7-year-old cat with "smoker's cough" !

Eddy wrote:
Bill Graham wrote:

Well, if he was a Human, you would get him a "CAT" scan. (No pun
intended) But, since he's just a cat, there wouldn't be much you
could do about it if he has some kind of tumour anyway, so there
isn't much you can do, but wait to see if it gets worse, and then
put him down near the end. He might be allergic to something, or it
may be just hair or dander. This is the season for excess hair. Be
sure you brush him frequently.

Thanks, Bill.

I've been brushing him every day since he was a kitten. From April
this year until about now I have been quite alarmed how every day I
have got so much fur out of his coat, using a flee comb. So I've
been doing my bit. But as I always feel there is still probably some
loose fur even after I have given him a good brushing, it's possible
I suppose that he is still managing to lick down some fur. On the
other hand, I wonder why his current coughing has not occurred to
such a degree in each of his previous six summers.

Eddy.

Well, allergies seem to develop with time. People who work in animal
shelters seldom last more than five years or so. Wait until this fall, when
he stops shedding. Perhaps the cough will go away. If it does, then you can
be pretty sure it is an allergy.

honeybunch wrote:

Have you considered allergies? Is he an outdoor cat? Have you made
any changes in household?

Hi, Honeybunch. Only last night did I start to consider the possibility
of allergies, and that was after discovering many videos on YouTube when
I typed in "feline asthma". One of these videos features a presentation
by a vet and is most helpful. Others also mention the possibility of
allergy.

This is a big house with wooden floors downstairs and carpet upstairs
and today I've spent the whole day cleaning, hoovering and mopping.
Just in case.

As for anything else inside the house that might be causing an allergy,
no, there have been no additions or changes. The packaging of his cat
food changed about 2 months ago so I checked that this morning and it IS
only the packaging that's changed and not the actual contents of the
tins. However as up until 2 months ago, or thereabouts, puss used to
have similar coughing fits perhaps once a fortnight and since he was a
kitten, I'm thinking of buying a stash of new cat food, a different
brand, just in case there's something causing an allergy in the brand
that he has been on continuously since he turned a year old.

Apart from that we do live in the country and farmers have been cutting
hay a great deal recently and perhaps pollens too have been in the air,
except that in no previous summer has he had these serious coughing
fits. Everything else outside is as normal.

Up until a week ago we told ourselves he was probably consuming voles
and mice while out and about and that was the reason, i.e. his gut was
full of fur. (Usually he brings the voles and mice indoors and if we
are not about he sometimes consumes them, leaving distasteful organs in
a neat little pile!) However, as above, he's been hunting voles and
mice now for all of his seven years and he's not had these fits before.

Last night we started keeping a record of the fits we happen to witness,
what time of day they happen etc.

Thanks for your help.

Eddy.

Bill Graham wrote:
Well, allergies seem to develop with time. People who work in animal
shelters seldom last more than five years or so. Wait until this fall, when
he stops shedding. Perhaps the cough will go away. If it does, then you can
be pretty sure it is an allergy.

Yes, we may do that. We may monitor him very closely, keep records, and
see how he behaves after all the leaves have dropped and the ground is
covered in snow and ice. I think we can safely wait until then. His
fits aren't as bad as those featured on YouTube, although clearly of the
same type.

Thanks Bill.

Eddy wrote:
Bill Graham wrote:
Well, allergies seem to develop with time. People who work in animal
shelters seldom last more than five years or so. Wait until this
fall, when he stops shedding. Perhaps the cough will go away. If it
does, then you can be pretty sure it is an allergy.

Yes, we may do that. We may monitor him very closely, keep records,
and see how he behaves after all the leaves have dropped and the
ground is covered in snow and ice. I think we can safely wait until
then. His fits aren't as bad as those featured on YouTube, although
clearly of the same type.

Thanks Bill.

When I retired, I didn't know how much of my time was going to be spent with
cats. Had I known, I probably would have retired near to UC Davis, where
their veternary facility is one of the best in the world. They relish
getting animals in there that have diseases that no one else can cure, so
their students can get the experience trying to cure them. I have had
several cats in my life who died from poor veternary knowlege/treatment. If
you think people in this country suffer from bad medicine, think what
happens to most pets. their chances of good medical treatment range from
poor to none.

Bill Graham wrote:
When I retired, I didn't know how much of my time was going to be spent with
cats. Had I known, I probably would have retired near to UC Davis, where
their veternary facility is one of the best in the world. They relish
getting animals in there that have diseases that no one else can cure, so
their students can get the experience trying to cure them. I have had
several cats in my life who died from poor veternary knowlege/treatment. If
you think people in this country suffer from bad medicine, think what
happens to most pets. their chances of good medical treatment range from
poor to none.

I believe you're right, Bill. I'm currently in the middle of a formal
complaint against behaviour at my doctor's surgery. It seems to be
resolving. I hope it does because we are very rural here and the next
surgery is an additional 30 minute's drive away. At the same time we
have good reason to have little respect for our local veterinary
practice. They're all very good-hearted there but they don't seem to
know their stuff. For example, our cat's twin brother was given a
course of oral antibiotics to cure his breathing problem. They didn't
work and so a month later they decided to X-ray him and found he had a
diseased heart. Hence we're doing as much research as we can re this
probable asthma problem before we stress the remaining twin with an
hour's drive in the car (30 minutes there, and 30 minutes back).

I want to thank you for your earlier suggestion that we focus on WHY he
may have asthma. It occurred to us last night as he leapt off the
coverlet that we draw around ourselves on the couch while watching TV,
and had yet another fit, that the coverlet was washed a few weeks ago
and his attacks seem to have got bad in roughly the same period.

This morning we found the following posting on a Forum:

"My husband is a retired medical scientist and makes the following
point: recent decades have seen a meteoric rise in the incidence of
asthma which the scientists have struggled to explain. Naturally if
clothes contain washing powder (including the additives such as enzymes)
not only can this affect the skin by direct contact but also the wearer
is constantly breathing in the powder into the lungs. Bed clothes
contaminated with washing powder would of course have a similar effect.
If you disturb dry, partially rinsed clothes in a shaft of sunlight you
will see for yourself what you are breathing in. How do we know that
this problem does not at least partly underpin the asthma epidemic?"

This spurred us on and then we found the following, showing that washing
powder enzymes are known to cause asthma.

An outbreak of asthma in a modern detergent factory

DrP Cullinan MDa, , , JM Harris MSca, ProfAJ Newman Taylor FRCPa, AM
Holea, M Jones PhDa, F Barnes PhDa and G Jolliffe MRCGPa

Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Imperial College
School of Medicine, London SW3 6LR, UK

Summary
The striking decrease in the occurrence of protease-induced occupational
asthma in the detergent industry has been attributed to enzyme
encapsulation. We report an outbreak of asthma, at least equal in size
to those reported in the 1960s, in a modem European factory which has
exclusively used encapsulated enzymes. A survey revealed that enzyme
sensitisation and work-related respiratory symptoms were positively
correlated with airborne enzyme exposure. We suggest that encapsulation
alone is insufficient to prevent enzyme-induced allergy and asthma.


So the laundary liquid we've been using has been put in the shed and
we're picking up a different one, one that is supposed to be nigh on
environmentally perfect and free of as many artificialities and so forth
as possible.

Take him to a vet and get a thoracic radiograph. *Chances are it will
show the diagnostic "donuts and tramlines" which are caused by thickened
bronchial walls and trapped air.

ITA with this. Our Tucker has asthma and a few x-rays showed the
"donut" patterns typically shown in asthma.

He may need a dose of steroids to get things under control. I am not
crazy about giving steroids to cats, but if he's flaring up, you may
need to do this short term to calm things down.

I manage Tucker's asthma with a supplement (called Inflamzyme, from
Only Natural Pet), and bronchodiolaters as needed. His is mild,
fortunately, and I've kept it under control for nearly three years. If
his is moderate to severe, you may need to give steroids via an
inhaler. It's safer using an inhaler because a), it can treat his
symptoms quickly and b) the steroid doesn't enter the bloodstream like
a pill would.

*FWIW, I am not affiiated with Only Natural Pet, but am a consumer.

Rene

Eddy wrote:
Bill Graham wrote:
When I retired, I didn't know how much of my time was going to be
spent with cats. Had I known, I probably would have retired near to
UC Davis, where their veternary facility is one of the best in the
world. They relish getting animals in there that have diseases that
no one else can cure, so their students can get the experience
trying to cure them. I have had several cats in my life who died
from poor veternary knowlege/treatment. If you think people in this
country suffer from bad medicine, think what happens to most pets.
their chances of good medical treatment range from poor to none.

I believe you're right, Bill. I'm currently in the middle of a formal
complaint against behaviour at my doctor's surgery. It seems to be
resolving. I hope it does because we are very rural here and the next
surgery is an additional 30 minute's drive away. At the same time we
have good reason to have little respect for our local veterinary
practice. They're all very good-hearted there but they don't seem to
know their stuff. For example, our cat's twin brother was given a
course of oral antibiotics to cure his breathing problem. They didn't
work and so a month later they decided to X-ray him and found he had a
diseased heart. Hence we're doing as much research as we can re this
probable asthma problem before we stress the remaining twin with an
hour's drive in the car (30 minutes there, and 30 minutes back).

I want to thank you for your earlier suggestion that we focus on WHY
he may have asthma. It occurred to us last night as he leapt off the
coverlet that we draw around ourselves on the couch while watching TV,
and had yet another fit, that the coverlet was washed a few weeks ago
and his attacks seem to have got bad in roughly the same period.

This morning we found the following posting on a Forum:

"My husband is a retired medical scientist and makes the following
point: recent decades have seen a meteoric rise in the incidence of
asthma which the scientists have struggled to explain. Naturally if
clothes contain washing powder (including the additives such as
enzymes) not only can this affect the skin by direct contact but also
the wearer is constantly breathing in the powder into the lungs. Bed
clothes contaminated with washing powder would of course have a
similar effect. If you disturb dry, partially rinsed clothes in a
shaft of sunlight you will see for yourself what you are breathing
in. How do we know that this problem does not at least partly
underpin the asthma epidemic?"

This spurred us on and then we found the following, showing that
washing powder enzymes are known to cause asthma.

An outbreak of asthma in a modern detergent factory

DrP Cullinan MDa, , , JM Harris MSca, ProfAJ Newman Taylor FRCPa, AM
Holea, M Jones PhDa, F Barnes PhDa and G Jolliffe MRCGPa

Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Imperial
College School of Medicine, London SW3 6LR, UK

Summary
The striking decrease in the occurrence of protease-induced
occupational asthma in the detergent industry has been attributed to
enzyme encapsulation. We report an outbreak of asthma, at least equal
in size to those reported in the 1960s, in a modem European factory
which has exclusively used encapsulated enzymes. A survey revealed
that enzyme sensitisation and work-related respiratory symptoms were
positively correlated with airborne enzyme exposure. We suggest that
encapsulation alone is insufficient to prevent enzyme-induced allergy
and asthma.


So the laundary liquid we've been using has been put in the shed and
we're picking up a different one, one that is supposed to be nigh on
environmentally perfect and free of as many artificialities and so
forth as possible.

If he is an "inside cat", you may be able to help him (and yourself) with an
air filtration device. There are several on the market that sit in the
middle of the room and clean the air by recycling it continuously through
filters and high-voltage plates that attract dust particles out of the air
that passes through them. Unfortunately, all my cats are outside cats, so
they have to depend on we humans to not contaminate the air with foreign
substances. This Summer, I had my favorite cat die from getting a dose of,
"Round-Up" weed killer from a neighbor's lawn treatment. - Just one of a
dozen or so hazards to outside cats......

If he is an "inside cat", you may be able to help him (and yourself) with an
air filtration device. There are several on the market that sit in the
middle of the room and clean the air by recycling it continuously through
filters and high-voltage plates that attract dust particles out of the air
that passes through them. Unfortunately, all my cats are outside cats, so
they have to depend on we humans to not contaminate the air with foreign
substances. This Summer, I had my favorite cat die from getting a dose of,
"Round-Up" weed killer from a neighbor's lawn treatment. - Just one of a
dozen or so hazards to outside cats......

I agree with Bill's suggestion. Also, what kind of home cleansers or
air fresheners do you use? I've will use only certain things,
especially floors, where cats' faces are much closer to than ours. I
will use natural cleansers like vinegar or baking soda.

Does anyone in the household smoke? Secondhand smoke is bad for
asthmatic cats (and all people, for that matter).

Rene

On Sep 12, 1:37*pm, Eddy
wrote:
Bill Graham wrote:
When I retired, I didn't know how much of my time was going to be spent with
cats. Had I known, I probably would have retired near to UC Davis, where
their veternary facility is one of the best in the world. They relish
getting animals in there that have diseases that no one else can cure, so
their students can get the experience trying to cure them. I have had
several cats in my life who died from poor veternary knowlege/treatment.. If
you think people in this country suffer from bad medicine, think what
happens to most pets. their chances of good medical treatment range from
poor to none.

I believe you're right, Bill. *I'm currently in the middle of a formal
complaint against behaviour at my doctor's surgery. *It seems to be
resolving. *I hope it does because we are very rural here and the next
surgery is an additional 30 minute's drive away. *At the same time we
have good reason to have little respect for our local veterinary
practice. *They're all very good-hearted there but they don't seem to
know their stuff. *For example, our cat's twin brother was given a
course of oral antibiotics to cure his breathing problem. *They didn't
work and so a month later they decided to X-ray him and found he had a
diseased heart. *Hence we're doing as much research as we can re this
probable asthma problem before we stress the remaining twin with an
hour's drive in the car (30 minutes there, and 30 minutes back).

I want to thank you for your earlier suggestion that we focus on WHY he
may have asthma. *It occurred to us last night as he leapt off the
coverlet that we draw around ourselves on the couch while watching TV,
and had yet another fit, that the coverlet was washed a few weeks ago
and his attacks seem to have got bad in roughly the same period. *

This morning we found the following posting on a Forum:

"My husband is a retired medical scientist and makes the following
point: recent decades have seen a meteoric rise in the incidence of
asthma which the scientists have struggled to explain. Naturally if
clothes contain washing powder (including the additives such as enzymes)
not only can this affect the skin by direct contact but also the wearer
is constantly breathing in the powder into the lungs. Bed clothes
contaminated with washing powder would of course have a similar effect.
If you disturb dry, partially rinsed clothes in a shaft of sunlight you
will see for yourself what you are breathing in. How do we know that
this problem does not at least partly underpin the asthma epidemic?"

This spurred us on and then we found the following, showing that washing
powder enzymes are known to cause asthma.

An outbreak of asthma in a modern detergent factory

DrP Cullinan MDa, , , JM Harris MSca, ProfAJ Newman Taylor FRCPa, AM
Holea, M Jones PhDa, F Barnes PhDa and G Jolliffe MRCGPa

Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Imperial College
School of Medicine, London SW3 6LR, UK

Summary
The striking decrease in the occurrence of protease-induced occupational
asthma in the detergent industry has been attributed to enzyme
encapsulation. We report an outbreak of asthma, at least equal in size
to those reported in the 1960s, in a modem European factory which has
exclusively used encapsulated enzymes. A survey revealed that enzyme
sensitisation and work-related respiratory symptoms were positively
correlated with airborne enzyme exposure. We suggest that encapsulation
alone is insufficient to prevent enzyme-induced allergy and asthma.

So the laundary liquid we've been using has been put in the shed and
we're picking up a different one, one that is supposed to be nigh on
environmentally perfect and free of as many artificialities and so forth
as possible.


I think youre on to something here with the new detergent. I dont
think you live in the USA but you must have similar detergents to our
Free and Clear detergents. Its really something to watch out for with
pets and also for ourselves. Sad that Puss' twin brother had a
malformed heart. One never knows. House cats are blessings that are
only with us all too briefly.

Rene S. wrote:
Take him to a vet and get a thoracic radiograph. Chances are it will
show the diagnostic "donuts and tramlines" which are caused by thickened
bronchial walls and trapped air.

ITA with this. Our Tucker has asthma and a few x-rays showed the
"donut" patterns typically shown in asthma.

He may need a dose of steroids to get things under control. I am not
crazy about giving steroids to cats, but if he's flaring up, you may
need to do this short term to calm things down.

I manage Tucker's asthma with a supplement (called Inflamzyme, from
Only Natural Pet), and bronchodiolaters as needed. His is mild,
fortunately, and I've kept it under control for nearly three years. If
his is moderate to severe, you may need to give steroids via an
inhaler. It's safer using an inhaler because a), it can treat his
symptoms quickly and b) the steroid doesn't enter the bloodstream like
a pill would.

*FWIW, I am not affiiated with Only Natural Pet, but am a consumer.

Rene, many thanks for your words! Very helpful.

There has certainly been a decrease in Puss's fits over the last week,
and we think this is due to our having put away a newly-washed coverlet
in the living-room and not allowing him to sleep on the newly-washed
duvet in the bedroom. However, he is still having a fit occasionally.
But we understand that this could, possibly, be residual. We need to
keep monitoring and recording time and location of all fits. Will keep
your natural remedy in mind, just in case our change of washing
detergent doesn't actually solve the problem.

Eddy.