Asthma? Heart? Something else?

Hello all. Sorry, this is probably going to get a little long. In December Caleb (who will be 9 next month) was eating more, peeing more, energetic, and I thought breathing heavier. I had noticed when playing with something above he would open his mouth as if to bite and sometimes open mouth breathe for a few seconds. I took him to the vet thinking it was his thyroid. Bloodwork showed low thyroid(.5), elevated ALT, and normal but dilute urine. Vet said early kidney disease.

Recently he has been sitting/sleeping in the loaf poition more and just not looking right. In a week he had 3 hairball episodes...or so I thought. I stumbled across a video showing a cat having an asthma attack and it looked just like what I thought was just his unproductive hairball attacks. I took him back to the vet and she said his lungs sounded good, but his nose/throat was a bit noisy. They did xrays, which came back all good. His new bloodwork showed normal thyroid(1) and ALT levels, but elevated eosinophils(1520). It also showed a jump in creatinine(2.0). Since he has a history of red ears, watery eyes, and food sensitivities, she suggested trying 5mg of Zyrtec a day. It has been 4 days and I was hoping it was helping. This morning he had another asthma like attack and as I write this with him in my lap, for a minute he was acting like he was trying to swallow down vomit.

So with what sounded like clear lungs and clear xray, could he still have asthma? Could it account for the increase in loafing and laying flat on his stomach?

I worry about his heart, but I just spent $600 on the vet the other day and with other vet bills and recent decreases in income, I will have to work to save up the $500 for the once a month ultrsounds they do.

I have also recently noticed an increase in his facial twitches. The vet had no idea what to make of them. They use to only happen once in a while, but now they happen multiple times a day.

The vet mentioned polyps, but said the procedure to look for them would be tricky and hard.

He is eating fine and playing. I have a tendency to become paranoid and research things like crazy online, which is not always good. So I was hoping someone might have similar stories so I know in what direction to look. I have been a ball of nerves and want him to feel better.

 I am not sure how much help I'll be, but I did once have a cat who suffered from asthma.   His asthma took the form of flareups where he would be fine for weeks and then have an episode that wouldn't go away until he was prescribed clavamox, an antibiotic.  Some of what he went through sounds like your Caleb, in that he had the coughing that looked like unproductive hairball attacks.  However, even though he had a very mild case, his vet was able to see it in x-rays.  He also didn't spend much time in the meatloaf position and didn't seem to be in any pain.  Nor did he have any facial twitches.  Asthma looks different in different cats of course, but based on my own experience, I'd accept the vet's diagnosis that it isn't asthma, or at least consider that something more is going on.

 You mentioned that you're worried about Caleb's heart - did your vet mention that was a concern?   

I'd call the vet and let her know the Zyrtec doesn't seem to be helping.  She might want to switch his meds.  

I wish I could be more help!

I'm afraid I haven't experienced a cat with asthma or similar, but I think margd's adivce to give your vet a call to let them know the Zyrtec doesn't seem to have helped is a good idea.  Also to tell them about the increase in facial twitches.  The more detailed picture the vet has of what you see the more able they are to figure out what is happening and hopefully gegt Caleb back to his usual self.

Better to talk with the vet than create huge worries in your own mind from things you read on the internet - it can be a very scary place.  

The only real diagnosis he has at the moment is early kidney disease. The first vet said she heard a slight heart murmur, but thought it was just from his heart beating so fast from the stress of the visit. The second vet didn't say anything about it, but mentioned heart problems because of the breathing. She didn't say it wasn't asthma, just that the radiologist didn't see anything. When she looked at it, she thought there might be some whiter lines in the lungs showing asthma, but wasn't sure especially with the new digital format that shows more. She also said polyps and lung worm could be causing the breathing problems.

My mom works in a pharmacy and said that sometimes zyrtec takes a few days to fully work. So I wanted to give it some time. I might give him one last one tonight and call the vet tomorrow. She talked about trying medication for asthma but I believe was worried about the interaction with his kidneys.

Oh, and she knows about the increase in facial twitches. Just didn't have any idea why.

I have a tendency to watch every move and think it's a sign of something. I don't want to overreact, but at the same time I'm worried about missing something important. I've had him since he was 3 days old. He's my little one...even though he's almost 9. Having our dog die suddenly in my arms 2 years ago and losing our bird suddenly a little over a month ago has me on edge.

You are keeping good company around here if you worry about Caleb - there are many worriers around for company.   Better to be concerned than not notice when things change.  It is so hard not to worry when you do think something isn't right, especially when we have recently had other losses.   Easier said than done but it is best not to let the imagination go wild, not least because us being stressed stresses our cats.  

I'm really sorry to hear about your dog and your bird.  Caleb must be even more precious now, esp after 9 years.

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]
This is Caleb open mouth breathing/panting when playing with something above.
[VIDEO][/VIDEO]
And this is Caleb breathing. Sorry that it flips after a few seconds. I've looked at videos I have from 9 months back and his breathing seems pretty much the same as I see it now. And his sister, though older and heavier, breathes similarly. I never thought anything of it until I got it in my head that something was wrong with him and was looking for what it might be. He's done what I thought unproductive hairball coughs for years, but maybe a handful a year if that. But the handful the last 2 weeks is a definite rise. As is the whisker/face twitching he's doing more.

Why can't our cats just talk to us so we can stop worrying so much. :doh3:

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

Here's a video I just took a little while ago. Caleb shows his whisker/face twitch and also his bottom lip movement that I've been noticing. Usually it's just his bottom lip and there isn't the top lip action like in the video. This morning when I tried to put on his teeth stuff he seemed even more adverse to it than usual and bit me a little. The first vet said his teeth didn't look too good, but couldn't say how bad until she had him under and did a tooth cleaning. The last vet said his teeth didn't look too bad. We were going to save up to get him a teeth cleaning. His gums are pink/red. Could his teeth be causing him pain? Would that account for his loafing more and not a breathing problem?

 Yes, Caleb could be in pain from his teeth.  I don't know about it causing him to sit in the meatloaf position though.  Have you noticed any difficulty with him eating?  I don't know what to make of the facial twitches or the lip movement - I've never seen anything quite like them.  You mentioned your vet didn't know what could be causing them - did you show her this video?  

About the testing for polyps - isn't there an imaging procedure that can be done, like an MRI or something?  I don't know the answer to that question - I'm just curious.  

I hope you get this mystery sorted out soon.  

Hi there,

I wanted to send a short note and give a longer answer later-I have a cat with asthma and I also can recommend some different treatments=my cat wheezes out of her nose-we have tried clairitin-plain ol noname brand-it has no taste-you would have to asik the vet for dose=but i used the back of a spoon and crushed it and put in babyfood-she wont eat wet food normally. we only tried it a few days. I didnt notice any difference-but I have also heard of benedryl being administered but that makes them drowsy and with the other stuff going on i would suggest the clairitin first.

my cat is on flovent or flixotide 220/250 mcg. (220 is the us measurement/250 is Europe measurement=both the same size-forget the reasons)

Flovent in america is very expensive, I learned about inhouse pharmacy.vu in the feline asthma group on yahoo. They have been using them for years. Its $60 there and $350 here for my particular strength,

I wanted to ask-do you hear wheezing?

I dont care for that open mouth breathing BUT if the nose is stuffed up-that could be a reason.

the reason i bring up the flixotide is because its the same steroid that is in that prescribed human nose spray flonase=sp?. the flixotide in my cat really helps her lung and nose issues-

would it be possible to send the xrays to a radiologist? usually it shows donuts or whats called tramlines.

my cat had obvious inflammation in the lungs.

the high esophils is indicating inflammation-now whether its the upper or lower respiratory is hard to say.
 

i just wanted to send you this info and i will write up more when i get back tonight..you can check out fritz the brave website for more information about asthma and treatment.

my cat has been on flovent for 3 years. we still have occasional coughing which is relieved with rescue inhaler-albuterol,

Hoping things calm down..will be back soon...
 

Watching the videos and reading over posts through this thread again I am wondering about a thorough oral examination or maybe ear nose and throat.  I agree some mouth breathing might be down so some obstruction or stuffiness in the nose.  

What I am wondering about with the history of red ears and runny eyes, together with the pink / red gums is if there is some kind of viral thing going on which affects ears, nose and mouth / throat, such as feline herpes or similar.  If the redness around the gums is quite marked and angry looking even if not bleeding it is almost certainly causing a lot of pain and there could also be further areas of inflamation in areas of the mouth and throat that you can't see but a vet looking for them might.  Talking through Caleb's veterininary history with your vet and further visual examination they might have some different ideas about what is going on and why.

Mouse had a history if gum infections and ulcers around his his teeth, on and under his tongue and his tonsils.  When those infections started to reduce in frequency and were controlled by teeth brushing and prescription food without antibiotics and pain relief he started to get runny eyes.   After about 3 bouts of runny eyes and no obvious bacterial infection an opthalmic specialist happened to see him, looked at the overall history and diagnosed probably herpes.  It is more unusual to have an oral presentation rather than nasal cavities but it can happen along with the eyes, and I also learned recently that the ears can also be affected.   Makes me wonder as there was another thread here a year or so ago and a cat with facial twitching turned out to have an ear infection.  

Rockchick2325 said:

[VIDEO][/VIDEO]

Here's a video I just took a little while ago. Caleb shows his whisker/face twitch and also his bottom lip movement that I've been noticing. Usually it's just his bottom lip and there isn't the top lip action like in the video. This morning when I tried to put on his teeth stuff he seemed even more adverse to it than usual and bit me a little. The first vet said his teeth didn't look too good, but couldn't say how bad until she had him under and did a tooth cleaning. The last vet said his teeth didn't look too bad. We were going to save up to get him a teeth cleaning. His gums are pink/red. Could his teeth be causing him pain? Would that account for his loafing more and not a breathing problem?

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Should cats not sit in the loaf position? Blighty does a lot.

I haven't noticed any trouble eating, but that might not mean much. I just took the video, so haven't showed it to the vet. It can be hard trying to get those few seconds on video. The polyps might be visible on xrays, but it would be $400 for x rays, so I want to make sure that's the best next action to take once I get the money.

I don't know that I'd call what I hear wheezing. Sometimes I can just hear his exhale through his nose and sometimes he makes a light snort/exhale puff (I can't really describe it). They sent the xrays to a radiologist (for an extra $80). But I guess they didn't see any signs of asthma. I don't know if just bad allergies would cause the coughing fits...

I don't know if it matters that my cat has had the facial twitching for at least 2 years. It was just not very often and I wrote it off as something tickling at his sensitive whiskers. But now it's common place and seems to coincide with him looking displeased and often breathing quicker.

I just listened to the voicemail from the vet that she left the other day. I hadn't listened to it since I went in to get a copy of the blood work and talked to her then. In the message she said something about possibly seeing a polyp on the xray and it not just being positioning and maybe that could account for the twitching. When I talked to her in person she mentioned possibly a connection to a polyp and twitching, but not that there might have been something on the xrays. I would have thought for $80 the radiologist would have mentioned seeing it. Though she also thought there might have been signs of asthma, when the radiologist didn't see anything.

I wonder if I should ask about getting a copy of the xrays since they are digital. Or if that would cost more money too...

The position isn't technically the problem, it's that he usually doesn't lay like that this much and he often looks a little uncomfortable. Which is why I was first thinking his tummy wasn't feeling good. But he is still doing it. Plus I can get a little paranoid :nod: