Cat with congestion ongoing problem

[gatolover77]

My cat was diagnosed with allergic bronchitis 2 years ago. He's had URI sine I adopted him as a kitten. In the past the antibiotics or inhalers never helped. The only thing that helped was a steroid shot. The vet basically told me he has a lot of mucus and he can't clear it out. I bought a nebulizer and its not helping. I've tried the steaming trick and it doesn't help much. Is there anything I can do other than getting him the steroid shot again? I'm pretty scared of the long term consequences of that. He's not doing so bad right now but I want to fix the issue before it gets as bad as it was the last time.

 

[Alldara]

gatolover77

Some more info might be helpful to possible advice:
- Did they ever do a scope or something to check for something small in the nasal passage?
- if yes to above did they ever do a swab? Sometimes a fungal infection can be really in there. I'm not sure if that's likely in your case though.

- did bloodwork get done for an underlying condition that causes the cat to be prone to this? Hyperthyroidism, FIV and FELV are three things off the top of my head which could cause him to be so prone to it.

 

[gatolover77]

gatolover77

Some more info might be helpful to possible advice:
- Did they ever do a scope or something to check for something small in the nasal passage?
- if yes to above did they ever do a swab? Sometimes a fungal infection can be really in there. I'm not sure if that's likely in your case though.

- did bloodwork get done for an underlying condition that causes the cat to be prone to this? Hyperthyroidism, FIV and FELV are three things off the top of my head which could cause him to be so prone to it.

They never did a scope but they did bloodwork and xrays. They diagnosed him using those 2 things. His congestion completely went away for about 8 months after taking that steroid shot. During that time the vet advised me to get rid of any irritants (candles, incense, most kitty litter types, etc) and I got a HEPA vaccum and air purifier. I was also advised to change his food to novel protein diet because the vet wasn't sure exactly what was causing this allergic reaction. I will say he's no longer having any kind of asthma attacks after changing his food and doing all of this but now the congestion is randomly back.

 

[Alldara]

gatolover77 humans with athsma can be more prone to infections so I wonder if it's the same for cats?

Have you tried l-lysine before? It works for some cats. My vet gave the dosage of 1/4 tsp split into twice a day for 7 days for a 6 lb cat. You can ask a vets office to let you know.

 

[gatolover77]

gatolover77 humans with athsma can be more prone to infections so I wonder if it's the same for cats?

Have you tried l-lysine before? It works for some cats. My vet gave the dosage of 1/4 tsp split into twice a day for 7 days for a 6 lb cat. You can ask a vets office to let you know.

When he was a kitten the first had me give him lysine for his URI and it worked. I tried using it again after that with no luck.

 

[Alldara]

When he was a kitten the first had me give him lysine for his URI and it worked. I tried using it again after that with no luck.

No dental issues?

 

[gatolover77]

No dental issues?

Not that I know of...could that cause congestion?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Talk to your vet about using Budesonide instead of Prednisolone (what I assume he originally received). As I understand it, the long-term effects are less with this newer steroid. Can't hurt to ask. But, if an injection of Prednisolone can work for 8 months, it might be worth it.

 

[Alldara]

Not that I know of...could that cause congestion?

Yes, it could Usually a vet has to take a dental x-ray to know.

 

[stephanietx]

Have you tried a daily antihistamine? We give my asthmatic kitties 1/2 of a plain Claritin (loratadine) once a day smashed into wet food.

 

[Antonio65]

Was the vet able to understand what your cat is allergic to?

 

[gatolover77]

Have you tried a daily antihistamine? We give my asthmatic kitties 1/2 of a plain Claritin (loratadine) once a day smashed into wet food.

I haven't tried that! It's completely safe?

 

[gatolover77]

Was the vet able to understand what your cat is allergic to?

No they just said it could be food it could be dust, pollen, or household cleaners and scents. I pretty much eliminated all of it just in case but he's so sensitive that even someone coming into the home with perfume(if he rubs ob them) will cause a small flare up. I'm also still learning which foods he can and can't eat. The kibble with rabbit protein has been good so far but it looks like fish causes issues now too. I thought it was only chicken at first.

 

[stephanietx]

I haven't tried that! It's completely safe?

Yes! My vet recommended it.