Kitty diagnosed with Asthma-using Aerokat

I'm glad you're not looking at chf. You've no reason to feel bad. Early asthma signs are hard to pick up if you've never seen them before. You'll probably end up like I was - over analysing every strange breath, sound or position just in case It will get easier. The tough part is getting to maintenance.

You won't believe this,but I went through the asthma saga with my pony last summer! The vet said it's really rare to come across someone who'd had two different species using an inhaler :lol3: (I'm sorry...sometimes it's a case of laugh or go mad/cry. Laughing always feels like the best option) Collie has a horsey areokat- same chamber, different mask. Just lots more pumps per treatment.

Anyway, stay positive. Merlin will improve as he relaxes. You're doing wonderfully with him.

Lol i know what you mean. I am in another room and I keep hearing the croup. I know i need to settle down or he will be stressed around me. People keep asking me about my thyroid cancer and i keep moving the conversation to merlin. Ha. I just want to get him in a sxhedule he will be able to live with
Thanks again for your quick responses. I am sooo grateful! Now if my credit card can handle it.

He just came iut and cried like he was hungry. Loudly. I put food in front of him but he wouldnt eat. He followed me a bit then went back under the bed. Its almost as if he wantef to make sure I was here. They said he would act a little strange today after his sedative today.

Do all you can to reassure him. He's probably feeling woozy still. Just remembered a feeding tip from my time with Cal - often he'd be hungry but not quite able to eat. I'd sit next to him and feed him small bite by small bite. If he was reluctant to start, I'd smear a tiny bit of food on his tounge to stimulate his appetite. Each feeding session would last 15-30 mins, just going slowly, calmly and persistently. It has to seem to him that it's no big deal if he eats. I think just bringing the food to his mouth made it easier for him to eat (no bending down - he could stay at the angle that made it easiest for him to breathe).

I hope the sedative wears off soon. He must be feeling better if he has the breath to shout at you and follow you though I hope he continues to improve :cross:

He has been eating on the sly, but I have been feeding him dry food, which isn't good for his urinary health, but its the only thing he will eat right now.  So I am not worrying too much about that.  I will wait until he gets back to his normal self before I try introducing his canned diet back to him.  Right now I'm happy if he is eating at all.  I'm waiting on him to get enough in him to go to the box.  He hasn't went in a couple of days.  The vet didn't seem that concerned about that right now.  Now I have to give him a flovent treatment later and I really don't want too!  I'm just concerned about getting him upset again, but he totally needs it.  He is going to be even more upset tomorrow when I have to give him his liquid meds and the flovent.  sigh.....

I agree with the vet - any food he's happy to eat is fine right now.

Don't panic about the flovent. Stay calm, slow your breathing, talk to him softly and encouragingly, and get it done. Calm, quiet insistence is he way to go. I always tried to pick 'sleepy' times for flovent and liquid meds. The other way that worked was to kneel down and snuggle him between my legs, then use one hand to restrain and one hand for the aerokat. My vets (cat and horse) both said it was fine to fill the chamber and then put it on the animal. It makes for slightly less of a juggling act. I used to get Cal settled, work the pump and then mask him. Maybe that will help.

actually merlin takes his aerokat pretty well.  Its just that today he was so upset that I'm more nervous about it.  Normally  I don't have that much difficult with liquid meds.  I'll get it done, as he needs the treatment and frankly needs it twice a day right now.  I am just trying to let him relax today.  He will have to have at least one treatment today though.

I just don't want him going into another attack.  That was horrible. 

If Merlin's as good as you say then there shouldn't be a problem. Just act as though it's a normal day and put the attack out of your mind. Sorry if I talked down to you - I didn't mean to. I'm just used to cats that fight me every inch of the way!

No problem.  I'm such a noob that I need smacked around once in a while.  Its easy to get wrapped up in this stuff sitting her by yourself all day and a kitty with problems.  I don't know how stay at home moms do it!

I gave him his flovent and it went pretty well.  I have to go back to work tomorrow, so we will see how our morning dose goes. 

glad it went well. that things continue better.

Merlin had another attack this morning. For awhile I thought he was dying. The look in his poor eyes. I dont know If I can continue to put him through this. He is so traumatized and I cant imagine giving him all these treatments. I love him so much and I dont want to give up in him but I dont know if this is a quality of life for my baby

I'm so sorry. Give the meds a chance to work. It will get easier. Attacks are horrible to watch. He'll get over the trauma. I believe you got new meds yesterday - is that right? Oral drugs do take a little while to get up to the optimum level in the system. Try not to panic. Obviously, it's your call...no one here can see Merlin. I wouldn't write him off just yet.

I havent had a chance to give him the orals yet. I woke up at 435 to him struggling so i gave him his flovent then i had to give him his rescue because he started having an attack. I was going to give him the orals when i got home from work today. I guess uf he hides the rest of his life and lives in fear of me what type of life is it? I am going to give him his oral meds today when i get home.

If he were to hide from you and live in fear for good then it's not a great life. However, it's only been a few days. I don't think it's even been a full week that he's been diagnosed yet (going by thread start date).

I know it's so easy to say and so hard to do, but I really would give him a little time to see if he comes around. Cal hated the meds at first (well,most of the time really), but despite that he'd come to fetch me if I was late with his aerokat after a couple of weeks with it. They do learn to connect the meds with feeling better because some of them act so fast. With Cal I had a few fights to the extent that it triggered an attack and we had to run him to the vets for treatment (sometimes even an oxygen tent). He forgave me every time...His last months when I was treating him intensively were the first time he fully bonded with me (he was very much mum's cat, and would follow her like a dog and complain when she went out). Despite the vet visits etc, Cal did have quality of life and had patches of being his old, pre asthma self throughout that time.

Merlin is your baby, only you know what is right for him. Talk things over with your vet if you need to but please, please give him a chance to adapt. Asthma is not a death sentence. I can only imagine how tough it is for you right now. I'm sure you're totally overloaded with the stress and worry of the past few days. Give the dust chance to settle. Huge You're both in my thoughts.

Thanks.  He was much calmer when I went to work and came out while I was fixing my hair to have a drink and go back under the bed.  I am going to give him the oral meds when I get home today.  I hope they act faster than the inhalers seem to.  The problem is that we don't have an ER vet close to us and its a 25 min car ride each time he has a big attack.  I need to get with my local vet and make sure I can bring him over, but their hours are not good, and its usually when they are closed that I witness an attack. 

I am not going to write him off yet.  It is hard to watch for me.  Merlin has always been my baby and a loving cuddly cat that follows me everywhere.  To have him cringe at my touch right now is hard.  I know I can't let how this makes me feel change how I treat him.  His actual diagnosis was on March 28th, but we didn't start anything until probably April 1.  He just got albuterol at first, then didn't get flovent until April 6 for the first time.  Then it was a little hit and miss until we took him to the specialist yesterday.  So yes, he hasn't been given a good chance yet to be on a regimen.  I would rather try to deal with his attacks right now than put him through a 25 minute drive to the vet.  Hopefully the oral meds will stop him from having further attacks.  The inhalers aren't acting very fast in his case.  I read somewhere that if they have had this for very long, the lungs will remodel and stay calcified, making it impossible to treat.  Hopefully that isn't the case here.  He has coughed off an on for years, but never this bad.  He had a couple of bad attacks earlier in the year and one last year, but he always snapped back.  I hope I haven't waited too long to treat him.

I know I need to wait, but seeing him struggle just hurts my heart.  Thanks for understanding.  Its really good to be talking to someone that understands what I am going through.  My friends and family are wondering about my cancer diagnosis and I can't seem to get past dealing with Merlin.  I hope we can get this sorted by the time if my surgery or we will have problems.  There is no way my husband can do all this by himself and take care of me post op.  Not to mention I am to take radioactive iodine after too.

I guess I was lucky with vets...We don't have specialist er vets round here...our local vets take turns to be on call and will meet patients at the surgery if needed after a phone conversation. They're only a 5 min drive from home too.

I agree a half hour trip to a vet Merlin doesn't even know isn't ideal. At least he is calming down...that's a good sign. It took a combination of oral and inhalers to keep Cal right. I'm sure Merlin will be the same.

I'm happy to talk as much as you need. I remember feeling so alone and helpless with Cal (I was the only one doing the med routine - mum was too upset and worried and Cal wouldn't let dad near him for meds!).

I don't have cancer but I have multiple chronic health probs myself. It's always so much easier to focus on the animals' health than deal with my own! (chf dog, seasonal asthmatic pony, rescue cat who came to me in a bad way). Sounds like you're feeling the same way. I really hope your surgery, radiotherapy etc goes ok. It's easy to make it all about Merlin but you matter too Talk as much as you need too.

I also have autoimmune liver disease that makes me feel very fatigued and overwhelmed.  I am a little like your mum, but I'm struggling through it.  I am trying to be calming and loving to him as much as I can.  He gives me those big green eyes like, why can't you help me momma?  Its enough to rip out my heart.

I hope taking the oral doesn't throw him into another attack.  I guess that is my worst fear.  I don't mind giving the stuff to him its the reaction afterwards.  Did the orals work pretty fast?  How many doses?  They told me at the specialist that we should see some results after a couple of doses.  I know it won't be night and day, but I hope to see some better breathing and a little more activity.

The bad thing is that I am going to be missing a lot of work coming up and I really need to make it to work.  I missed all day yesterday due to him.

I read on another thread, the Wits End thread, someone said that the cats that have an emotional bond with you let us know by their voices.  Merlin is giving me a pitiful meow, like he doesn't know what is happening and is in pain.  I read these threads where people are doing all these extraordinary measures for the kitties like we do with people now.  There are people that know its their time to go too and we dont' let them die with dignity.  I don't want my kitty to be in such a place. I will do what I need to do for him and give him his treatments for a bit, but I won't let him get to a point where he is constantly going to the vet.  Nothing against others that do this, but sometimes loving is letting go as well.  If you knew how hard it is for me to say that.........I will give my little guy the best shot I can, but I won't push him beyond his ability to comprehend and adjust.

Please do what you think is best for Merlin and don't feel judged or negative if it means having to say goodbye. I really hope the oral meds help to show some significant improvement for Merlin though.

I know this time is extremely difficult for you having to miss work, taking care of Merlin and dealing with your own health. But definitely, try to take some time, even if it's just 10 minutes, for yourself to breathe or do something calming.

I'm thinking of you and Merlin and your family.