Cat breathing pattern & slight appetite change.

[Dawn F]

Beautiful 

[Judecat (Paula)]

A gorgeous Black Panther.

You never forget, your heart just expands to take another cat into your life when you are ready. Sometimes it is a few days, sometimes months or even years, you never replace.

They live in our hearts forever.

Paula xxx

[Berry]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I never imagined I'd be starting my 38th year without my Berry. I miss him so much and I'm utterly heartbroken but I had 11 wonderful years with him and I'll be forever grateful for that. I'm so glad we were with him at the end, and were able to tell him how loved he is. He is now in a lovely place where he's happy and healthy, everything is made of bacon and cheese, there are ponds filled with pizza crust dip for him to lap up, there are lots of birds to make funny noises at through windows and there are unlimited catnip mice to rub all over his face.

I have so many beautiful photos and videos of him, I think these ones I've (hopefully) uploaded are some of my favourites  In the first one, he is yelling at me to feed him 

[Judecat (Paula)]

I am so sorry Claire, been away without internet so haven't kept up. I won't say Happy Birthday as it will not be appropriate, just wishing  you as good a day as possible.

The most important thing is that Berry went knowing love and fuss and being comfy where he was.

R.I.P. Berry, play hard on The Bridge, Sweetie.

[Rosella moggy]

Claire I've just noticed it's your birthday today   

Timing is awful.  Am so sorry 

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

Oh Claire! I am so sorry that your lovely boy was taken from you too soon  Please remember that you did everything possible for him.

RIP beautiful boy, play hard at the bridge now.

[Rosella moggy]

Oh Claire sweetheart.    I'm sooooo sorry 

It's so hard.  It's the most God awful disease.  11 years is a long time and it will hit you and your partner like a train. 

He is now at peace and you must take care of yourselves  It will take time to adjust to your loss.

[Dawn F]

I'm so very sorry to hear that, you took great care of berry now take care of yourselves 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Oh treasure.  I am so sorry for your loss.      Believe me, our thoughts are very much with you, and your beautiful Berry.  He will always be part of your lives.  Safe journey Berry xxxxx

[Berry]

Morning all. Berry passed away last night. My partner and I were with him as he slipped away quietly. I'm so beyond devastated. Thank you everyone for your help and support.

Claire x

[Rosella moggy]

Am wondering if Berry has "Dilated" cardiomyopathy (DCM) rather than "Hypertrophic" (HCM) which is what Boris had?

[Rosella moggy]

You are absolutely doing all you can 

The condition is uncomfortable at times.  Not a pleasant sensation not being able to breath as deeply as normal and feel unusually tired 

Boris would also sometimes crouch and get up and look as if he was unable to get comfortable but he soon started to sleep on his back which I'm sure took the pressure away from his lungs.  Always much better after a decent pee. You need to ensure you leave water down for Berry and allow him to drink as much as he wants.  The diuretics will make him thirsty.

I've just checked Boris' chart and his resting respiratory rate never went below 32 and often went above 40 so yes I would ring vet and ask whether 20 is OK.  Possible that meds may need revisiting. 

Boris was on Hypercard 10mgx3 times a day (2am, 10am and 6pm), Frusemide (anywhere between 20mg and 35mg in an emergency in 3 doses over 24 hours depending entirely on his breathing) and 1/4 of 75mg aspirin twice a week

I understand completely how incredibly worried you will be.  The literature on this condition is very scary and I cried an ocean over the 4 months that we knew Boris had it. At the time, I did wonder if it would be kinder to let him go but looking back I can say with hand on heart that on balance I did the right thing.  He mostly had a decent quality of life.  He was however much younger than your boy and Berry could be more ill or indeed much healthier than Boris. 

My vet left me in no doubt how serious the condition was and put up with my constant telephone calls and often advised on adjusted dose based on my description of Boris' symptoms over the phone.  I wrote him a long letter once after I had read up on other possible meds and he rang me to discuss.  I hope you have a similar vet that you trust and can work with you as your input is absolutely key to your boy's quality of life and you are by far the best judge of how he is responding to treatment.  It is a heavy burden but Berry would have it no other way 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Dawn is exactly right.  Of course you're going to be anxious and worried.  And Berry is going to be in some discomfort with this condition, notwithstanding the meds. 

Every single one of us understands how upsetting all of this is, and have a pretty good idea of how you'll be feeling - your emotions are going to be very close to the surface. 

Cats are good at picking up on that, but you're being a very vigilant and loving Cat guardian, and doing your very best for Berry.  No-one - absolutely no-one - could ask more than that.   

I'm sure if you're nervous or would like another "reality check" your Vet's surgery wouldn't mind at all if you rang up for a discussion on your observations. 

Sending a hug for you, and an ear rub for Berry.

[Dawn F]

you can't help but worry, you are doing right by him, that is all you can do 

[Berry]

I've just got back from visiting Berry at home for lunch. It looks like he'd eaten some more food. I put fresh food out for him but he didn't eat much. I had a cheese sandwich, he loves cheese so I offered him some but he didn't want it.

He seemed a bit restless, he kept moving from cat loaf position (crouching, you all know the one!) to partially sitting up, then he'd go back to cat loaf, curl one paw underneath him for a brief moment, and then he'd go back to partially sitting. This worried me a lot in case he was trying to breathe or something like that. I tried counting his breaths but as he kept moving it was hard to tell, I think it's around 20 but I'm not sure. This made me wonder - what is considered too low?

Of course, he could have just been picking up on my worry, I did start bawling as soon as I saw him. It's also very unusual for someone to pop home for lunch so that might have made him feel unsure. He accepted a bit of fuss and he was purring a bit too but he wasn't headbutting as he normally does. I'm also such a worrier that I have no idea if this is all me being so very worried and anxious about everything. I'm just so absolutely terrified of going home and finding something awful has happened to him.

[Rosella moggy]

That all sounds so positive  thanks so much for posting    Love the chart!  I did my own 

Yes Boris was also on aspirin twice a week.  So glad your boy is good with pills and that you are able to give them at appropriate time.  It makes all the difference in the world. 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Am so pleased Berry has had a more comfortable night and hope you have too.      That'll be reassuring for you both when you can nip home midday to check on him.   

Sending gentle snoozles for Berry (they're like snuzzles but with more "oo"  )

[Berry]

Morning all. Berry seemed to have a good night. His breaths are at 24 per minute and his purr sounds more like normal. The vet made is a tick sheet/chart for all his pill times which was helpful this morning. He is good with pills, he treats them like food   

He is on furosemide, vetmedin, benazapet and clopidogrel daily, plus aspirin twice a week.

Berry also has daily eye drops for ulcers and he's always given food afterwards (initially it was a reward scheme for him!) and immediately after this morning's drops he jumped off the sofa and meowed for food which made me smile as it was so lovely to hear his voice. He seems more relaxed this morning and has been enjoying lots of fuss.

My partner and I both work for the same company about 10 mins from home so I'll pop home to see Berry at lunchtime.

Rosella - what a gorgeous cat Boris was

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

    Ah, beautiful Boris.  Bless his paws.   

[Rosella moggy]

This was our boy towards end of last October.  I used to sit outside with him for short periods to keep him safe.  It seemed to help with his breathing.

[Rosella moggy]

I imagine you will have had a worrisome night as it took me a little while to get used to the routine of pilling. 

We opted for less of a variety of pills but not sure Berry has exactly same condition.  At one point I read that clopidogrol might help avoid blood clots but Boris said that was a step too far as nasty taste and everything was about quality of life not quantity.

We were lucky that Boris was so cooperative but that could have been partly due to the illness itself as he was often tired.  The flipside was that we got lots of cuddles 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

How are you both this morning?   

[Rosella moggy]

Did your vet test thyroid?

[Rosella moggy]

The diuretics will hopefully help him pee a great deal more than usual. This is in the main a very good thing as it helps remove fluids that are putting pressure on his lungs which makes breathing less difficult 

[Rosella moggy]

Lots of love and tlc.  He will be so very much happier at home.  I used to give Boris a treat after each lot of pills.  He was rather partial to 1/3rd tube of webbox lickelicks. 

  to you both

I will keep an eye on this thread.  Do shout up with any queries.  I will help if I can but I'm no vet.  I wish you and you gorgeous lad the very best but you'll need to get used to your boy seeming tired and not so agile.

[Berry]

Hi everyone. Thanks so much for being so welcoming and lovely, it's really helped 

Berry is home now. His breathing was better and his temperature increased so the vet said he could come home. He has 5 different types of pills to take and has to go back on Monday for a check up.

He seems a bit wobbly and unsure, both physically and mood wise. He hasn't really walked for a couple of days so that could account for the wobbly walk. It's also been a stressful couple of days for him. He has had food since he's been home and he had a brief snooze. We have counted his breaths per minute and it was 32 when awake and 25 when sleeping. His body still moves when he breathes and his purr still sounds a bit congested, and both of these things really worry me. I'm hoping once he's settled he will act more like his old self, he's a nervous cat so we are making sure everything is peaceful and comfortable for him. His breaths do seem to increase when he's awake and moving around. He likes to sleep on the sofa and he appears to breathe more heavily after he's jumped onto the sofa. We were going to try and put a step for him to see if that makes it easier but he has always been contrary and will probably jump over it or find another route! He seems very tired too.

I'm naturally a worrier so I'm full of worry and fear. It just all doesn't seem real. I'm attempting to calm and relax myself as I don't want him picking up on it.

Rosella - I'm so sorry to hear about Boris. It sounds like he was very lucky to have such a loving and attentive mummy. Thank you for the links, I will definitely have a read.

[Lyn (Slugsta)]

I am so sorry that the news was not good 

Everyone here will understand how hard this is for you and I'm glad that Rosella is able to give  advice from her experience 

[Rosella moggy]

I hope you are able to come back and update us on Berry's progress as you are both very much on my mind 

[Rosella moggy]

Hi 

and Hi to adorable Berry too.  We have four black cats now (and another four cats) but black cats are pretty special aren't they   He's a very handsome lad 

I'm so very sorry.  You have to steal yourself for a rough ride I'm afraid     Learning to live with something that can take your beautiful boy at any time takes some getting used to i.e. you won't   

We discovered that our 5 year old Boris was suffering from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) last August.  That led on to Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) involving first fluid outside the lungs and then within the lungs.  I put my efforts into reading up on the condition and the latest research but he died on 7 December.  A lot of the literature warned of a blood clot possibly causing pain but, when we found Boris, he was curled up and looked very peaceful.  All the same it wiped us out for a while.  Diuretics (Furosemide) and an attentive mom kept him alive for those 4 months. 

It might help if Berry is an only cat so you can keep him quiet but diuretics administered 3 times a day at a sufficient dose to assist his breathing (and believe me you will get to know better than your vet what that dose should be) and as little stress as possible will be the order of the day.  I was blessed with a sensible vet who encouraged me not to bring Boris in to the surgery too often as, whilst he was fairly docile, each visit was of course a stress he could do without.  We were also "lucky" in that vet was able to xray our boy's lungs without sedation and he never had to have the fluid removed by needle.  My hubby was the one that noticed our lads breathing seemed laboured so I guess we started diuretics in time to avoid using the needle.  One thing I also learned is that, if appetite seems very poor, it could be a sign of potassium being too low.

As a 5 year old sharing a house with so many other cats, including his brother with whom he was used to playing, and he loved to go out; it made it difficult to keep Boris quiet and we resorted to locking him up for quite a while each day but of course that would stress him too.

This link will give you some info to start with

https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/cardiomyopathy-heart-disease-cats

a more detailed and difficult to read link

http://www.msdvetmanual.com/circulatory-system/heart-disease-and-heart-failure/heart-failure#v3259558

I hope you have much longer with your beautiful boy than we managed after diagnosis.  It's a horrible condition   

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Am glad the vet has been able to give you the information they have, as its always better than not knowing.   

Berry is gorgeous.   

Rosella will be able to offer guidance if you need it.  She's a lovely lady.   

You're in good company.  Sending the strongest of vibes and gentle chin rubs for beautiful Berry xxxx

[Berry]

Hi everyone. Thanks for your replies. My cat's name is Berry. I've (hopefully!) attached some pictures of him, the one where he's sleeping is from last weekend and the other is a few years old but it shows his handsome face quite well although he has many more white hairs now and almost all white whiskers

We called the vet this morning and they said to bring him in. We left him there for tests. His heart is not pumping well at all which caused fluid to build up outside his lungs. They have drained most of the fluid and he is having injections to try to remove the rest. They are keeping him in overnight. We have been to visit him and he was happy to see us. He's eaten a small tin of food, and was very interested in the food the dogs were eating!

It's now a case of seeing what happens. The vet said this is a serious heart condition and it's something that will eventually kill him but it's impossible to say if that will be a week from now or a year from now. He will need to be on medication for the rest of his life. I've been a blubbering mess all day. He's my first cat, he's been part of my life for 11 years, and he's very loved and doted on - I'm sure Berry would say quite rightly so too because he deserves it!

Rosella - I'm so sorry to hear you've been through this, I hope everything is ok now?

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Glad you were able to post, Rosella.   

[Judecat (Paula)]

Hi Berry.  to Purrs.  What's your boy's name?

They do stress us out don't they but that means you're a good cat slave    With the breathing, you need to monitor breathing rate whilst he's asleep.  As with all creatures what's normal for one isn't normal for another but around 30 breaths per min is considered average.  Anything above 40 whilst at rest should be looked into.

Looks like Emo is going to the vet's on Friday when I get back!

[Rosella moggy]

Hi Berry.  to Purrs.  What's your boy's name?

They do stress us out don't they but that means you're a good cat slave    With the breathing, you need to monitor breathing rate whilst he's asleep.  As with all creatures what's normal for one isn't normal for another but around 30 breaths per min is considered average.  Anything above 40 whilst at rest should be looked into.

At 16 years old I would be less inclined to worry about monitoring for excess weight and let him eat what he likes.  Have you tried him with other flavoured dry food?  If he will eat other dry food that will at least mean less likely his teeth are hurting.

Glad you have vet appointment.  Hope your boy doesn't get stressed by vet visit.  Make sure vet gives thorough check for any signs of heart trouble.  I'll keep an eye on this thread in the hopefully unlikely event that I can advise further as I've been thru the mill recently re heart trouble 

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

Hello Berry.

Welcome to Purrs.   Sorry that it's at a worrying time for you.

How has your cat been over the weekend? 

You're right to monitor him.  If you think his breathing rate is quicker, then it probably is.  Us cat slaves are usually very good at picking up small and subtle signs about them, especially as they enter their senior years.   

Noticing a faster breathing rate alerted another of our Members to a condition in her cat, so it's good that you've got a vet visit scheduled.

Got fingers crossed that all will be well.   

[Judecat (Paula)]

Not sure if it helps, but I just counted one of my cats breaths per minute and she is doing 50+, in general I would say if you are concerned about breathing take him to the vet sooner rather than later.

I am sure that the vet will be able to put your mind at ease.

[Berry]

My cat is 15/16 years old and is FIV+. He usually eats dry food but over the last few days he hasn't been interested in eating biscuits. He will eat wet food and is interested in most things we eat and as I type he is waiting patiently on the floor while my partner is in the kitchen preparing some food. Not eating biscuits is very unusual for him because he LOVES food and will usually eat anything and he never leaves food! He will nibble at a few of his biscuits but they mostly go untouched, all of the wet food is usually gobbled up quickly.

I'm concerned about his breathing, but as I'm worried about him I'm unsure if it's just me! I can see his sides and chest moving when he's breathing - I don't know if we can usually see his chest move so much when he breathes, and I think his breaths are a little faster than usual, we have counted and it averages between 33-40 breaths per minute. He doesn't seem to be struggling to breathe, his nostrils aren't flaring and his mouth isn't open and when he purrs it doesn't sound faster than usual.

He does have a vet appointment booked for Tuesday anyway but I'm wondering if I should try to bring it forward. He's sleeping normally, he's affectionate as normal, he's generally acting the same as usual. He is a nervous cat and we have had a few extra visitors over the last week so I don't know if he's perhaps on edge in case more people turn up. He doesn't seem to be pooing as much as usual but his biscuits were high fibre ones to help control his weight as he's prone to weight gain (he is currently at a normal weight).

Any advice would be appreciated. He's my baby and I'm getting myself a little stressed worrying about him