INTERNATIONAL CAT CARE DIARY
Has your cat been diagnosed with asthma or bronchitis? CEO Claire Bessent talks us through what to expect.
The charity talks about treating cats with asthma.
Did you know that, just like people, cats can suffer from asthma and another condition called chronic bronchitis?
In cats the terms are used interchangeably and describe long-term disease of the small airways within the lungs (the exact cause in most cases remains uncertain). Signs in cats include coughing, and difficulty breathing. Coughing can be very distressing for cats and owners and breathing difficulties may necessitate emergency veterinary care.
Cats of any age, breed or sex can suffer and most affected cats are adults, and typically six to nine years of age, but the problem can be diagnosed in young cats or elderly cats as well. Siamese and related breeds, seem to be more affected, suggesting it may be inherited in some cats.
The mainstay of treatment for these diseases is steroid treatment, often in the form of tablets. However, these conditions are long-term, and long-term steroid treatment can cause side effects and even cause diabetes.
The use of inhalers (often called puffers) in people with asthma can have lifechanging effects. They deliver the treatment directly to the lungs for fast effective results and much less of the drug is absorbed, hence less side effects than oral (tablet) therapy.
BREATHE EASY
You may have someone in the family or friend who uses an inhaler and you will see them put it to their mouth and take a breath while they press the top to release the medication which is then taken down into the lungs. There is usually a whooshing/hissing type sound as the inhaler expels the medication at the same time as the person breathes in. It takes a few tries to get it right, but it is easy to do. For some cats too, inhaled steroids can work well, and bronchodilators to widen the airways can also help. But how do you get a cat to use an asthma inhaler?
Just like small children, cats can’t inhale directly from the inhaler itself, so an additional step is required to get the drugs into the air they breathe. They need to learn to breathe from a chamber device into which the drugs have been pumped from an inhaler at one end. This chamber holds the air containing the drugs until the cat can breathe it in via a special mask which fits a cat’s mouth and nose.The cat then breathes normally and inhales the medication over a number of breaths.
That sounds good in theory, but how do you actually get a cat to put its head into the mask? If a cat is not breathing well the last thing you want to do is stress or frighten it by using force. We know that trying to force a cat to do something is rarely successful and of course they will try to avoid any further attempts!
The process needs to be rewarding for the cat and not cause major stress for the owner or cat. Previously, limited resources were available to guide owners on how to train their cats to tolerate the inhaler, leading to upset cats, frustrated owners and more tablets. So International Cat Care got together with Trudell Medical (who design these chambers for dogs, cats and horses), to create a series of videos to help owners to train their cats to use the device calmly and without fear.
This is not a quick process, and requires patience and understanding but, as treatment will be needed for the cat’s lifetime, time spent training the cat is well worth it.
If a cat is not breathing well the last thing you want to do is stress or frighten it by using force.