Comments on: My cat has just been diagonsed with feline asthma…..:-(? http://www.air-purifier-tdr.com/my-cat-has-just-been-diagonsed-with-feline-asthma It's All About Air Purifiers Sun, 20 May 2012 14:04:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 hourly 1 By: J C http://www.air-purifier-tdr.com/my-cat-has-just-been-diagonsed-with-feline-asthma/comment-page-1#comment-2976 J C Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:43:17 +0000 http://www.air-purifier-tdr.com/my-cat-has-just-been-diagonsed-with-feline-asthma#comment-2976 I've had a couple of foster cats with asthma, and my little rescue Cornish Rex has asthma as well. The steroid is to reduce the inflammation in his airway and lungs, it really helps. The steroids may be continued for life, but will be at a much lower dosage. They will prescribe the minimal dose that does the trick. The asthma can be due to several things - and there is an allergic component to it. That's one of the reasons that your vet is doing the fungal screen. The HEPA filters will help as well. Things like house plants, dust, molds, mildew -all of these can trigger asthma in cats and humans. One of the common but never thought-about sources of allergens that trigger asthma in some cats is cheap dry cat food. It's often contaminated with cockroach droppings and insect parts, and those contain substances (sorry can't find the link right now!) that trigger asthma in many cats. I can tell you that my Rex had asthma bad enough when he first came into rescue that they didn't think he was going to make it. We had him on big doses of steroids, and then he came here. I switched him to a canned-only diet (had been eating Special Kitty dry), a litter with minimal dust, and a trip to a different vet. We also recently had to replace most of the duct work of our heating system, so that's very clean as well. We change the filters frequently. He's improved significantly, and hasn't had any medication at all in about 6 months. He has the rare coughing spell, but those are very few and far between. Other fosters have had to be on the steroid their entire lives. They need to be tested for diabetes periodically (long term use of steroids is one cause of diabetes in some cats), but they do well. And yours will do well also! Do consider switching his food if you're feeding dry. I will look for that link, and post it if I can find it. I’ve had a couple of foster cats with asthma, and my little rescue Cornish Rex has asthma as well. The steroid is to reduce the inflammation in his airway and lungs, it really helps. The steroids may be continued for life, but will be at a much lower dosage. They will prescribe the minimal dose that does the trick. The asthma can be due to several things - and there is an allergic component to it. That’s one of the reasons that your vet is doing the fungal screen. The HEPA filters will help as well. Things like house plants, dust, molds, mildew -all of these can trigger asthma in cats and humans.

One of the common but never thought-about sources of allergens that trigger asthma in some cats is cheap dry cat food. It’s often contaminated with cockroach droppings and insect parts, and those contain substances (sorry can’t find the link right now!) that trigger asthma in many cats. I can tell you that my Rex had asthma bad enough when he first came into rescue that they didn’t think he was going to make it. We had him on big doses of steroids, and then he came here. I switched him to a canned-only diet (had been eating Special Kitty dry), a litter with minimal dust, and a trip to a different vet. We also recently had to replace most of the duct work of our heating system, so that’s very clean as well. We change the filters frequently. He’s improved significantly, and hasn’t had any medication at all in about 6 months. He has the rare coughing spell, but those are very few and far between.

Other fosters have had to be on the steroid their entire lives. They need to be tested for diabetes periodically (long term use of steroids is one cause of diabetes in some cats), but they do well. And yours will do well also!

Do consider switching his food if you’re feeding dry. I will look for that link, and post it if I can find it.

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