Asthma

What is feline asthma?
In the literature, a distinction is made between bronchitis and asthma. Bronchitis is a mild reaction to an irritant such as cigarette smoke and dust particles. Asthma is an allergic reaction to irritants such as cigarette smoke and dust particles that also involves the immune system.

Asthma in cats is also known as feline asthma. The lungs become overstimulated, this overstimulation causes the cells in the lungs to produce more mucus. The stimulation also thickens the walls of the lower airways. An inflammatory response occurs in the lungs, which can cause them to swell or spasm. All of this leads to breathing problems. Asthma is when an attack actually occurs.

What Are the Symptoms of Asthma in Cats?
The symptoms can be very different. Many cats experience shortness of breath and wheezing is also common in cats. For example, your cat may breathe open-mouthed or have an attack of shortness of breath similar to a human asthma attack. Your cat then has severe breathing difficulties. You may also never notice an attack and only notice that your cat loses his appetite or stops eating. Attacks of shortness of breath are always referred to as asthma.

Feline asthma can also cause cats to cough chronically, ranging from the very mild (1-2 times a day) to the very frequent.

If you have symptoms of a lung disease, always go to the vet in good time! Even if they are very mild. If you wait too long, it is possible that the damage to the lungs cannot be repaired.

How is the diagnosis made?
An asthma attack or an acute attack of shortness of breath is often very suspicious. A single attack does not necessarily mean that your cat actually has asthma. A good x-ray will ensure the vet can make the diagnosis. But an x-ray is not always conclusive, some cats have asthma without showing it on the x-ray. A specialist can then use a camera to look into the lungs (bronchoscopy), for which the cat must be under anesthesia.

Therefore, it is always useful to have an X-ray taken first, which can be used to diagnose most cats. Most cats also do not need to be anesthetized for an x-ray, and this is less invasive than examining the lungs with a camera.

During a bronchoscopy, the specialist can, if necessary, flush the airways and thus find out the possible cause of the cough. Cats also cough because of pneumonia or a foreign object in their lungs. Lungworms can also cause coughing in cats.

Can Any Cat Get Asthma?
Just like humans, any cat can become allergic. It can occur at any age. However, we usually see this in cats around the age of 6 to 8 years. Some cats have been coughing for a long time. Siamese and related oriental breeds seem to suffer from this disease more frequently, but in principle it can occur in any cat.

What is the treatment for asthma in cats?
Sometimes it is necessary to have the cat taken away. Overweight cats have trouble breathing because the amount of fat in their lungs means they have less room to expand. It is also important to ensure clean air in the house (i.e. dust-free cat litter, no smoking indoors, no perfume or air fresheners, etc.) and to ensure good resistance. Don't just think about vaccinations, but also about sufficient exercise and healthy food, which will ensure that the cat is in good overall health. Cats with bronchitis or asthma are more sensitive to pneumonia, so good resilience is important.

In general, feline asthma is treated in two ways at the same time; Anti-inflammatories and bronchodilators. Just like in humans, cats are given bronchodilators by mouth using an inhaler, which many cats tolerate surprisingly well. You must teach your cat slowly and not force it. The vet can give you advice on this. Often the bronchodilators are administered along with the anti-inflammatories by inhalation. The anti-inflammatory drugs can also be administered by tablet or injection, but then they work everywhere in the body. As a result, significantly more negative side effects occur compared to inhalative administration.

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