Older cat breathing problems

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

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

I saw a video of a cat with asthma once. The cat was 'coughing' a lot.

I have severe asthma, but I don't wheeze, nor do I have problems getting
air in an out.

My lungs get inflamed and very painful, and I usually cough a lot,
during an attack.

I'm sure that asthma in cats varies as much as in humans; and an X-ray
is most certainly NOT going to rule out asthma.

But, this does sound like asthma to me.

You might ask you vet for a reasonable dose of prednisone for about 2
weeks; you can get 5mg tablets at human pharmacies, and prednisone is
quite cheap.

If the cat stops wheezing, it's almost certainly asthma.

As long as the dose of prednisone isn't too high, the risk to your cat
from the prednisone is minimal.


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"Gandalf" wrote in message
...
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

I saw a video of a cat with asthma once. The cat was 'coughing' a lot.

I have severe asthma, but I don't wheeze, nor do I have problems getting
air in an out.

My lungs get inflamed and very painful, and I usually cough a lot,
during an attack.

I'm sure that asthma in cats varies as much as in humans; and an X-ray
is most certainly NOT going to rule out asthma.

But, this does sound like asthma to me.

You might ask you vet for a reasonable dose of prednisone for about 2
weeks; you can get 5mg tablets at human pharmacies, and prednisone is
quite cheap.

If the cat stops wheezing, it's almost certainly asthma.

As long as the dose of prednisone isn't too high, the risk to your cat
from the prednisone is minimal.


---


I would like to suggest that she ask about prednisolone instead of
prednisone. Prednisolone is the preferred treatment for cats.

MaryL

On Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:39:40 -0500, "MaryL"
-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:


"Gandalf" wrote in message
...
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

I saw a video of a cat with asthma once. The cat was 'coughing' a lot.

I have severe asthma, but I don't wheeze, nor do I have problems getting
air in an out.

My lungs get inflamed and very painful, and I usually cough a lot,
during an attack.

I'm sure that asthma in cats varies as much as in humans; and an X-ray
is most certainly NOT going to rule out asthma.

But, this does sound like asthma to me.

You might ask you vet for a reasonable dose of prednisone for about 2
weeks; you can get 5mg tablets at human pharmacies, and prednisone is
quite cheap.

If the cat stops wheezing, it's almost certainly asthma.

As long as the dose of prednisone isn't too high, the risk to your cat
from the prednisone is minimal.


---


I would like to suggest that she ask about prednisolone instead of
prednisone. Prednisolone is the preferred treatment for cats.

MaryL

I've heard of prednisolone; but I've never taken it.

My vet recently prescribed a course of prednisone for my 14YO cat for an
indolent ulcer (eisophinolic granuloma).

She is a VERY good vet, and only about 5 years out of vet school: long
enough to have plenty of experience, and still be 'up' on recent changes
in vet practices.

What is the difference, for the cat, in using prednisolone, vs.
prednisone?


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"Gandalf" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 27 Mar 2010 12:39:40 -0500, "MaryL"
-OUT-THE-LITTER wrote:


"Gandalf" wrote in message
...
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

I saw a video of a cat with asthma once. The cat was 'coughing' a lot.

I have severe asthma, but I don't wheeze, nor do I have problems getting
air in an out.

My lungs get inflamed and very painful, and I usually cough a lot,
during an attack.

I'm sure that asthma in cats varies as much as in humans; and an X-ray
is most certainly NOT going to rule out asthma.

But, this does sound like asthma to me.

You might ask you vet for a reasonable dose of prednisone for about 2
weeks; you can get 5mg tablets at human pharmacies, and prednisone is
quite cheap.

If the cat stops wheezing, it's almost certainly asthma.

As long as the dose of prednisone isn't too high, the risk to your cat
from the prednisone is minimal.


---


I would like to suggest that she ask about prednisolone instead of
prednisone. Prednisolone is the preferred treatment for cats.

MaryL

I've heard of prednisolone; but I've never taken it.

My vet recently prescribed a course of prednisone for my 14YO cat for an
indolent ulcer (eisophinolic granuloma).

She is a VERY good vet, and only about 5 years out of vet school: long
enough to have plenty of experience, and still be 'up' on recent changes
in vet practices.

What is the difference, for the cat, in using prednisolone, vs.
prednisone?


---


Prednisone and prednisolone are anti-inflammatory drugs. Prednisone is
converted in the cat's liver to prednisolone. The drugs are essentially the
same, but the difference can be important in the presence of liver disease
(which may be undiagnosed at the time of treatment). Since the liver
converts prednisone to prednisolone, it is better not to place the cat's
system under additional stress. In addition, this "conversion" process
means that different amounts of the two drugs are actually used by the cat's
system.
http://www.wedgewoodpetrx.com/learni...inary-use.html
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=622
http://www.vetcontact.com/dermatolog...?a=640&t=&f=18
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...5112932AAIwI4C

MaryL

"Phil P." wrote in message
...

"Gandalf" wrote in message
...

What is the difference, for the cat, in using prednisolone, vs.
prednisone?



Prednisone must be converted into prednisolone by the cat's liver before
it
can be utilized. When prednisone is converted to prednisolone some of it
is
lost. Some cats lose more in the conversion process than others- even if
the
cats have healthy livers. The bioavailability of prednisolone is higher in
cats because it doesn't need to converted. Prednisolone reaches higher
concentrations in the blood than the same dose of prednisone. Its also
absorbed more efficiently in the intestines than prednisone.

Phil



Thanks, Phil. Much better answer than mine.

MaryL

"Gandalf" wrote in message
...

What is the difference, for the cat, in using prednisolone, vs.
prednisone?



Prednisone must be converted into prednisolone by the cat's liver before it
can be utilized. When prednisone is converted to prednisolone some of it is
lost. Some cats lose more in the conversion process than others- even if the
cats have healthy livers. The bioavailability of prednisolone is higher in
cats because it doesn't need to converted. Prednisolone reaches higher
concentrations in the blood than the same dose of prednisone. Its also
absorbed more efficiently in the intestines than prednisone.

Phil

"Patty" wrote in message
...
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.


At his age his body is just slowly failing I suspect. I know old people
make all kinds of odd breathing sounds when they sleep. I would suspect his
air passages close up somewhat when he lies down or his lungs may have
mucous irritation. If he were not getting enough air you'd know it. He
would pant, breath through his mouth and vocalize stress sounds. I know
because I've been there and recently too.

There probably is no solution. He's just an old cat. And a lucky one at
that. 19 is a fine age for a cat. Mine never have made it that long. 16
was the oldest so far. A touch of Benadryl can't hurt and might help keep
his lungs clear. Vets do prescribe it to cats all the time.

Paul

"MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER wrote in message
...

"Phil P." wrote in message
...

"Gandalf" wrote in message
...

What is the difference, for the cat, in using prednisolone, vs.
prednisone?



Prednisone must be converted into prednisolone by the cat's liver before
it
can be utilized. When prednisone is converted to prednisolone some of
it
is
lost. Some cats lose more in the conversion process than others- even if
the
cats have healthy livers. The bioavailability of prednisolone is higher
in
cats because it doesn't need to converted. Prednisolone reaches higher
concentrations in the blood than the same dose of prednisone. Its also
absorbed more efficiently in the intestines than prednisone.

Phil



Thanks, Phil. Much better answer than mine.

MaryL


Hi Mary,

Your answer was excellent. If I saw your post I wouldn't have posted mine.

Phil

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