Older cat breathing problems

On Apr 11, 3:50*pm, Patty wrote:
On Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:36:12 -0400, Patty wrote:
I have an older cat who just turned 19 this month. *He gradually began
developing some breathing problems over the last few months. *It appears
that he can no longer purr, but wheezes instead. *I took him to the vet a
few months ago, they x-rayed his lungs and said that they were fine and
showed no sign of asthma. *They gave him an combination antibiotic and
steriod shot but that really didn't seem to make any difference. *I've seen
some postings on the net regarding other cats with this condition but
haven't seen any diagnoses or solutions.

He sleeps a lot these days, but doesn't seem to be in any kind of stress
except for when he begins to wheeze. *Then if he sits by himself for a few
minutes and relaxes he stops and starts breathing normally again.

Has anyone heard of or experienced this before? *Thanks for any help. *Much
appreciated.

Patty

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and suggestions. *The vet says for sure
it's not asthma. *She did mention that some cats can get polyps in their
sinuses when they age, and I'm wondering if that's not the case. *Yes, I
realize that he's near the end of his life, but it's just hard for me, as
I'm sure it has been for many of you, to say goodbye to such a loving
friend. *I will miss him terribly when the time comes.

Thanks again so much for your thoughts and suggestions. *I'm glad that I
just had you all to listen.

Patty

A couple of possibilities:

An x-ray isn't a definitive rule-out for asthma. One of our cats
developed mild asthma at age 6, and the x-rays showed nothing
definite. The vet did a short round of prednisolone as a trial, and
since she stopped coughing and wheezing within 24 hours, she was
diagnosed with mild asthma. She was on Flovent the rest of her life.
Another reason for wheezing and shortness of breath is heart failure,
but fluid in and around the lungs should show up on x-ray.

It's also possible that whichever antibiotic your vet prescribed
wasn't the right one for this particular infection. It may be
reasonable to try another.
-yngver