Feline Asthma: Signs, Symptoms, Treatment

What is Asthma and what is it like for Cats to have asthma?

You may be wondering how you will know if your cat suffers from asthma. Coughing and wheezing are usually the first signs that your cat is having an asthma attack. Another common symptom is your cat hunching close to the ground with its neck extended forward as if trying to expel a hairball.

If your cat is having a full-fledged asthma attack, you will most likely notice your cat's sides going in and out as they work hard to breathe, and your cat may be drooling or coughing up mucus. Needless to say, all of this can make your cat extremely nervous.

If you notice that your cat is having difficulties breathing, contact your vet immediately for assistance or call your nearest animal emergency hospital for assistance.

Signs & Symptoms of Feline Asthma / Asthma in Cats

Some other signs that your cat may be having an asthma attack include:

• Rapid breathing

• Difficulty breathing, or increased effort to breathe

• Open-mouth breathing

• Wheezing

• Blue lips and gums

• Persistent coughing or gagging

• Overall weakness

• Body hunched close to the ground with neck extended forward

• Frothy mucus while coughing

• Gurgling sounds from the throat

• Increased swallowing

Asthmatic cats may also breathe rapidly while sleeping. Your cat should normally take between 24 and 30 breaths per minute while at rest or sleeping. If you notice your cat taking more than 40 breaths per minute, contact your veterinarian or your local animal emergency hospital.

It is important to note, however, that snoring or breathing loudly while resting does not always indicate that your cat is suffering from asthma. Nonetheless, if you are concerned about your cat's breathing, you should always consult with your veterinarian.

Causes of Asthma in Cats

You may be wondering—What causes an asthma attack in cats? Asthma is most commonly caused by the cat inhaling an allergen, but it can also be caused by increased stress. Among the allergens that can cause asthma attacks in cats are:

• Dust mites

• Grass

• Cigarette smoke

• Mould

• Pollen

• Some foods

• Cat litter dust

• Household cleaning products

Pet parents should also be aware that underlying conditions such as a genetic predisposition, a pre-existing heart condition, pneumonia, obesity, or even parasites can all contribute to the severity of a cat's asthma attack.

Asthma Treatment for Cats

Is there something I can give my cat for their asthma? What is in asthma medicine for cats? Once your vet diagnoses your cat with asthma, treatment may include corticosteroid medications to reduce inflammation in your cat's lungs, and possibly a bronchodilator to help dilate your cat's airways and allow them to breathe easier. Both of these drugs can be prescribed by your vet in the form of an injectable, oral medication, or inhaler. Depending on the overall health of your cat, the vet may prescribe a corticosteroid medication alone as a treatment for your cat's asthma, however, bronchodilators are not typically used on their own since they do not treat the inflammation that causes the asthma attacks.

The Prognosis for Cats with Asthma

What is the life expectancy of an asthmatic cat? Asthma in cats is an incurable and often progressive condition, which means that if your cat has asthma, he or she will likely have periodic flare-ups that range in severity from mild to life-threatening.

Having said that, asthma in cats is manageable with a little extra care from pet parents and appropriate medications. You can help your asthmatic cat live happily for years by monitoring his or her respiratory effort, keeping an eye out for coughing, and intervening with medication as needed.

What to Feed Cats with Asthma

What should you feed your asthmatic cat? Consult your veterinarian if you believe the food you are currently feeding your cat is causing or exacerbating your cat's asthma symptoms. Because obesity increases your cat's risk of having an asthma attack, feeding your cat a high-quality, vet-recommended food and assisting your cat in maintaining a healthy weight may help to reduce your cat's asthma symptoms or the severity of their asthma attacks. Your veterinarian will be able to recommend the best diet for your pet and even calculate the number of calories you should feed your cat each day.

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What is Feline Asthma? Clinical Signs, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prognosis

Asthma is a disease of the lower airways of the lungs that affects between 1 and 5% of cats.

Although there is some debate about the definition, most clinicians and researchers agree that feline asthma is caused by an allergic reaction to inhaled allergens— particles that stimulate a cat’s immune system.

When a susceptible cat first inhales an allergen, their system creates specific antibodies to target that antigen. When the cat is exposed to that antigen again, these antibodies recognize the allergen and start a cascade of events that bring many different types of immune cells to the airways. These immune cells then trigger the production of substances that promote inflammation, a condition that results in irritation, swelling, and reactive constriction of the airways. As a result, the diameter of the airways may decrease and mucus may accumulate within the passages. All these processes limit the ability of air to move through the airways and cause the cat to experience difficulty breathing.

The average age of cats diagnosed with asthma is between 4 and 5 years. It doesn’t appear that one sex is more susceptible to asthma, and although some studies suggest that Siamese cats may be predisposed to asthma, this has not been definitively proven.

Clinical Signs of Feline Asthma

Cats suffering from asthma may show signs of:

• difficulty breathing

• wheezing

• rapid breathing

• coughing or hacking

• open-mouthed breathing

• vomiting

These signs can vary in intensity, ranging from acute respiratory crises to chronic, low-grade coughing, elevated respiratory rate, or increased respiratory effort. These signs may happen spontaneously or they may be elicited by pressing lightly on the cat’s throat area. During an asthma attack, many cats hunch their body close to the ground and extend their necks forward in a characteristic posture

Diagnosis of Feline Asthma

There is no single, specific test that can definitively diagnose feline asthma. Instead, veterinarians rely on information gathering and testing to arrive at a diagnosis. If a veterinarian suspects your cat may have asthma, he or she will take into account the cat’s health history as well as the results of imaging studies, microscopic evaluation of the cells in the cat’s airway secretions (cytology), and in some cases, blood and allergy testing.

When it comes to diagnosing feline asthma, a picture is worth a thousand words, so veterinarians employ radiographs (X-rays), computed tomography (CT), and bronchoscopy to see inside a cat’s lungs and evaluate their condition. In cats with asthma, radiographs often – but not always – reveal a characteristic bright branching pattern along the airways that is created by the accumulation of inflammatory cells. Air trapped in the constricted airways may also cause the lungs to become overinflated and appear larger than normal in a radiograph. CT, which uses X-rays to generate three-dimensional reconstructions of the body, may also be useful in diagnosing asthma and distinguishing this condition from other causes of airway disease in cats, but this application of CT is still somewhat experimental.

Bronchoscopy is a technique in which a flexible camera (a bronchoscope) is passed through the mouth and down into the airways of the lungs. This technique, which requires either heavy sedation or general anesthesia, can be used to visualize the inside of the airways and to collect samples of cells that line the airways. Cats with asthma often have distinctive changes in the appearance of the lining of their airways, although some of these changes may also be seen with other respiratory diseases of cats. Analysis of cells from the airways of cats with asthma may reveal the presence of high numbers of inflammatory cells, although these cells may also be found in cats suffering from other respiratory diseases.

When diagnosing feline asthma, it’s crucial to rule out other conditions that can cause similar signs and give similar test results. Chronic bronchitis, infestation with lungworms, migration of other parasites into the lungs, as well as other infectious diseases that result in pneumonia can all result in signs and test results similar to those found in a case of feline asthma. Drugs used to treat these other conditions may not be appropriate for a cat with asthma, and may do more harm than good.

Treatment of Feline Asthma

To treat feline asthma, veterinarians will usually prescribe corticosteroids to reduce inflammation in the lungs, with or without bronchodilators to dilate the airways. Both of these types of drugs come in oral, inhaled, and injectable forms. Although corticosteroids may be used alone, bronchodilators are usually not used on their own as they don’t treat the airway inflammation that brings on asthma.

Other drugs and treatments for feline asthma have not yet been conclusively proven to work. Experimental therapies, including desensitization to specific allergens (like allergy shots in people), the use of omega-3 fatty acids, and drugs intended to disrupt the metabolic pathways that lead to inflammation show some promise for treating feline asthma, but further research is necessary to refine them and prove their safety and effectiveness. Other approaches are sometimes recommended because they are beneficial in human asthma patients, including purifying indoor air and avoiding allergens, but they have not been rigorously tested or proven to work in feline asthma patients.

Prognosis of Feline Asthma

Feline asthma is often a progressive condition that fails to improve significantly over time, and affected cats may experience occasional asthmatic flare-ups that vary in intensity from mild to life threatening. Although cats can never be truly “cured” of asthma, by carefully monitoring their respiratory effort, keeping an eye out for coughing, and intervening with medication when they need help, owners can help their asthmatic cats live happily for years.

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