Hi everyone! I fear I know what the problem is with my female cornish, Zahra but I'm hoping I'm wrong. We don't know her age as she is a rescue: front declawed and dumped on the streets in Phoenix. Shes always been on the thin side no matter how much she eats. (Cornies tend to be thin anyway) She was free of parasites when we got her. The last few days, shes been resting a lot. Shes never been a really active cat tho she has her moments of silliness. Very much a talker too. She is now slower to move, and is not vocalizing like she normally does....last night she was breathing slowly and looked to be labored. I've been able to get her to eat and drink some. She doesn't seem to be in pain. I fear she has cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart). I lost another cat to heart disease some years ago and she had similar symptoms. I know theres nothing to be done except some meds to ease her breathing and make her more comfortable if thats what is is....My question: has anyone had a kitty with similar symptoms and it WASN'T heart?
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Labored breathing in my Cornish
- Thread starter ladybuick
- Start Date
Labored breathing in cats can be caused by lots of different things other than the heart, it can be asthma, a respiratory infection, pain somewhere, anemia, feline diseases (Fip, FIV, Leuk) and lots of other reasons. I would definitely recommend a vet visit.
I'm sorry you're going through this with Zahra. I agree that labored breathing can be caused by many things. I would have her checked out by a vet. Rather than letting it go, it's possible that it could be something that can be treated. One can hope.
I had a cat with HCM (cardiomyopthy) and the first symptom was a faster than usual breathing rate. It was labored yes, but faster than normal and in fact I got used to timing her breathing during treatment because her breath rate told me how she was doing. At complete rest you would expect teens to 20's in terms of breaths per minute. Over 35-40 is abnormal. Cats are breathing faster with HCM because they aren't moving enough O2 due to fluid in the lungs. 1 inhale plus 1 exhale = one breath.
Regardless of the speed, if her breathing is labored I would consider that an emergency and would get to a vet asap. Most vets will see a cat or dog with a breathing problem without an appointment. It can be that serious.
Good luck!
Regardless of the speed, if her breathing is labored I would consider that an emergency and would get to a vet asap. Most vets will see a cat or dog with a breathing problem without an appointment. It can be that serious.
Good luck!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Thanks to all for the replies...as I feared, it is advanced heart disease. Her little abdomen was full of fluid pushing up on her lungs. The vet drained 50ml out and gave her a shot of lasix. Now I know my job will be to make her last months as comfortable and full of love as I can. If anyone knows of anything, holistic, etc. that can help, please let me know. She will be on lasix and beta blockers.
Each day from here on out will be a gift....
Each day from here on out will be a gift....
I had a cat with Cardiomyopathy. I had her on Coenzyme Q10. I also supplemented with LCarnitine. I have read recently that Hawthorne Berry and Dandelion can be helpful in heart disease.
I'm very sorry to hear this. And I've been through this with one of my cats and i am confused on one point. A cat in heart failure due to HCM, has fluid in the lungs basically because of heart insufficiency, there is no where else for the fluid to go. Lasix is administered to removed the fluid as its a diuretic.
But fluid in the abdomen is different. And being able to remove fluid from the abdomen sounds like other things like FIP when fluid collects in the abdomen. Is this diagnosis of HCM absolutely positive? Was an echo done of his heart and did they see thickening of the heart muscle?
Lasix is a critical drug with HCM as it can keep fluid out of the lungs. The problem is it tends to cause kidney failure and a cat with HCM can bounce back and forth between kidney failure and heart failure, and the hope is one can balance these two major issues for as long as possible.
I'm hoping the best for you.
But fluid in the abdomen is different. And being able to remove fluid from the abdomen sounds like other things like FIP when fluid collects in the abdomen. Is this diagnosis of HCM absolutely positive? Was an echo done of his heart and did they see thickening of the heart muscle?
Lasix is a critical drug with HCM as it can keep fluid out of the lungs. The problem is it tends to cause kidney failure and a cat with HCM can bounce back and forth between kidney failure and heart failure, and the hope is one can balance these two major issues for as long as possible.
I'm hoping the best for you.
