Asthmatic kitty - steroid tablet side effects

Our little silver bengal gal (Neko) has been diagnosed with asthma. She used to have 6-7 wheezing fits a day but was eating/playing/etc. fine otherwise. She is now on steriod tablets (1.5 per day for two weeks, then 1 tablet per day for two weeks, then .5 tablets for two weeks, etc.)

She is down to one fit a day (immediately after the first dosage, we are a week in) but she is displaying behavorial side effects. She will play when prompted but is not nearly as curious or affectionate as usual (and for a bengal that is saying a lot). Has anyone else had this? We are going to call the vet on Monday if she is still acting strange - I hate to take her off them, but I know there are a number of other potential side effects aside from the behavioral issues. That said, she shouldn't be wheezing either....

Ideas? Similar experiences? Alternative treatments?

Thank you for your time!

Sorry you're having to go through this with your kitty. I have no words of wisdom or experience, but I know there are several here who have asthmatic kitties.

I did a quick search for you here in the health forum of previous posts on asthma. Here's what I found. Perhaps you'll find some answers in some of these posts while you're waiting.

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sea...archid=2764302

When my boy Riley was on a higher dose to start with he did have some behavior issues. It seemed like he played less and layed around more. When you did interact with him he was much more aggressive and grumpy. He is on 1/2 pill now, every other day and is much much better.

Eventually however, I want to get him on inhaled meds (Flovent) but the meds and the aerokat mask system is more than I can afford right now. If you can, you should ask the vet about that. The inhaled steriods don't have any of the side effects that the oral ones do.

My kitty Dexter has Asthma...
an attack is a horrifying thing to see.

My understanding is that long term inhaled steroids are less systemic than pills.

I have found the, Fritz the Brave site, very informative.
It gave me the info. I needed to logically discuss Dexter's treatment with our vet.
http://www.fritzthebrave.com/

Also, the link provided by stephanietx has a lot of threads posted by members about feline asthma.

Asthma is a challenge but if you are patient, just as with most humans, it can be controlled.

Sending easy breathing vibes to Neko.
Please keep us updated.

The Fritz site is good for tips and reassurance. Wellington is on Prednisone, a steroid, for asthma, but we have got it down to 1/4 tablet every two/three days in winter and none in summer unless I hear him really wheezing. Long term effects can include heart problems and diabetes. So it is important to find the lowest dosage you can that will control the asthma. At the beginning, yes, the dosage is a lot higher but that is normally for a short time. it is still the most effective treatment, and many cats die of untreated asthma. So it is a difficult choice, but I think the best thing is always to think of the cat's quality of life.