Asthmatic Cats?

[LittlePenBigHeart]

We haven't got confirmation that Dylan is asthmatic but I just wanted to ask advice from anyone with experience on the subject.

Is it generally obvious all the time that they're asthmatic, or is it something that only flares up from time to time? Dylan had those breathing difficulties that one time but seems okay-ish since. However, he isn't quite as lively as he used to be (he's not lethargic or anything - he still runs about, just not as much as he used to) and his breathing is slightly faster than our other cats. He was already cleared of any heart problems beyond a bit of a murmur that the cardiologist wasn't concerned about.

The situation we're in now is that the cardiologist has left it to us to decide how to proceed and I'm not sure whether I'm doing the right thing. She suggested we could (not should) put him on steroids to see if he seemed to improve, but that because he's only 1, there are long-term implications. If the steroids worked, she said we could look at an inhaler (as asthmatic myself I find it hilarious thinking of a cat using a puffer!!) instead of steroids at a later date, which give a lower dose of steroids, but ultimately any dose of them will eventually put excess strain on his body.

We told her that he seems okay in himself generally. He eats, he sleeps, he plays, he's affectionate and happy. But his breathing being faster and him being less bouncy than he used to be (and less so than his sister) means there's a chance he could be suffering more than we realise, so it makes me wonder if maybe I'm doing the wrong thing.

Thoughts?

[Catfan5]

When my cat was diagnosed with asthma/chronic bronchitis she had been having coughing spasms for a while. She had antibiotics which didn't help so started taking prednicare (steroid tablets) There were no other symptoms like wheezing or breathing fast like some cats have. She had an X-ray at a specialist vets which confirmed the diagnosis of asthma. I have weaned her off the steroids when she started using the Aerokat inhaler. She took a long time to get used to it but with a lot of patience she's ok with it now.
ive found a lot of useful information on yahoo by joining the FAIM group (feline asthma inhaled meds) and there are others. It's worth having a look. An X-ray is the usual way to confirm a diagnosis for asthma. I would say Bailey had the typical cough of a asthmatic cat so wasn't surprised with the diagnosis but only an X-ray confirmed it. Good luck with Dylan, let us know how he gets on.

[LittlePenBigHeart]

Thank you so much for your reply, Catfan. Dylan hasn't coughed or wheezed or anything - in fact there's been no sign of any problems since that one first attack (he was taking very short, shallow breaths and made almost a short sighing sound as he got to the end of each out-breath), aside from slightly shorter breaths and reduced activity levels.

They did do a few x-rays, but they couldn't see anything obvious enough to say 'yes, that's asthma'. It's ll so confusing!

[Catfan5]

http://m.petmd.com/cat/conditions/respi ... _lungworms
http://m.petmd.com/cat/conditions/infec ... rm_disease

How frustrating when there is obviously something wrong but tests are negative. Steroids might help and/or an inhaler but you still need to know the cause. Above are a couple of rather alarming links re parasites that can cause very similar symptoms to asthma just to rule them out if your vet agrees. The only other thing I can think of is maybe an allergy? Can you see a different vet or get him referred to a different specialist for respiratory conditions? Have a browse through the asthma groups too there are people there who, although not vets, have experience and may have suggestions.
Fusses to Dylan.

[LittlePenBigHeart]

Thank you so much for your help.

I've looked at both of those but he doesn't really fit the symptoms for either because he's never had a cough or a number of the other symptoms.

He did see a specialist about this - and I must say I trust the specialist completely. She wasn't confident about diagnosing him with any specific lung disease. They did x-rays, blood tests, cardiac ultrasounds, even some test where they put saline solution into the bronchial passages to test the cells he aspirated. Nothing showed anything obvious other than the slight heart murmur.

I suspect you're right about it being an allergy. When he showed the initial symptoms, it was while we were renovating our kitchen. Lots of dust, lots of paint, etc. Since then he's been fine, bar the slightly elevated breathing speed and occasional slight lethargy.

Thanks so much for all your help. I'll have a look at some feline asthma groups and see what they say.