CatAsthmaFilter: Which method of Cat Asthma suppression did you use?

May 12, 2005 10:13 AM

My girlfriend's cat was recently diagnosed with asthma. The vet suggested two courses of action. One involved a mask and inhalers (replaced monthly.) The other method was intermittent cortisone shots. The vet mentioned that a risk of the cortisone treatment was the possibility of the cat developing diabetes, but the inhaler route is cost prohibitive (around $100/month.) What did you do when your cat was diagnosed with asthma?

I'm open to suggestions that fall outside of the two options I mentioned as well, so if you have had luck with a homeopathic or more natural approach I'm all ears.

posted by schyler523 to Pets & Animals (15 answers total)

I would have a problem with spending that much money (although my dog has had two ACL surgeries. . so maybe I am hypocritical here).

I would get an air cleaner or two or three and try to get as much indoor particulate pollution out of the house as I could. Then I would try a couple doses of cortisone to see if this asthma goes away once the inflammation of the bronchial tissues dies down.

Other than that, I am not sure what I would do, faced with that.
posted by Danf at 10:23 AM on May 12, 2005

Dust-free cat liter is a must. Smoke-free environment a must. The strategy is to reduce or eliminate known irritants, provide whatever possible to improve things for the cat. Maybe some adjustment to humidity? In la la land, dust, smog and dryness are all hazards.
posted by Goofyy at 10:33 AM on May 12, 2005

Sort of related: My cat needs twice-daily insulin shots, and while you might imagine that giving a cat a shot is on par with giving a cat a bath in terms of horror, it's not. It's VERY easy to give cats shots and once they connect the situation with the very good, healthy feeling that follows it, you'll find them eager to accept them, often purring profoundly when they know a shot is coming.
Point being, consider the cortisone shots. Your cat isn't going to love a mask and inhalers. There might be a RISK of diabetes, but it's not a certainty and that, too, is manageable.
posted by BuddhaInABucket at 10:38 AM on May 12, 2005

Have you considered consulting a naturopathic vet? (Is one available in your area?) I know that naturopaths consider asthma to be a systemic disorder and they treat it holistically. I don't know what they might do for cats, but it could be worth a whirl.

I'm all earthy-crunchy and shit, so I'd avoid the drugs and try the natural approach (and I think an air filter is a great suggestion). Also, unless the cat is in pain/distress, I'd be inclined to permit a little wheezing.

After that approach (and keep in mind that a naturopath may want you to try a treatment for a couple months before giving up on it), if it's not working I'd go with the cortisone shots.

On preview, what Goofyy said: get all possible irritants reduced/eliminated.
posted by Specklet at 10:40 AM on May 12, 2005

There are good answers in the thread that discussed this question previously.
posted by goatdog at 10:52 AM on May 12, 2005

Oh, and switch to a dust-free litter. They make the stuff out of corn and wheat now, and it seems to have improved my girlfriend's cat's condition.
posted by goatdog at 10:54 AM on May 12, 2005

My cat has asthma, but our vet suggested only treating during a series of attacks, not continuously.

The gist - we get him an 18 dollar ventolin shot when he starts wheezing regularly, which is about once a year.

We also follow most of the environmental changes above.
posted by Fuka at 11:25 AM on May 12, 2005

Response by poster: get all possible irritants reduced/eliminated.

I think that this is the first course of action, thank you.

We use a dust-free litter, but not corn or wheat. We tried the corn/wheat litters, but Buster immediately started avoiding the litterbox.

I'll definitely get an air purifier/filter (we've pondered getting one before this.) We don't smoke, so that won't be a problem, but smog on the other hand...

Dryness? Should we get a humidifier?

Re: Insulin shots.
My girlfriend and I are horrible with time structure/regular tasks...I think that she will avoid even the risk of Buster developing diabetes simply because she is terrified of forgetting a shot (a very likely occurence.)

On a side note: Why would cortisone induce diabetes?

On Preview:
My cat has asthma, but our vet suggested only treating during a series of attacks, not continuously.
The gist - we get him an 18 dollar ventolin shot when he starts wheezing regularly, which is about once a year.
We also follow most of the environmental changes above.

Thank you Fuka, this gives me hope.
posted by schyler523 at 11:31 AM on May 12, 2005

We give Mini the gas (that expensive inhaler) once a day in periods when she's having attacks--basically in the fall and spring. I'd recommend pet insurance; it seems like a lot, until you have a definite long-term cost like asthma or diabetes to deal with.
posted by goatdog at 12:44 PM on May 12, 2005

Do the symptoms include dry heaves?

I had a cat who was diagnosed with asthma (and the vet we were seeing at the time wanted to put him on steroids). I discovered that he simply wasn't getting enough water. It sounded like his throat was dry, and he would always drink from water glasses we left on the table. Turns out he didn't like drinking standing water, even changed several times a day. We replaced the water bowl with a drinkwell pet fountain, and he took to it immediately. The wheezing and heaves completely stopped.

This may not be your problem, of course, but it's a non-invasive thing to try first. But on the off chance that it works, I'd suggest you find a new vet, too.
posted by Caviar at 12:45 PM on May 12, 2005

Response by poster: Caviar: That is an interesting possibility...but the water fountain won't work, he just sits there all day and bats water out of the fountain. At the end of the day, no water in the fountain, floor covered in water. Entertaining for him no doubt, but not so much for us moppers. ;)

We have two bathrooms, we rarely use one of them, but we flush the toilet every other day (or try to), because both kitties like to drink from the toilet. Besides, toilets are weird (flickr self-link)!
posted by schyler523 at 1:14 PM on May 12, 2005

I'd say go with the cortisone shots. My mother's cat has asthma and she takes it to the vet periodically (once, twice a year) to have the shot administered. It works quite well. You'll be able to tell when the cat is due for it's next shot when it starts to wheeze again. I've had cats that require daily medical attention and it's a serious pain in the ass. They're typically reluctant to take their meds and it's generally impossible to conceal it in their food (they can always tell). Whenever I've had to give a cat medicine, I've always felt like I was doing it wrong or that I was dosing them incorrectly. When it comes down to it, go with the low maintenance treatments. If your cat has a problem that the vet can fix with a monthly or annual visit, go for that. If the other option is to treat the cat daily by yourself, avoid it unless it's the only option.
posted by Jon-o at 1:14 PM on May 12, 2005

My cat has asthma. We went with shots but gave them up when we learned of the risk of diabetes.

I have the inhaler, but giving him the treatment is not a pleasant experience.

I bought an air filter, a vacuum designed for those with severe alergies, and try to monitor the reaction that he has to plants and other things that I bring into the house. For instance, the live Christmas tree had to go almost as soon as it came in the house, but most plants are okay.

We live in a very dry area, so I bought a humidifier for the bedroom (the cat sleeps at the foot of my bed) and we all seem to sleep better.

He still has asthma attacks occasionally, but I only use the inhaler during periods when it has been very bad.

Also, like Caviar's cat, my cat has a problem drinking standing water. Getting a fountain helped a great deal with his hydration, but didn't have any effect on his asthma.

There are some things you should look for in a vet, like oxygen chambers and prior experience with feline asthma.

Good luck!
posted by Sheppagus at 1:15 PM on May 12, 2005

Our cats won't drink standing water either. The easiest way I've found to give them something to drink is to leave the bathtub just barely dripping. A small pool of water forms right around the drain or they'll lick the water right from the spout.
posted by Mitheral at 1:29 PM on May 12, 2005

Adding flowing water can't hurt -- and if your cat bats the water out of the Drinkwell, you might try this one instead. Our cats LOVE it, and it's helped with the inflammatory bowel disease. Also the pet insurance is a good thing. Just be sure you don't tell them he has an existing condition. We have it on our IBD cat because sometimes he goes through really bad periods and has to go to the vet really often, gets lots of drugs, etc. That gets expensive. The Pet Insurance helps a lot.
posted by Medieval Maven at 8:11 PM on May 12, 2005