Multiple cat household - all cats have coughing fits and 3 have been diagnosed with asthma

Hello,

I don't know what to do anymore. I have 4 cats; 2 of senior age, 1 kitten, and 1 adult cat. When I got the adult cat (Pumpkin) 4 years ago, she began to have coughing fits within a few months. I took her in to the vet and she was diagnosed with asthma.

Flash forward, I take home my brother's cat, Leon, who is a senior kitty. He starting having coughing fits about a year ago, and he was also diagnosed with asthma.

My other senior kitty, Kitty (nice name, huh?) began to have coughing fits shortly after and was also diagnosed with asthma.

A few months ago, I got a new kitten, Russell, and while he was not diagnosed with asthma, he did have coughing fits and was sent home with anti-inflammatory medication.

They have all had x-rays, and now Leon is coughing again. I don't know what to do anymore! I changed to the Breeze litter system with newspaper litter, but I'm wondering if there is anything else I can do. Someone mentioned that living in a farming area can agitate the airways due to pesticides. Is this true in cats?

I live in an old house, but it has mostly been gutted and rebuilt. I fear for my cats' health, and want to do whatever it takes to stop this coughing!

Any advice?

Oh, and apologies for the disjointed rant. I am just tired. =^-*=

That is rather strange and very frustrating no doubt.

Just curious as to what treatment they are on for the asthma. My asthmatic cat is on inhaled steroids (Flovent) - so much less stressful on the body than regular steroids.

One was prescribed Medrol, and the others were prescribed Prednisone. 

I don't give them medicine every day - I only treat them when symptoms arise. I will be looking into less stressful treatments when I get the money to go back to the vet, which is soon.

Thank you!

Flovent with inhaler (Aerokat) is really fantastic if the cat will take it (most cats will). That way you avoid the other side effects of long-term oral steroids. Not sure where you live but you can get better prices for it if you can order online.

I wish that I had advice to offer about why all of your cats are coming down with this. Did the xrays show changes to the lungs for all cats?

3 of the kitties x-rays showed branch-like appearance of the airways, and one showed nothing suspicious.

I think I need to get a professional out here to see if there is mold or some other issue. I mean, pretty unlikely for all kitties to have the same problem, right? =^-*=

Does seem like there could well be an environmental issue. I suppose that even if you yourself have no symptoms that it would not be great for you as well as the cats to breathe in mold or other such things. So maybe for all of your sakes, it would be wise to get this looked into. I cannot imagine it being a coincidence really. Presumably the cats are all unrelated??

Serenakitty, your post is 4 yrs old, but I hope this reaches you. My cats have experienced the same thing you describe. In a matter of months 2 passed away and 2 are currently sick. I've taken them to several drs, but no one can tell me what caused the lung lesions. I've scoured the internet and found your post. Did you ever find out the cause?