Esme's turn for needing vibes ~~~

Over the past maybe.. 2 or 3 weeks.. we have noticed Esme having, what looks like hairball motions, but no hairball. When they were at the vet the other day, the vet said they were in good health.

We brought up Esme's breathing issue too. Every since we adopted her about a year and a half ago, she has always been a heavy breather. To the point, she earned the nickname "Lil' Weezy". She was at the shelter for quite some time (I used to volunteer there and they are usually VERY good about finding any health issues) and she didn't have anything noted there, but once I brought her home and could hear her in the peace and quiet, I found she wheezed. I of course went into a panic and it was brought up at her first vet visit a few days later. Her old vet said everything sounded fine and thought it could be her weight. She has lost some weight since then and the only thing that has improved her breathing a bit is Dr. Elsey's Precious Cat Ultra litter.

Their new vet the other day sad everything in her lungs sounds fine too but she thinks she may have some scar tissue from a possible URI when she was small.

I was on the phone with my mother a little bit ago and she had another "attack". She was sitting right next to me at that point and my mother could hear it over the phone. I looked up some old TCS posts and found the following link: http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html and Esme has the exact actions, sounds, movements as the cat in the video.

With our last vet visit, the vet said to rush her to the ER if she has frothing (which she doesn't). Esme's episode lasts maybe a minute? I will be calling the vet in the AM and see if we can get her in to see them again and show them the video, since seeing is better than me trying to describe.

I'm nervous and panicked, but I'm hoping for the best for my little sweetie! She could really use some vibes!

(Naku too, since he will be going in for a dental cleaning and to find out if his canines need to be removed)

For anyone who has asthmatic kitties, should I request X-Rays?

I don't know much of what to say other than my cat also has mild asthma.
Before I had joined this site and watched some asthma cat videos, I had no idea what was wrong with him. Every once in a while, he would make a small huff noise, then 5 seconds later another, then they would build up and he would huff and puff and stretch out his neck and swallow every once in a while. They lasted 2-3 minutes. I think I assumed it was some sort of 'dry hairball'. :dk: I would always just give him little pats on the back like you do for someone who is coughing after some food/water tried to go down the wrong way. As he lost weight, the episodes faded and by the time I had seen the asthma videos, it was hardly ever happening anymore. Maybe once every 4 months. Hopefully weight was the only issue for him and it won't start back up again.

I'm not sure if X-rays are used for asthma kitties, but I know they do make nice little 'kitty inhalers' that make it pretty easy to give them relief. Hopefully that's all Esme needs to keep her breathing well.

Minka said:

I don't know much of what to say other than my cat also has mild asthma.
Before I had joined this site and watched some asthma cat videos, I had no idea what was wrong with him. Every once in a while, he would make a small huff noise, then 5 seconds later another, then they would build up and he would huff and puff and stretch out his neck and swallow every once in a while. They lasted 2-3 minutes. I think I assumed it was some sort of 'dry hairball'.

I would always just give him little pats on the back like you do for someone who is coughing after some food/water tried to go down the wrong way. As he lost weight, the episodes faded and by the time I had seen the asthma videos, it was hardly ever happening anymore. Maybe once every 4 months. Hopefully weight was the only issue for him and it won't start back up again.
I'm not sure if X-rays are used for asthma kitties, but I know they do make nice little 'kitty inhalers' that make it pretty easy to give them relief. Hopefully that's all Esme needs to keep her breathing well.

Click to expand...

Thanks! I sure hope so! It seems mild at this point and nothing too severe, but I don't want her to have any issues, of course. I was doing the same thing where I would rub her back to see if it  helped any.  I'm going to start noting what she was doing before-hand, to see if there are any specific triggers. I know tonight, she was just grooming.

Oh poor Esme! :vibes!

I remember watching several TCS members go through the process of figuring out what was up with their kitties - heartworm? asthma? We just went through this with Flowerbelle. In November it looked like bronchitis with underlying asthma. She was treated with doxycycline, and her cough went away. It came back. An x-ray looked like she had early asthma: there was thickening of some arteries in her lungs (they thought maybe heartworm, but when that vet found out she'd had a severe infestation of lung worm as a kitten felt that was the likely cause) ... though she was also diagnosed with high blood pressure and a heart murmur, so she needed a cardiac ultrasound to see what was up with that. When we had that done, another set of follow-up x-rays was taken, because she was still coughing. The good news is that her murmur is mitral valve prolapse, and she does not have heart disease. This set of x-rays showed no signs of asthma - just the same scarring and some arterial thickening.

Soooooo........ my various threads about it invited comments from people with kitties with asthma. And apparently x-rays do NOT always reveal it, but are are the next step. If it can be seen on the x-ray, you have a definitive diagnosis. A number of TCS kitties have asthma, and apparently it is not overly difficult to learn (for both of you!) how to use the inhaler. :rub:

LDG said:

Soooooo........ my various threads about it invited comments from people with kitties with asthma. And apparently x-rays do NOT always reveal it, but are are the next step. If it can be seen on the x-ray, you have a definitive diagnosis. A number of TCS kitties have asthma, and apparently it is not overly difficult to learn (for both of you!) how to use the inhaler.

Click to expand...

Good to know! I feel really comfortable with this new vet that they truly know what they are talking about for kitties. I sure hope we can get it solved sooner rather than later. I know for Esme, we'd be able to use an inhaler with her (if it came to that). Thank goodness it's not Naku going through the possibility of asthma because we would definitely need one of those cat bags for him! He is a strong little kitty! They both get a monthly dose of Revolution since we let them run around the backyard (fenced in) when we are outside on the weekends.

I talked to the vet and she is having me being Esme me in tonight.

THE RESULTS ARE IN......

Esme had her visit to the vet this evening after her episode last night. The vet said again her lungs sound fine, but asked about her actions (I showed them the video above) and told them she was dead tired after. So after taking a look at her, the vet decided on an x-ray to look for any signs of possible asthma? I forget the vet term she used, but Esme got her x-ray done and sure enough, she has mild asthma.

So, she will be on 5mg prednisone for the next month and if she does not have any more episodes while on prednisone, she will be switched over to an inhaler for long-term.

I will definitely be searching through the forums to see people's experience with kitties and prednisone. In her case, it is only short-term, as the vet does not want her on it long-term, but she said to expect one HUNGRY kitty and thirsty kitty, which is fine with me.

Thanks for all of the vibes everyone!

Cats handle pred MUCH better than people. And inhaled steroids are more targeted, so even better for long term use. But even long term use of oral steroids is not necessarily an issue with kitties. Our Tuxie had an auto-immune disorder that caused severe (life-threatening) anemia. The only way to control it was with a high dose (immune suppressive dose, vs anti-inflammatory dose - which is what is used for asthma) of steroids. Of course it depends on each individual cat, but the most common long term side effect of steroid use is diabetes. I haven't done any research on it, so don't know why. But I do know that's rare, but of the complicating side-effects, the most common. (And less of a risk with inhaled steroids).

But yeah - just like people on steroids, it boosts the appetite, and even if you control portions, they gain water weight (which she'll loose when she comes off the oral steroids).

I'm SO glad you caught it early! You don't need to worry any longer, and she'll feel better!

LDG said:

Cats handle pred MUCH better than people. And inhaled steroids are more targeted, so even better for long term use. But even long term use of oral steroids is not necessarily an issue with kitties. Our Tuxie had an auto-immune disorder that caused severe (life-threatening) anemia. The only way to control it was with a high dose (immune suppressive dose, vs anti-inflammatory dose - which is what is used for asthma) of steroids. Of course it depends on each individual cat, but the most common long term side effect of steroid use is diabetes. I haven't done any research on it, so don't know why. But I do know that's rare, but of the complicating side-effects, the most common. (And less of a risk with inhaled steroids).
But yeah - just like people on steroids, it boosts the appetite, and even if you control portions, they gain water weight (which she'll loose when she comes off the oral steroids).

I'm SO glad you caught it early! You don't need to worry any longer, and she'll feel better!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the information! I've taken a look at the Aerokat, which is what the vet may have us use if she is episode free with prednisone and it seems like it'll be interesting, but I will be more comfortable with it being more targeted for her asthma and possibly less side-effects.

She got her first dose of prednisone tonight and I am SO thankful I bought a pillgun when it was on clearance for about $1, and it even holds water! Tonight was the first time I used it and it went so much better than trying to pill her with solids like pill pockets or doing it manually by just popping it in her mouth.

We are both glad to finally have some answers for her and with her weezy breathing, we've always been worried something was up. At least I know her asthma is something we can easily treat(of course, if she cooperates).

Is this normal?

Esme started her first dose of prednisone last night. Lastnight and this morning she ate her meal as usual, but today for their evening meal (they get another one later) she did not really want to eat (except for her chicken liver treat) and seemed really tired. I actually had to pick her up off of the tree. I gave her her second dose tonight, which she was THRILLED about (being sarcastic of course). I think she knew she was going to get her dose so she stayed downstairs instead of coming to eat. I put her food down after her pilling and she went straight under the bed, so it seems, she is not in the mood to eat.

With the first few days, is it normal for them to be a little sleepy and not so hungry (yet, at least, since I know it increases appetite)? I tried finding info online, but really couldn't find much.

PrincessEsme said:

Is this normal?

Esme started her first dose of prednisone last night. Lastnight and this morning she ate her meal as usual, but today for their evening meal (they get another one later) she did not really want to eat (except for her chicken liver treat) and seemed really tired. I actually had to pick her up off of the tree. I gave her her second dose tonight, which she was THRILLED about (being sarcastic of course). I think she knew she was going to get her dose so she stayed downstairs instead of coming to eat. I put her food down after her pilling and she went straight under the bed, so it seems, she is not in the mood to eat.

With the first few days, is it normal for them to be a little sleepy and not so hungry (yet, at least, since I know it increases appetite)? I tried finding info online, but really couldn't find much.

Click to expand...

Never had this happen..... Not with pred.... On the contrary - kitty gets hungrier. I have gotten behavior changes - Bugsy becomes a beast! He gets really mean on Pred! :angry2:
5mg is such a low dose to give you this reaction... This is not good IMHO it warrants a vet call - there are other steroids available - there is an excellent one (of course I had to forget the name too :frusty It is not as used as often as pred as it is more $$$, but it has far less side effects than pred - you should ask your vet about it :nod:

Thanks! I'm going to watch her through the night and if anything, give them a call in the morning if isn't back to herself. I pulled out the furminator and she was more awake and excited for that, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed she was just kind of out of it today.

Good News.

Later last night, after a good solid nap, she was back to her normal self and was a hungryyy kitty.

I'm still going to be watchful this weekend though to make sure she stays in her normal mood.

Asthma update..

Even after being on prednisone, Esme was still having attacks weekly.

After a while, I called the vet and they want to put her on Flovent (well, the generic for it) and keep an albuterol one for emergencies for use with the Aerokat. Unfortunately, money is tight this month so I was price shopping meds to get next month.

So in meantime while I was price shopping I remembered that I started using scented plug ins again and only downstairs. All of Esme's attacks have been downstairs and our plugs are at kitty level. So I unplugged them all, stashed them away and it's been over a week since she has had an attack!

I'm really hoping she stays attack free without the plug ins, because that will definitely be a money saver if she stops having attacks (If they are extremely periodic the I will discuss an emergency inhaler for her).


As far as Flovent goes, if she does need it daily instead, I found that it was INSANELY expensive but found the site canadadrugs.com that has it for cheap and I read some reviews and people have not really had any issues with them. Has anyone ever ordered from them for kitty meds? I sent an email to my vet to see if it's something she would consider as they do require a prescription.

Oh missed the earlier updates! But as to this one ....

I suspect you'll find you're not going to need the stronger med. :nod: I have allergies and asthma, and we got rid of feather pillows and down comforter ( ), and anything and everything scented. We started using 7th generation cleaning stuff, and those changes have helped me a lot. I suspect it's the same for kitties too!

I think the plug in scents definitely did it it. We are going on 3 weeks with no attacks! I called the vet and kept them updated and they are keeping her script on file, just in case.

So glad Esme is doing better. That is wild about the scented plugins.
But it makes total sense. Vibes from one Pittsburger (White Oak / McKeesport) to another.

JenL said:

So glad Esme is doing better. That is wild about the scented plugins.
But it makes total sense. Vibes from one Pittsburger (White Oak / McKeesport) to another.

Click to expand...

Thank you!!

No surprise that scented plugins can trigger asthma attacks in cats.  Perfumes are a common trigger in humans, along with respiratory viruses, house dust mites, pet hair and poor quality air - smoke, traffic pollution.