Hello! Close to a month ago (mid-September) our 10 y/o cat started acting out of character. She was hiding more and acting more lethargic, licking her nose a bunch, and we noticed she seemed like she was breathing heavier. We took her to a new vet where they did a complete workup. All of her bloodwork came back normal and the vet said that overall she was very healthy. He said her lungs sounded fine and didn't notice anything specific with her physical exam. He prescribed an antibiotic and a pain reliever and sent us on our way. Fast forward 2 weeks and she still wasn't better, still hiding some, not really having her normal appetite, and still breathing heavily (even more so). I called the vet and he called in 2 more weeks of an anti-biotic. Now another week has passed and she is still not better and still breathing heavily where you can see her stomach pushing in and out with every breath. Does anyone know what this could be or have any experience with this? Is it just a bad URI and is it just taking time to pass, or could it be something heart-related? Any insights are appreciated!
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Heavy breathing
- Thread starter cy2357
- Start Date
Heavy breathing she needs to see a vet asap. Can you take her to a different one?
Does your cat appear to have symptoms of a URI? From your description, it does not sound exactly like that, but I could be misreading. I agree that if there is no improvement that you need to look for another vet at a feline only practice, if possible. All records from the original vet are yours and have to be given to you in a timely manner.
Heavy breathing can indicate several conditions, one of which is heart disease. This has gone on for a month, so you need another vet as soon as possible.
Heavy breathing can indicate several conditions, one of which is heart disease. This has gone on for a month, so you need another vet as soon as possible.
A chest x-ray could be the first thing to do to see if there are any abnormalities/anomalies with the heart/lungs. Most cats do not require sedation to go through a chest x-ray so I cannot understand why your vet wouldn't have at least suggested it. If anything shows up, other tests can be done, depending on what is seen. An EKG can be run, and/or an ultrasound of the heart.
Hyperthyroidism, which requires a separate blood test from the standard blood work should also be done, as hyper-T can impact the heart, and there are cases when no other signs/symptoms are obvious.
Another thing would be to check her BP, a bit trickier in that it requires at least 3 checks to be done over the course of an appt, and ideally another 3 checks in the following week. This is to ensure that a 'good' reading is determined, as just like with humans, cats can experience 'white coat syndrome'.
Hyperthyroidism, which requires a separate blood test from the standard blood work should also be done, as hyper-T can impact the heart, and there are cases when no other signs/symptoms are obvious.
Another thing would be to check her BP, a bit trickier in that it requires at least 3 checks to be done over the course of an appt, and ideally another 3 checks in the following week. This is to ensure that a 'good' reading is determined, as just like with humans, cats can experience 'white coat syndrome'.