I need detailed info on Asthma.

Ok, my cat was diagnosed with Asthma in May. I suspect, whatever he has had, he has had for a while now (year or more). I thought it was hairballs.  The x-rays however said that he merely had mild asthma.

In May I did a dose of trans dermal steroid. Along with a small dose of a bronciodilator.  It seemed to work well. I have been only using the small dose of the bronciodilator.  Unfortunately it really isn't working.  My cat is going down hill fast. My vet has ordered a new batch of the transdermal steroid. Someone on here, I think, said that I had to be careful with the trans dermal as it can deform the ears if used all the time. I asked my vet about that and she said "another round would be safe"

So my questions are

(1) When exactly will transdermal steriod be dangerous to use? It seems like this might be something he needs like every other month. 30 days on... 30 days off.

(2) Are steroids in general dangerous for cats... could it cause weight gain... suppressed immune system / etc.

(3) Is long term use of the bronciodilator dangerous?  Could that have side effects? As it seems that the steroid does the trick and that might be the only thing he needs.

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I don't have a lot of information, but I know there are many here who have asthmatic cats and use inhalers or nebulizers with their kitties.  Here's one of the best informative sites on the web for feline asthma.  http://www.fritzthebrave.com/

Cats in general seem to tolerate prednisolone better than other species. That being said there is always a risk with any drug. Sure they could develop diabetes but that is why they try to keep them on the lowest dose effective for treatment.

The risk of side effects of the steroids are nothing compared to the risks associated with not being able to breath. So really there is no other choice if the inhaled are not working for your cat. I would assume you have tried different types.

When was the last chest xray done?

Why don't you give the prednisolone in the pill form? Why the transdermal? What I have heard about the transdermal is that the dose can be not as accurate.

Do what you can environmentally as you would a person with asthma. Use air purifiers with hepa filters etc.

Make sure you are using a dust free litter and do not use a covered litter pan or take the cover off if you do use one.

What do you mean by going downhill? When was the last time he saw the vet?

My cat was seen in May (late) and got a chest x-ray (didn't I say that in my first post?) anyway... he was given prednisolone in pill form. I was told to crush it up and give it to him in food but he sure wasn't going to go for that and didn't eat the food. I tried piling but no. I don't think that will ever be an option. The vet suggested the transdermal and she thinks that is the best way. However, when I came here I heard that it could cause deformity in the ears if given "regularly" but what does that mean? When I asked her about it she didn't answer my direct question and passive aggressively just said the transdermal would be safe.

It is my hope that my cat might return to normal or less bad, once he loses weight. He is 20 lbs. So I was hoping to give him as minimal a dose as I can / use the bronciodilator until he loses the weight. Hopefully in 6 months to a year.  I also would look and see if there were homeopathic remedies that could reduce inflammation.

If I was going to guess, I would say that my cat has always had *something* wrong with him. From the time he was a kitten I thought he sounded funny when he was sleeping. Like he was wheezing / had fluid in his airway. But I never saw any problems from that. And the vet never noticed anything when she examined him.  It was only in about the last two years... when he got up in weight, that he started -- what I thought was hairballs but turned out to be coughing. Even now, I don't quite get it. My cat doesn't seem to have any breathing problems. Just a cough. Once he is done coughing he looks at me like, lets play!  I never see him with his mouth open or even having any sort of fast breathing. He races up the stairs and down the stairs like a kitten and is like -- yeh... so?  But can be sitting down comfortably and break into hacking.

But, given that the doctors said he had "MILD" asthma, I am hopeful that if I get his weight under control.. the inflammation he is suffering (likely from being overweight) will really drop.

What I meant by going down hill is that in the last weeks his coughing has gone up. It seems like the last drugs cleared him up.. but once he cycled off it... the congestion returned slowly and now, he sounds congested.  My doctor says the trans-dermal won't be ready for a week. In the meantime she told me to up the bronciodilator which did work well.  I was giving him 1/8th of the pill and now I give him 1/4th.

If I was to guess I would guess that an environmental thing is not causing this. I just moved but realized this has been going on at the old home as well. Last home was all rug.. this home all hardwoods.  I actually had this home inspected by an environmental company and it was found NOT to have any problems. I also had my vents cleaned to no real avail. I suspect strongly it is related to the weight perhaps contributing to what was already there that I heard as a kitten. Perhaps the weight causes more pressure on the lungs.  Perhaps fat causes more inflammation.