Second time is 6 months???!!!! *VIBES NEEDED*

This cant be good! Sakura is sick again!!!
Some of you might remember this (probably not) but sakura was sick about 6 months ago. She was coughing and having trouble breathing. Well it came back!!!! I think its worse this time. She even has to breath through her mouth once in a while. I made a vet appt. for tomarrow and they gave me the emergency number again just in case. Im sooo worried!!!

Last time I tried to help her breath with the whole shower hot water mist thing but i dont really want to do that with an already hot appartment. I dont want to over heat her. Does anyone have any suggestions to get me though till tomarrow???

PS. Could someone lend me some happy thoughts?

Happy thoughts, prayers and good vibes being sent right now!!!!

thank you jamasmom!!

Have them check for a heart issue, and also asthma?I know when Gibby had that awful URI when we first had him, they checked his heart. poor kitty

Poor Sakura. I hope it is like before, and it clears up fine. Poor sick kitty!

Turtle cat: the vet checked her heart last time but said she didnt hear anything wrong. She did however bring up the topic of asthma. I just hope there is nothing worse underlying the problem.

beckiboo: i hope so too!!

Do you have a fan around? When I mentioned the heat to my vet, she suggested putting a wet cloth over a fan--it creates a cheap cooling system. I would guess that it would humidify as well.

thanks for the tip cloud shade. Ill have to try that later. Sakura is snoozing (not so peacefully) right now.

Can you also put her in a room with a hepa air filtration unit (we have a small one we got at walmart for our bedroom, it really is helpful re keeping dust and allergens down)...just in case it's asthma and she's reacting to a pollen or something in the air.

well i'll see how much money i have after this vet appointment. My fiance and I were talking about getting a air conditioner for the apartment. If its asthma then it should help. I do live in the big city, and i was thinking maybe its because of the smog. We do have a smog warning in place for the last few days.

my cat had something similar recently. my vet said it was either a viral thing or an irritation (due to either asthma or the stress of surgery).
She gave me some steroid medication to try and it worked. Which means it was an irritation. Now I stopped the medication and if the coughing comes back, it's probably asthma.

You might want to ask your vet if trying steroid medication would be a good idea. The only hesitation my vet had was that if it was viral, there is a small chance that the steroid would have made it worse.

Anways, keep us posted. Sending some good vibes your way!

Sending good vibes your way!

Keep us posted!

thanks for the vibes Oscarsmommy and mariep

ill post after the vet appt. and let know what going on.

Well just got back from the vet. Spent a good amount of money.
By the sounds of things she most likely has asthma. The vet took xrays and says the lung wall looks really thick and there is alot of fluid in her lungs. So she gave sakura a shot to help get rid of the fluids and gave us some pills that do the same thing. Im supposed to call the vet in the morning to give an update. Hopefully these pill work and help her breath.

Thank you for the update, I hope she has a good night...please keep us updated.

well so far things seem better but tonight will be the real test. I havent heard her cough and she went pee like three times now. The last time she didnt even bury it. I think she confused of why shes going alot.
Currently shes hiding out underneath my dresser sleeping. Shes had a very rough day. Her breathing is still heavy but the as long as she keeps going to the washroom its a good sign. Hopefully she can start breathing a little more normal tonight at sometime. If she is still breathing heavily than i have to give her the oral meds at 11 pm. I hope i dont have to, oral meds are such a pain.

Well sakura was almost back to her normal self this morning. She woke me up her contant morning meows and quick snuggle at 7am. I oddly missed this. Her breathing is still a bit off but she still isnt coughing. I called the vet this morning with an update and was told to keep her on the meds (furosemide) until tomarrow and call back then.

I've been trying to figure out whats the next step. Obviously this isnt the end of the vet visits. Ive looked up all sorts of things on the internet about feline asthma and anything that could be related to sakuras symptoms and Cried once or twice. Its hard because one day you think are creating the best life for your campanion and then later find that there is something wrong that sounds like you cant "cure" it.

If its asthma or heart disease, neither one makes it sound she can live forever like i sometimes wish. Its heartbreaking.

sending a prayer and abig

thank you sharky!
Im so emotional today. I was just watching Animal Miracles which is pretty corny but there was nothing on and i almost cried! I never feel like that for tv shows.

I know how you feel. I practically live at the vet's office with my kitty Spot. He'll start to get better for a few days, and then he'll take a nose-dive again. I was up until 5 am last night and then got up at 7:30 am to take him to the vet this morning. His current problem is bowel related, so I had to clean all the places he scooted. I just want him to get better! The bloodwork never comes back with any definite answers, and it's just so frustrating.

Feline asthma is very treatable though. My boyfriend has a kitty with it who's 14. When she gets flare-ups, they give her medication. There are newer treatments available designed to prevent flare-ups too. With heart disease, there are often options with medication depending on the issue. I had a kitty with a heart murmur who lived to be 12 years old without any signs of a problem. Unfortunately, nothing alive lives forever, but we can try to make their time with us as happy and comfortable as we can.

I'm sending you and Sakura good vibes and hopes for an easy treatment and comfortable happy years.