Has Mr. Leo Got Asthma?

[Fire Fox]

I am sure he appreciates his home comforts now the winters are so severe. And he is lucky to have someone who cares enough to post, too many ferals or strays don't.

[sarasara]

Thanks  Firefox,
i did appreciate your post and yes it could be that he got this from the straw, because even though the shed was dry damp could get in and as you say mites. Now he lives in the house he already has it. He was never a house cat and I found him when I moved here, he has had treatment for worms, insects and all that a number of times but his condition is now permanent. If he gets seriously sick I'll take him to this highly qualifeid vet. I'm very far from vets here. I will surely try the steam next time he gets a turn. I dont allow him to be exposed to cold though he usually goes out at least onece a day to the loo. He has a toilet and lives in the sitting room which is the warmest in the house.

[Fire Fox]

Vet did'nt prescribe anything, Leo is a very old cat and his condition comes and goes. He is now in a nice dry house but on a cold wet day even the driest house can get a blast when a door is opened for a minute. I'm sure steam would make it worse as it is damp air or very cold weather that sets him off. My impression is his problems are entirely nasal and so I think the vet may have given a wrong diagnosis.

It is common in humans for cold air to trigger asthma, clean steam can be very effective at clearing or opening airways. The reason I asked about condensation/ damp/ mould is that you said the straw set him off, this might suggest an allergy to either pollen or mould spores on the straw - both are common triggers. Another possibility is dust mite allergy - this could explain any asthmatic, nasal or eye symptoms.

That is not a criticism of how you keep your home, with modern insulation and heating condensation and dust mites are inevitable. If you think the vet was mistaken the best thing to do is get a second opinion; without meaning to be rude I am worried that you are attempting to self-diagnose and self-treat.

[sarasara]

Thanks Michelle,
all my experience with cats is that most interventions makes things worse. If his condition gets worse then I will take him to a specialist, we do have a qualified animal doctor, I think the only one in the country. At the moment he is fairly ok. 

[Michelle (furbabystar)]

Funny enough my Rocky has just seen to the vet as he has started "quacking" ...
We are treating him with AB's first incase its a upper track infection but if it doesn;t respond then he would need to go in and have a swab/flush of his trachea done under GA to see if its feline asthma

I would be inclinded to return Leo to your vet

[sarasara]

Thanks Gillian,
I'll keep that in mind. He has not been so sick that he has needed an antibiotic so far. The worst bout he had just lasted a couple of hours in which he had a sleep and woke up ok. If he does get blocked up I will try steaming up the bathroom and taking him into it.

[Gillian Harvey]

Cats that recover from an initial bout of cat flu can go on to have the symptoms you describe, the red, watery eyes, snuffles etc. I had two cats with cat flu, one who had a very serious initial infection, although with antibiotics and home nursing she recovered - but went on to have flare-ups every now and then. The other didnt have such a serious initial infection, but also had occasional flare ups. Generally they used to have antibiotics and bisolvin, my vet also used to advise putting the cats in a steamy bathroom.

[sarasara]

Could be that he had cat flu at some point, and is getting flare ups from time to time. The red eyes sound like conjuctivitis which would point to one of the cat flu viruses. Some cats develop long term chronic rhinitis/snuffles after being infected.

My previous understanding of this Gillian was that cat flu was fatal. He has been this way for a couple of years and only gets the odd bout and then it goes away. The brown liquid from the eys is more frequent. His general health is quite good. You could be right which is why I'm glad the two house cats are vaccinated once a year. He did not develope the problem until he was two years in a secure environment fenced off from other cats. Do you know of any way to assist him when his nose gets overblocked?

[Gillian Harvey]

Could be that he had cat flu at some point, and is getting flare ups from time to time. The red eyes sound like conjuctivitis which would point to one of the cat flu viruses. Some cats develop long term chronic rhinitis/snuffles after being infected.

[sarasara]

Vet did'nt prescribe anything, Leo is a very old cat and his condition comes and goes. He is now in a nice dry house but on a cold wet day even the driest house can get a blast when a door is opened for a minute. I'm sure steam would make it worse as it is damp air or very cold weather that sets him off. My impression is his problems are entirely nasal and so I think the vet may have given a wrong diagnosis.

[Tiggy's Mum]

Hmmn, no idea about asthma but I wonder if it's worth asking your vet about steam inhalation when he's snuffly. He could go in the bathroom with you after you've worked up some steam.

[Fire Fox]

Asthma is a spasm affecting the trachea (tubes that lead to the lungs) so you can't improve matters by clearing the nasal passages. The condition can be mild or severe - some humans simply appear to have a cough, for others it is life threatening. You are spot on to identify that allergies can cause or contribute to asthma, but I don't understand why you are not using whatever treatment has been prescribed or recommended by your vet? Do you have any problems with condensation, rising damp or mould in your home?

[sarasara]

Mr. Leo  used to be an outdoor cat. We had a couple of very wet, clammy, dark, damp winters and he developed a problem with breathing through his nose. I thought it might be an allergy to straw which he used to sleep on. His eyes would water brown stuff and he would go red in one eye from time to time. This being a very cold winter and Leo getting old I deceided to bring him indoors. He was scared for about half an hour and then took to the house like a duck to water and now will go out only once or twice a day to the toilet. He still gets these symptoms on cold wet days even indoors. He does not so much sneeze as try to clear his nose. I don't see any sign of muceous so I presume it is an adoinoidal swelling of some sort. He does not have any of the symptoms of severe difficulty in breathing described on the net but the vet said he thought Leo had asthma. I tried a small squeeze of vicks sinex into the air above him on one occasion; a treatment which had helped a previous cat, but it only made him vomit. Interesting to know if others have seen this condition and if anyone nows of any inhalers or other such medicines to clear his nasal passages when he is having one of his sessions which usually last a half an hour. He makes a high grunt noise in his passages when his breathing is affected