Feline Asthma: Your Cat May Be Allergic To You
Feline Asthma: Your Cat May Be Allergic To You
We've all heard of people being allergic to cats, but it's not common knowledge that cats can also be allergic to people. Our perfumes, candles, cleaners, cigarette smoke, and other common household products can trigger feline asthma, a common allergic respiratory disease. Cats can also be allergic to dust, trees and pollens, mold and mildew, or even human dandruff.
About one in one hundred cats worldwide suffer from asthma. Young cats under the age of five are more likely to develop asthma, as are oriental breeds like the Siamese. Like asthmatic humans, cats with the disease wheeze, cough, and struggle to breathe. They may lose their appetite and become lethargic and withdrawn. The symptoms are often mistaken for hairballs, or on occasion for heartworm-related respiratory disease, pneumonia or congestive heart failure.
Feline asthma is chronic and progressive, and there is no cure. About 10% of effected cats die of asthma, or are euthanized due to treatment difficulties. "Asthma is not a death sentence for a cat," stresses Kat Sczyrba-Rogers of the Feline Asthma Relief Group, "Feline asthma is a very manageable disease, and with the correct treatment nearly all asthmatic cats can have a healthy, happy, and normal lifespan."
Most cats are successfully treated with the same inhaled anti-inflammatory asthma medications used by humans. Ten years ago, Dr. Philip Padrid pioneered adapting the chamber and mask system used to treat children to treat asthma in cats, and in 2003 a smaller chamber was designed specifically for cats, giving significantly better results.
If your cat suffers from asthma, avoid exposing them to cigarette and fireplace smoke, which tends to settle near the floor at their breathing level. Reduce or eliminate the use of scented products like cleaners, air fresheners, and toiletries. Change to a low-dust cat litter, or better yet, use a material like wheat, corn, newspaper or wood pellets. Monitor you cat's symptoms after any change in their litter some cats are allergic to wheat or corn, or react badly to products containing pine or cedar. Running an air purifier can also be helpful. Being overweight or going outside in cold weather may worsen asthma symptoms in cats. If your cat does go outside, consider putting a tag on their collar with your phone number identifying them as asthmatic.
Your cat may also be allergic to or develop a sudden allergy to its food. Wheat, gluten, dairy, preservatives and even fish are among the top triggers. Cats can be tested for allergies just like people, and when the allergens are identified, they can be given desensitization shots to help them build a tolerance to the offending substance(s).
As in people, asthma symptoms in cats will worsen when they are under stress. Monitor them carefully when introducing any changes to their household or routine, and make special arrangements for their care when you go away on holidays.
If your cat suffers from severe asthma, keep special fast-acting bronchodilator medication on hand in case of an emergency. In a severe attack, your cat may gasp and struggle for breath using its abdominal muscles. It may fall or be unable to stand, and its tongue may appear bluish. Contact your vet immediately he or she can provide your pet with much-needed oxygen. You may want to take a Pet First Aid course such as the one offered by the American Red Cross to help you react appropriately during an asthma crisis.
There is speculation that both human and feline asthma is becoming more common due to increased exposure to industrial pollutants. And researchers at Edinburgh University are looking into a possible connection between a common bacterial lung infection and feline asthma. Mycoplasma bacteria have been associated with lung infections in cattle, pigs and rats, and appear to induce or worsen asthma in people. Two earlier studies have found the bacteria in the lungs of 25% of asthmatic cats.
The Feline Asthma Relief Group advises caregivers on the best ways to meet the needs of their asthmatic cats, with a focus on inhaled medications as the safest and most effective treatment option. They recently negotiated savings coupons on feline asthma medication for their members with two leading Canadian online pharmacies, Big Mountain Drugs and Global Drugs Direct. "Canadian pharmacies allow purchase of the same drugs without the extreme mark-ups that the US imposes," says Sczyrba-Rogers, "Finding a trustedonline Canadian pharmacy tremendously reduces the cost for the consumer."
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