Cat diagnosed with asthma, meds aren't working too well

[azshua]

So, my cat, Funny Face (sixteen year old spayed tortie) was recently diagnosed with asthma. The vet has given her a depo shot, steroids, Terbutaline, antibiotics, and an appetite stimulant in an attempt to help. He said it's not a bad case of asthma, not like ones he has seen many times. The problem is, she's still making noises when she breathes (gets worse when she purrs). It seems to have improved a little bit and she's not breathing as deeply as she was, but I'm freaking out because she still isn't as close to normal as I thought she should be. Does it often take a while for those medicines to work? X rays were also done. She has a little bit of fluid next to her heart (he did say he doesn't see any evidence of heart disease), her trachea is fine, diaphragm was fine, and there are spots that indicate asthma or bronchitis. I'll be starting her on Panacur tonight in case it's lungworm (this is with the vet's approval). But I'm wondering, is there anything else it could be that would cause these issues that could be mistaken for asthma? The vet didn't see any fluid in/on the lungs. I'm so worried about her. She doesn't eat much which is what really scares me. She's also still active, not lying around all the time. She acts like she wants to eat her kibble but then will walk away, and she nibbles on wet food some when I give it to her (most of the time). Sometimes she gags after eating (rarely vomiting). She has five doses left of antibiotics, she's been on steroids for over a week now and the Terbutaline since Friday night. I have no idea how fast results should happen with any of these meds, so any information would be helpful and very much appreciated. I've never had a cat with asthma before so this is very new territory. Thanks in advance.

 

[stephanietx]

Asthma requires ongoing, long-term treatment. Did your vet mention using a nebulizer or AeroKat?

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi.
Did the vet mention pericardial effusion? That is where fluid builds up in the pericardial sac, which surrounds the heart. Although a very small amount is needed to lubricate the heart, more than that is a significant finding. Do you have copies of the X-rays? If it is more than just that tiny amount, I would recommend a board certified small animal internal medicine veterinarian, or a veterinary cardiologist. That type of finding is usually seen with a heart problem, not asthma. You could also ask your vet about getting a radiology review with a specialist.

For the asthma, it is usually fairly easy to diagnose through X-ray.

I am not a veterinarian. I do have a cat e we itch asthma and have worked with many cats with asthma as well. The following is just in my personal experience and anything that deviates from your veterinarian’s plan needs to be discussed with your veterinarian.

My cat was started on the aero cat inhaler with these medications:
Fluticasone ( a steroid that is inhaled) twice a day to start. The benefit of this is that the steroids go directly where needed and there isn’t the systemic effect you see with oral or injectable steroids.

Albuterol as a rescue treatment in the event of an asthma attack.

Terbutaline injection to have on hand for use in case of a severe asthma attack that can’t be handled with the inhaled Albuterol.
Although if I were to have to go this route, I would be taking her to an ER for follow up and most likely oxygen treatment.

Because I am a worst case scenario type person that worries about my cat, I picked up a used oxygen concentrator to have on hand if I were to need to administer flow by oxygen. I live one hour away from everywhere.

I also got some air purifiers with hepa filters to run in the house.
I also removed any possible triggers like anything scented. I ramped up my dusting and vacuuming. I switched to unscented dust free cat litter and removed the covers to the litter boxes.

Feline asthma is a serious condition, but most cases can be managed with care.

 

[azshua]

Asthma requires ongoing, long-term treatment. Did your vet mention using a nebulizer or AeroKat?

No, he hasn't mentioned either of those. It's not a severe case (so far, she isn't open mouth breathing or really struggling, mainly just slow, long breaths with some noise, which has improved some). This is all new to me, so I have no idea how fast medicines should work, how well, and such.

Hi.
Did the vet mention pericardial effusion? That is where fluid builds up in the pericardial sac, which surrounds the heart. Although a very small amount is needed to lubricate the heart, more than that is a significant finding. Do you have copies of the X-rays? If it is more than just that tiny amount, I would recommend a board certified small animal internal medicine veterinarian, or a veterinary cardiologist. That type of finding is usually seen with a heart problem, not asthma. You could also ask your vet about getting a radiology review with a specialist.

For the asthma, it is usually fairly easy to diagnose through X-ray.

I am not a veterinarian. I do have a cat e we itch asthma and have worked with many cats with asthma as well. The following is just in my personal experience and anything that deviates from your veterinarian’s plan needs to be discussed with your veterinarian.

My cat was started on the aero cat inhaler with these medications:
Fluticasone ( a steroid that is inhaled) twice a day to start. The benefit of this is that the steroids go directly where needed and there isn’t the systemic effect you see with oral or injectable steroids.

Albuterol as a rescue treatment in the event of an asthma attack.

Terbutaline injection to have on hand for use in case of a severe asthma attack that can’t be handled with the inhaled Albuterol.
Although if I were to have to go this route, I would be taking her to an ER for follow up and most likely oxygen treatment.

Because I am a worst case scenario type person that worries about my cat, I picked up a used oxygen concentrator to have on hand if I were to need to administer flow by oxygen. I live one hour away from everywhere.

I also got some air purifiers with hepa filters to run in the house.
I also removed any possible triggers like anything scented. I ramped up my dusting and vacuuming. I switched to unscented dust free cat litter and removed the covers to the litter boxes.

Feline asthma is a serious condition, but most cases can be managed with care.

I don't have copies of the x rays. He did mention there's a little bit of fluid next to her heart (not completely surrounding it, just at the top and not an alarming amount). He said he doesn't see anything that leads him to believe it's heart disease. She's on antibiotics in case it's from an infection and these past two days, I have noticed a significant decrease in the noise she makes when breathing, a lot less coughing. He pointed out the spots that point to asthma or bronchitis. Her lungs look good other than those spots (he said are inflamed bronchioles). I will look into the filters and air purifiers for the house. Thank you for your suggestions! Also, what kind of litter do you use? I've been using Arm & Hammer Clump and Seal Slide. I don't think they make unscented. I've never seen any, anyway.

I haven't started her on the Panacur yet since she's showing improvement now. Perhaps it is an infection causing it and the antibiotics are kicking in? I really hope so. He's been a vet for about forty years, so I do trust him as far as diagnosing what's wrong. I just tend to freak out when something happens, lol. I do apologize for my freaking out, and also for the late reply. She's on Terbutaline twice a day, and steroids once a day, which started out twice a day for four days, and tomorrow is her fourth day of taking them once a day. I'm supposed to call and speak to them after that. She has four more doses of the antibiotics left. He did say that he hopes he's wrong about the asthma and that it really is an infection, so he's not the kind who thinks he's never wrong, haha. Because this is so new to me, I didn't know if the symptoms should be gone by now with the medicines she's on or if it takes time. I'm already an anxious person by nature and I tend to overthink everything. If a cat is lethargic for one day, I'll panic and am already thinking they're not going to make it.

Thank you both for your replies! I appreciate you.

 

[silent meowlook]

No need to apologize for being stressed. It is always a stressful situation when your cat is ill.

I use the following

World’s Best Cat Litter®️ | Natural Litter for Cats & Kittens

World’s Best Cat Litter®️ works hard inside and outside of the box to deliver naturally safe litter options to improve the lives of cats and their owners.

www.worldsbestcatlitter.com

Although they now have lavender scented litter do I think less of them as a company

And I also use

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009X29WK/?tag=thecatsite

 

[azshua]

No need to apologize for being stressed. It is always a stressful situation when your cat is ill.

I use the following

http://[URL]https://www.worldsbestc...TMxdiZUNrCvGmKvaZoTWR8GfFkRxVdBRoCDPgQAvD_BwE

[/URL]

Although they now have lavender scented litter do I think less of them as a company

And I also use

Amazon.com

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm very grateful! And thank you also for the litter suggestions. I will have to give one (or both) a try. I think I used World's Best several years ago, but can't recall for sure. The other costs less than what I normally buy, so that's a plus! Will have to order some and see how it goes. Thanks again!

 

[lisahe]

First off, S silent meowlook mentioned Dr. Elsey's Ultra kitty litter -- we've been using that or Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief for almost ten years for our cats. Just switching to Respiratory Relief from scented Fresh Step kept our cat from coughing for several years! (Respiratory Relief is considerably more expensive than Ultra and we don't notice that either one works better than the other for Ireland.)

I'll add this paragraph, in the event that the antibiotics don't resolve Funny Face's symptoms... I'm not a vet either but based on what our vet recommended for our asthmatic cat, who has mild disease, you might want to speak with your vet about a fluticasone (Flovent in the US, Flixotide outside the US) inhaler, azshua . A Flovent inhaler is preventive and it's a form of steroid that tends to have less side effects than steroid pills. Ireland does well on the inhaler. She also has a transdermal antihistamine cream because she has allergies; she seems to get a sneezy, wet sort of sniffling during pollen season and we're pretty sure dust is an issue for her, too.

One other thought: did Funny Face ever have an upper respiratory infection (that you know of)? Those can stay in the body and come back with minor symptoms. We had a cat who had a very bad URI (most likely herpes) and she had occasional spells of sneezing, sniffling, and runny eyes for her whole life.

Fingers crossed that Funny Face's symptoms resolve themselves soon so you don't have to get into more asthma meds for her!

 

[azshua]

First off, S silent meowlook mentioned Dr. Elsey's Ultra kitty litter -- we've been using that or Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief for almost ten years for our cats. Just switching to Respiratory Relief from scented Fresh Step kept our cat from coughing for several years! (Respiratory Relief is considerably more expensive than Ultra and we don't notice that either one works better than the other for Ireland.)

I'll add this paragraph, in the event that the antibiotics don't resolve Funny Face's symptoms... I'm not a vet either but based on what our vet recommended for our asthmatic cat, who has mild disease, you might want to speak with your vet about a fluticasone (Flovent in the US, Flixotide outside the US) inhaler, azshua . A Flovent inhaler is preventive and it's a form of steroid that tends to have less side effects than steroid pills. Ireland does well on the inhaler. She also has a transdermal antihistamine cream because she has allergies; she seems to get a sneezy, wet sort of sniffling during pollen season and we're pretty sure dust is an issue for her, too.

One other thought: did Funny Face ever have an upper respiratory infection (that you know of)? Those can stay in the body and come back with minor symptoms. We had a cat who had a very bad URI (most likely herpes) and she had occasional spells of sneezing, sniffling, and runny eyes for her whole life.

Fingers crossed that Funny Face's symptoms resolve themselves soon so you don't have to get into more asthma meds for her!

I can't recall her having an upper respiratory infection, but it's possible she could have. I know many years ago we had something that went through the cats that was like a cold. None of them got seriously ill or anything, just snotty and runny eyes. The only things I can recall are her being on antibiotics a couple of times due to an infection in her toe (I have to now get her claws clipped because two or three of them will grow into her toe if not clipped) and a rather bad reaction to the three year rabies shot. That was done near the beginning of last year and even when it runs out, she won't be getting another. First time having one given to a cat, and also the last because of my experience with it.

My main concern right now is her not eating very much. She has lost a good bit of weight. Is it common for cats with asthma to get that way with eating? I've considered seeing if I can find a vet to give her a feeding tube so I can get more into her. I'm afraid to syringe feed since she's got the breathing problems because I fear she could inhale some and make things worse. She acts like she wants to eat more than she does, but she'll nibble a little bit and then leave the food. She has actually come over to me three times while typing this and nibbled some of the wet food I've got in the bowl for her.

Thank you for your reply! I'll ask about an inhaler next time I speak with her vet. They're closed until next week, I think they reopen Wednesday. They want her to take the steroids once every other day, but if she gets worse, I'm to go back to once a day. I would just feel so much less anxious if she would just eat more. She doesn't gasp for air or anything, she just inhales and exhales more slowly than normal (not as bad now as it was) and makes noise. Doesn't get out of breath when she moves about. And I apologize for not replying sooner. Had to work all day yesterday and part of the day today, and took a nap not long after I got home due to not feeling well, lol. Oh, and I've also wondered about her catching something from us. My mind is just a whirlwind of thoughts!

 

[silent meowlook]

Hi. You may have more than just asthma going on here. I think you should get another opinion, because something isn’t right here.

In answer to the question, no asthma does not usually involve the appetite.

 

[lisahe]

Hi. You may have more than just asthma going on here. I think you should get another opinion, because something isn’t right here.

In answer to the question, no asthma does not usually involve the appetite.

I agree with S silent meowlook (as usual) on both points here -- it feels like things aren't quite adding up. Funny Face's unwillingness to eat is pretty unlikely to be caused by asthma. Has she ever been constipated? The way you describe her nibbling her food and then leaving it reminds me of when our asthmatic cat gets constipated.

 

[stephanietx]

My asthma girl will have decreased appetite when she needs to have a breathing treatment. Many times, her decreased appetite in the morning indicates she'll have an asthma attack later in the day. I have figured this out so I try to give her a breathing treatment soon after breakfast, then make sure to give her a prednisolone in the evening.

 

[lisahe]

My asthma girl will have decreased appetite when she needs to have a breathing treatment. Many times, her decreased appetite in the morning indicates she'll have an asthma attack later in the day. I have figured this out so I try to give her a breathing treatment soon after breakfast, then make sure to give her a prednisolone in the evening.
[/QUOT E]
Yes, knowing their patterns and how to deal with them is so important! Particularly when it can be so hard to sort out what's causing symptoms.

Maybe I misunderstood but it sounds to me like Funny Face doesn't want to eat much at all since the OP is considering a feeding tube or syringing.

 

[azshua]

Hi. You may have more than just asthma going on here. I think you should get another opinion, because something isn’t right here.

In answer to the question, no asthma does not usually involve the appetite.

Thank you for your answer. I agree that there must be something more going on. I've noticed she also gulps hard when she eats/drinks, it sounds like a small thump sound.

I agree with S silent meowlook (as usual) on both points here -- it feels like things aren't quite adding up. Funny Face's unwillingness to eat is pretty unlikely to be caused by asthma. Has she ever been constipated? The way you describe her nibbling her food and then leaving it reminds me of when our asthmatic cat gets constipated.

I believe she was constipated a couple of weeks ago. She would go to the litter box and try to poop, and either nothing would come out or only a little bit would. I gave her some lactulose (I have a bottle for another cat who is on it for life now), and she pooped a larger amount after. Not a lot, but it was more than she was doing before. I can try giving her more and see if that helps. But I think at this point, if she doesn't start eating on her own more than a tiny bit here and there, I might take her in for her last visit. I can't stand seeing her starve to death. I got a tube of Nutrical and started giving it to her today. She gagged after giving her a little bit a couple of times. She also gagged when I offered her some Lil Gravies. She did lick some of the gravy from a can of Creamy Delights. I'm so torn on what to do. I can't afford a lot as far as vet bills go. I've already had her in three times within one week. Even if I could, I feel like I'm delaying the inevitable and prolonging her suffering. It's the not knowing that gets me the most.

Yes, knowing their patterns and how to deal with them is so important! Particularly when it can be so hard to sort out what's causing symptoms.

Maybe I misunderstood but it sounds to me like Funny Face doesn't want to eat much at all since the OP is considering a feeding tube or syringing.

No, you didn't misunderstand. She hasn't been eating much for a while now. She had started eating more for a couple of days, and was eating little bits of kibble several times a day. Then she went back to not eating much at all. I've been afraid to syringe feed her due to her breathing, afraid she'll aspirate and things will get worse. I have Nutrical in a syringe that I'm giving her a little bit here and there. Maybe the vet can steer me in the right direction as far as whether or not it's time to let her go or keep trying. If she'll start eating more before that day gets here, I'll probably keep trying.

Thank you all for your answers. Maybe next time I post, I'll have good news.

 

[azshua]

We took her back for blood work Friday. It was all pretty normal, so they were gonna test her thyroid. I had to leave to go to work before the results of that were in, and now I'm waiting until Tuesday to find out what they were. She's down to five and a half pounds. Her breathing has gotten better, though, but she still won't eat on her own.