Feline Asthma and Symptoms
Asthma is a narrowing of the cat's airway. It can be caused by a variety of sources:
- Allergies
- Inhaled irritants
- Parasites
- Bacteria
- Viruses
Asthma can also be a chronic condition.
A cat with asthma will often cough or wheeze when it breathes. Sometimes wheezes are audible without the use of a stethoscope. In an attempt to take in more air, a cat may breathe with her mouth open.
Diagnosing Asthma
The symptoms of asthma and their severity are all weighed when diagnosing asthma. X-rays and blood tests could be done to help determine these things in a cat.
An x-ray is taken to find any trapped pockets of air that were not exhaled. A cat that over-inflates her diaphragm may cause it to look flat on a radiograph, indicating she has asthma. Mucus or fluid in the lungs will sometimes show up on x-rays in asthmatic cats, and the walls of the airway can appear to be thickened. X-rays can also help a veterinarian see parasites and heart and lung disease.
Blood tests, fecal exams and a urinalysis are often done to diagnose feline asthma. These tests can reveal an underlying disease that may cause respiratory problems, indicate parasitic involvement or a virus that is attacking the cat's immune system.
Treating Feline Asthma with Flovent
A Flovent inhaler contains corticosteroids and is one of the most commonly prescribed medications for cats with asthma. This inhaler is often given with a device called AeroKat: a contraption that consists of a mask and chamber that is attached to the Flovent inhaler.
Since cats are not always cooperative, the mask and chamber help the owner administer the inhaled medicine without having to try to get their cat to breathe at the correct time. The chamber and mask are attached to the inhaler, and the medicine is then sprayed into it. Without separating the mask and chamber from the inhaler, the mask is placed over a cat's face and nose. The cat is then to breathe in about 10-15 times so they can inhale the full dose of the Flovent medicine. Flovent is typically to be administered to cats twice a day to help treat asthma symptoms.
Flovent side effects are minimal. Caution should be taken, however, if a cat has heart disease. When first using Flovent, a cat might cough after inhaling the medicine. This should stop after a few days. In rare cases, a cat may develop contact dermatitis that is benign (irritations such as itching and discomfort were not noticed). No long-term side effects have been noted with the use of Flovent to treat the condition.
The severity of feline asthma can impact a cat's quality of life if left untreated. Talk to your veterinarian about treatment options that are cost effective and produce good results, like Flovent, if your cat has asthma symptoms.