline asthma groups on Yahoo you may want to check out - one for the asthma itself and one for inhaled meds. There's also the Fritz the Brave website - www.fritzthebrave.com - that can give you more info on how to handle some of the stuff that comes up. I hope your kitty feels better.

If I found myelf in your position, I would get myself connected to others who have been successfully managing their cats' respiratory health for years...there are groups of these people online 24/7/365 where people like yourself are warmly welcomed and provided with practical advice and support.

One of these groups has been in existence for ten years and can be found here. The person who started that group has set up this site as well.

There is another, smaller group online right here - this group is an offshoot from this site.

Neither of these groups will take you away from TCS - they will, however, connect you with people who have a current concentrated focus and knowledge of the most up-to-date treatments/protocols....often, group members very quickly realize that the group's collective knowledge and expertise exceeds that of many individual Vets. Remember, Vets are generalists...

My Coco has asthma also.
There are times it is bad.
I have been using a inhaler for Coco since May 2008.
You can do Depo Medrol shots also.
They helped Coco.
Coco ha had asthma since she was young and she is 17 now.
Your cat might be worse now because of allergies
I had to stop them with Coco because the shots have side effects.
I can help you a lot with your cats asthma.
I have dealt with it so long with Coco.
The Depo shots last 3 weeks to a month.