Cat wheezing

[JoelleLa]

My cat has been recently doing this huffing sound and swallowing hard after. I work in a Veterinary Clinic and I’ve never seen this before, so I’ve looked a ton of stuff up to see if it’s coughing, wheezing, or something else.
I am pretty sure it’s wheezing. It isn’t triggered by anything and it just sounds like she’s gagging and trying to spit out a hairball. It goes on for about 1 minute, but sometimes lasts for 2 1/2 minutes. We recently went to the vet and her bloodwork is COMPLETELY normal. We checked her thyroid and everything is good. The reason we checked her thyroid was because she wasn’t eating. She is now eating and drinking like normal, and seems very happy. She was on Mirataz for a bit, but it passed the 14 days so she’s off of it. She didn’t have any issues with it, but through the whole thing she has been doing this wheezing noise and she was doing it before too.
She’s been doing this for a while and seems she has some heavy breathing sometimes too.
Any help?

I wish I could upload videos but if you click this link and click the video with the siamese cat, it’s exactly like that Cat Wheezing: What Is It, Why Does It Happen and Should You See a Vet?

 

[FeralHearts]

Allergies and Asthma would be my first thoughts here.

Cats can get seasonal allergies and other allergies that can cause that.

The way the body is pushing forward like that leads me to those thoughts. It reminds me of when Charlie, my boy who has both a food allergy and asthma, has an attack. He has an inhaler for when the asthma starts acting up and after sorting out the food allergy the attacks, while not gone, have been reduced to mostly seasonal now.

Has kitty been checked for any of that? Put on a elimination diet in case food is a trigger?

Remember, cats, just like people can develop asthma and allergies to anything and at any point in their lives.

 

[JoelleLa]

I thought it seemed like asthma or allergies too. My sister, who lives with me, has bad allergies so she’s on some dander reducing food. I’m not sure if we really have the funds to get allergy testing or anything that checks for asthma. Our vet said he noticed her heavy breathing and it’s not normal. I feel that it might be asthma or a new allergy because she never did this like 1-2 years ago. Do you recommend anything for temporary help? I heard putting a towel over a cage with a humidifier inside might help with their breathing. Is that a good solution? Kinda trying to find anything, idk where I heard that though

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

My immediate thought was asthma also. As far as I know, there is nothing for asthma other than medication of one sort or another. Of course, first you need to confirm that it is, indeed asthma. It could be a heart condition, or it could actually BE a hairball that is lodged in there and that could also be why her appetite was low, although that wouldn't explain why she's better now that she's off the Mirataz.

Here is another, very recent thread that is very similar to yours, and how one member medicates her cat with asthma

Cat Asthma?

 

[FeralHearts]

I thought it seemed like asthma or allergies too. My sister, who lives with me, has bad allergies so she’s on some dander reducing food. I’m not sure if we really have the funds to get allergy testing or anything that checks for asthma. Our vet said he noticed her heavy breathing and it’s not normal. I feel that it might be asthma or a new allergy because she never did this like 1-2 years ago. Do you recommend anything for temporary help? I heard putting a towel over a cage with a humidifier inside might help with their breathing. Is that a good solution? Kinda trying to find anything, idk where I heard that though

Let me ease you mind on allergy testing - don't waste the money. Not one vet I've spoken to, and there have been a few, has recommended that. All of them have said it's inaccurate and not worth the cash to have the kitty tested. I asked them because Charlie is a picky eater and trying to get him to try new food is near impossible - though I keep / kept trying - but the best thing was the elimination diet. It narrowed it down enough to know what to avoid. For him it is chicken or turkey or both , so he gets neither. Several of us here can help guide you thought that if you choose that root. It was worth the effort. He still has asthma but both his allergies and asthma improved with that change. Significantly.

mrsgreenjeens has a point about heart and hairball. I didn't bring up the hairball being stuck as I assumed that being at a vet clinic you all would have done things to rule it out / treated it. I should know better than to assume though.

Heart could also be an issue, Charlie has HCM (born with it and mild thankfully) just to make things more interesting with him. So that is worth a look as well.

One thing I did with Charlie when it first started was made a steam room out of the bathroom and take him in with me for short periods several times a day. I would think the humidifier idea would work very similarly.

 

[JoelleLa]

My immediate thought was asthma also. As far as I know, there is nothing for asthma other than medication of one sort or another. Of course, first you need to confirm that it is, indeed asthma. It could be a heart condition, or it could actually BE a hairball that is lodged in there and that could also be why her appetite was low, although that wouldn't explain why she's better now that she's off the Mirataz.

Here is another, very recent thread that is very similar to yours, and how one member medicates her cat with asthma

Cat Asthma?

I looked at the thread and that looks EXACTLY like what’s happening to her. I’m gonna listen to her lungs myself, and hopefully figure something out with the vet. Not sure how much x-rays are at the one we go to, but I’ll try to convince my family to help her out.
Thanks for the information on the allergy testing too because I wasn’t too sure about it myself. Reading the thread, I see the treatment was a nebulizer. I own a nebulizer because I myself have asthma so I think if it does turn out to be asthma, I’ll be set.
Ugh let’s hope for the best. Thank you for the advice!

 

[JoelleLa]

Let me ease you mind on allergy testing - don't waste the money. Not one vet I've spoken to, and there have been a few, has recommended that. All of them have said it's inaccurate and not worth the cash to have the kitty tested. I asked them because Charlie is a picky eater and trying to get him to try new food is near impossible - though I keep / kept trying - but the best thing was the elimination diet. It narrowed it down enough to know what to avoid. For him it is chicken or turkey or both , so he gets neither. Several of us here can help guide you thought that if you choose that root. It was worth the effort. He still has asthma but both his allergies and asthma improved with that change. Significantly.

mrsgreenjeens has a point about heart and hairball. I didn't bring up the hairball being stuck as I assumed that being at a vet clinic you all would have done things to rule it out / treated it. I should know better than to assume though.

Heart could also be an issue, Charlie has HCM (born with it and mild thankfully) just to make things more interesting with him. So that is worth a look as well.

One thing I did with Charlie when it first started was made a steam room out of the bathroom and take him in with me for short periods several times a day. I would think the humidifier idea would work very similarly.

Thank you for the information and advice. I’m going to dry out the humidifier thing and hopefully she starts feeling a little bit better. I really do appreciate all the advice

 

[35 year catdad]

I wont mention the C word....but its a great antihistamine made by cats in their livers.
I think glutens may trigger auto immune response in "sensitive cats?

glutens are everywhere (except our cats ancestors diets) including presc. diets and avoiding them completely maybe why my 3 have had no skin, lung, allergy issues in 19 yrs. Knock on wood.... Now we have off the chart allergy problem but not ashma I think breathing worst air in the world past few summers was a chronic trigger. Curious about her bloodwork eisonophonlis levels? although having fleas raises it. Then the other phils....basophils mono phils etc vet could tell which are inhalant raised?
I did some research on lysine for virus in cats. Its really cheap, and of course the findings are all over the place.

Anything in their diet and environment thats inflammatory may be a trigger, but ask a vet... and I wonder what would happen if kitty was in a room for a day or longer with super ULPA air cleaner with activated carbon pre filter? and your choice of cat antiinflamm. foods/supplements.
I found a little HEPA filter with act. charcoal for 50 dollars online. It even had places for scents to release in air.
We had air from hell all summer and i think it triggered a U T infection-not from a virus or bug inhaled but overwhelmed immune system .
I watched the air quality on purpleair website and you can search archives.Hope she gets better soon!