New kitten might have asthma

I am so scared.. I have never joined a chat group but figured I would. We got a 9 month old cat from the Humane Society last month and loved him so much we got a 3 month old kitten four days ago. The second day we had her her stomach spasmed and her neck would crink and she looked so in distress. Now it happens once or twice a day. I took a video on my phone to show the vet. Is it hard to take care of a cat with asthma? I am taking her to vet tomorrow if they can get me in. Is it expensive to take care of? I am a teacher and so I am with her alot in summer but school starts in a month. I guess my qst is can it be anything else? I pray it is but when I looked at that Fritz site and on youtube the cats with asthma attacks looked just like Addie. Can they live a normal, long life? I was at first thinking hairball but now... I don't know. Any advice would be helpful - thanks!

Glad you found us and joined IF it is asthma it can be treated and the cat can live a long life. Usually in bad cases, the cat is put on a low dose of Prednisone. http://www.ehow.com/about_6456115_prednisone-tablets-asthma-cats.html I am thinking the vet might want to do xrays. I only say this because my cat has asthma and it was diagnosed by xrays and confirmed by an additional ultrasound but that is going overboard. The thing is...... your kitten is so young and I don't know that much about asthma and whether a kitten that young could already be suffering from it. :dk: BUT I have to laugh because did you "internet diagnose" this kitten :lol3: I do that all the time and my vet laughs at me. Sometimes the internet can be our downfall in these situations. I would wait and see what the vet says first. :nod: Good luck tomorrow! and keep us posted.

Thank you for your reply - yes, my boyfriend says not to worry and not to look online and overreact - but 2 or 3 attacks everyday? I just don't know what else it could be?? So, I'm going to try and get into Vet tomorrow - how much were the x-rays? Did your cats asthma show up on the xray?

addiecharlie said:

I am so scared.. I have never joined a chat group but figured I would. We got a 9 month old cat from the Humane Society last month and loved him so much we got a 3 month old kitten four days ago. The second day we had her her stomach spasmed and her neck would crink and she looked so in distress. Now it happens once or twice a day.

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Is she peeing and pooping okay? Is she active? Eating okay? Could she gotten into any string or swallowed something else?

She is peeing and pooping okay - and is eating okay - she may have gotten into something ?? I wonder if an x-ray will answer asthma or eating string qsts? How much do you think an x-ray is?

An x-ray can tell the vet if she has asthma. :nod: String - maybe shows up on an x-ray. Depends on **** it's made of, how much, or where it is in her system. If it was plastic, that doesn't necessarily show up on an x-ray. But if she were blocked, she'd be vomiting, and you'd have had to visit the vet long before now. :nod:

An x-ray here costs $85.

But there are many treatments for asthma. The usual starting place is a low dose of prednisolone (steroid), which helps reduce the inflammation. If she has frequent attacks where it is difficult for her to breathe, there are inhaled steroids and devices for kitties, and they're not too difficult to learn how to use.

My kitty was diagnosed with early asthma. She has several other medical conditions that mean traditional treatments are contra-indicated. For other reasons, I put my cats on an omega 3 supplement. My husband and I noticed the other day that we haven't heard her cough in weeks. I've done some research, and it seems omega 3, because of its anti-inflammatory properties, can be helpful in people and animals with asthma. So after you've seen the vet, and you have a diagnosis one way or the other, if you want information about omega 3, I'm happy to provide it.

Vibes for you and your baby!

Hope you get some relief for the kitten. Just in case you don't know,  using a clumping silica litter can exasperate the condition.

Surprising to me that X-Rays diagnose asthma in cats, as they certainly are not usually part of the diagnositic process in humans.  When I got asthma I was sent for a mass-screening X-ray which was slightly abnormal, so was recalled for two much larger films which were completely normal.  However I guess it's not possible to get cats to use a peak flow meter or do spirometry on them! 

I still have completely normal chest X-Rays 15 years after diagnosis with asthma - or rather I did 4 years ago, the last time I had one.

http://asthma.about.com/lw/Health-Medicine/Conditions-and-diseases/Chest-X-rays-and-Asthma.htm

Well, I've seen the x-rays, and as Flowerbelle had bronchitis in November, they were able to compare the x-rays and show me the difference between the asthma and the bronchitis. Even at the time of the bronchitis x-ray, the vet said it presented as both bronchitis and asthma - which is why we brought her back for the follow-up after she completed the course of meds for bronchitis.

Perhaps asthma in cats typically goes undetected until it's a persistent problem. :dk:

well we took her to vet and I showed him my video on my phone I took of one of her attacks and he wasn't really impressed but then THANKFULLY she had an attack right there in the exam room - he ordered an x-ray and found she had a very small spot of liquid on her lungs and prescribed an antiobiotic - she is doing better already!! thanks so much for your replies!

Oh I'm so glad you got her in, and it's not asthma!! GREAT that she's getting the treatment she needs. GOOD GIRL for showing the doc just what meowmy was talking about!