How to take care of a Cat with Asthma

If you found a cat with Asthama you should know how to take care of that cat. Like humans, cats can also have asthma, asthma is the problem in which one can not breathe normally due to chronic inflammation in the small air passageways inside the lungs.
Cats, just like humans, can live happy life with proper care and medication.
Cats can catch asthma due to many reasons, and if your cat has, unfortunately, got this disease or was born with it, Don’t worry your cat can also live and enjoy its life with proper medications and proper caretaking.

Causes of feline Cat Asthma

There can be a lot of causes for a cat to be diagnosed with asthma; it can be due to some allergy or due to stress conditions, maybe some triggers can trigger the condition, like some pollen or mud or dust or some plants and even the litter box of the cat can trigger the disease. So it is your responsibility to know what is causing the condition and ensure your cat stays away from it.
Some cats are even born with asthma, their asthma condition can also be triggered by some suspected triggers, but there is no clear cause of why they got the disease in the first place; there are some breeds of cats that are sometimes born with asthma due to their genetic code.

Signs of Cat Asthma

Signs of asthma include:

• Weezing and sneezing
• Difficulty in breathing
• Rapid coughing
• Gagging while coughing
• Keeping mouth open and tung out and neck extended while coughing
• Swallowing
• Weakness
• Gums and lips turning blue

If your cat shows any of the symptoms mentioned above, you should speak to your vet support, even if the symptoms are minor, as minor coughing and sneezing in cats can lead to disaster.
The normal breathing rate for cats while sleeping is between 25-30 if you notice a breathing rate going above 30-40, you should contact your vet asap.

Asthma attack in Cat

If your cat comes in contact with some allergic pollen or any other trigger substance, it may ‘ get an asthma attack in which your cat will cough with its full power and will cough as much as it can while keeping the neck straight and looking at the ground, the sides of your cat will be heaving in and out, and your cat will make a wheezing sound along with hard coughing.
If your cat has an asthma attack, contact your vet immediately or take your cat to the vet.
If you have medicines recommended by your vet at home, give those medicines to your pet, keep yourself calm, and keep your cat in a cool and quiet area with a good ventilation system.

Diagnosing of Cat Asthma

There is no clear test to check if your cat has asthma or not, as other diseases can also sometimes show the same symptoms as heart disease or lungworm.
Your vet will mainly focus on the chest X-rays and tests, as well as taking a high concentration of white blood cells and checking it against pollens and how it reacts to allergic responses.
Your vet will also run other tests to diagnose the issue, such as the course of corticosteroids and bronchodilators or Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL).

Treatment for Cat’s Asthma

Unfortunately, there is no complete cure for asthma, not just for cats but for humans, although proper medications can control it.
Anti-inflammatory medicines are used to control the conditions which can cause the symptoms, or drugs are used to widen the bronchioles or the air passageway. If your cat is not responding to any other drug, your vet may also recommend Antihistamine drugs.
Medicines are given to patients in two forms, whether in tablets form or inhalers; if your vet has recommended an inhaler, make sure to ask them how to use it as the inhalers work differently for both humans and pets as you can not ask the cat to breathe heavily in order to release the drug.
You can also do your part to save your pet by making sure not to smoke around your pet as that can trigger the allergy, make sure not to use any perfumes near your cat, and make sure your cat’s litter box stays clean. Obesity can make matters worse; make sure that your cat is active and in shape.
In case of any severity, contact your vet support.