PART 01

Cat asthma is also commonly referred to as chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, and allergic bronchitis. Cat asthma is very similar to human asthma, mostly caused by allergies. When stimulated by allergens, it can lead to the release of serotonin in platelets and mast cells, causing airway smooth muscle contraction and difficulty breathing. Generally speaking, if the disease cannot be controlled in a timely manner, the symptoms will become increasingly severe.

Many cat owners think of cat asthma as a cold or even pneumonia, but the difference between them is still significant. The general symptoms of a cat cold are frequent sneezing, a large amount of mucus, and a small possibility of coughing; The manifestation of cat asthma is the squatting posture of a hen (many cat owners may have misunderstood the squatting posture of a hen), with the neck stretched and tightly attached to the ground, the throat making rough wheezing sounds as if stuck, and sometimes coughing symptoms. As asthma continues to develop and worsen, it may eventually lead to bronchiectasis or emphysema.

PART 02

Cat asthma is easily misdiagnosed not only because it has similar symptoms to a cold, but also because it is difficult for doctors to see and even harder to detect through laboratory tests. Cat asthma may occur continuously within a day, or it may only occur once every few days, and some symptoms may only appear once every few months or even years. Most symptoms disappear after cats arrive at the hospital, so pet owners must record and preserve evidence as soon as possible when they become ill. The description and video evidence of pet owners are easier for doctors to make judgments than any laboratory test. Subsequently, X-ray examination may reveal symptoms such as heart problems, emphysema, and bloating in the stomach. Blood routine test is not easy to prove asthma.

The treatment of cat asthma is divided into three parts

1: Symptom control during the acute phase, assisting in maintaining normal breathing, administering oxygen, using hormones, and bronchodilators;

2: After the acute phase, when entering the chronic stable phase and rarely showing symptoms, many doctors are testing the effectiveness of oral antibiotics, oral hormones, oral bronchodilators, and even Seretide.

3: The above drugs are basically only used to suppress symptoms, and the best way to completely treat them is to find the allergen. Finding allergens is not easy. In some major cities in China, there are specialized laboratories for testing, but the prices are expensive and most of them do not achieve the desired results. More importantly, pet owners need to observe where cats frequently get sick, focusing on the inspection of irritating smell and dust, including grass, pollen, smoke, perfume, cosmetics, etc.

The treatment of cat asthma is a long process. Don’t be anxious, be patient, careful, scientifically analyze, and persist in medication. Generally, there will be good improvement.