Cat Coughing

[Columbine]

I know exactly what you mean about pilling being stressful. Cali (avatar pic) had chf too. He was so impossible to pill that the vet decided that the stress of pilling cancelled out any benefit the meds would give You've got to love such determined characters! As a result he didn't get treatment until the disease was near end stage and he'd developed asthma as a complication.

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but have you tried pill pockets or coating the pill in something strong tasting and yummy (we used to use paté - not ideal for cats but better than a fight to get the pill in). I have to say, that never worked for Cal...He'd sucking the coating off and spit out the pill. He even learned to 'tounge' his meds and swallow nothing...20 mins later I'd find a soggy pill in another part of the house! :lol3: Eventually, we worked out (when we no longer had sn option) that he was far easier to syringe than pill. On the vets advice, I'd dissolve the prediction in as small an amount as possible, draw it up in a clean syringe and squirt it into his mouth. So, there are plenty of options available.

The best position I've found for straight pilling is to kneel down, snuggle the cat between my legs, use one hand to restrain the chest and the other to pop in the pill, hold up the head and stroke it down. Others have mentioned buttering the pill to make it slide better and chasing with a little water from a syringe to help it down.

Good luck with the battle

 

[Columbine]

*prednisone (dammed predictive text!)

 

[mingking]

I know exactly what you mean about pilling being stressful. Cali (avatar pic) had chf too. He was so impossible to pill that the vet decided that the stress of pilling cancelled out any benefit the meds would give

You've got to love such determined characters! As a result he didn't get treatment until the disease was near end stage and he'd developed asthma as a complication.

Sorry if I'm stating the obvious, but have you tried pill pockets or coating the pill in something strong tasting and yummy (we used to use paté - not ideal for cats but better than a fight to get the pill in). I have to say, that never worked for Cal...He'd sucking the coating off and spit out the pill. He even learned to 'tounge' his meds and swallow nothing...20 mins later I'd find a soggy pill in another part of the house!

Eventually, we worked out (when we no longer had sn option) that he was far easier to syringe than pill. On the vets advice, I'd dissolve the prediction in as small an amount as possible, draw it up in a clean syringe and squirt it into his mouth. So, there are plenty of options available.

The best position I've found for straight pilling is to kneel down, snuggle the cat between my legs, use one hand to restrain the chest and the other to pop in the pill, hold up the head and stroke it down. Others have mentioned buttering the pill to make it slide better and chasing with a little water from a syringe to help it down.

Good luck with the battle

Ah,  I'm sorry about Cali. (He's beautiful! I love orange cats). 

Thank you for the suggestions! I wasn't sure if the pills the vet prescribed should be swallowed whole or chopped up - if it even makes a difference. Obviously it doesn't.. now that I think about it. Haha! I think I'll go get some pill pockets tonight so I don't have to wrestle with him. 

(Buttering the pill sounds interesting and probably tasty!)

 

[Columbine]

No need to be sorry about Cal. He was born with a heart murmur. For the most part he had a good quality of life until the end (a couple of dips, then stabilised on meds, and a day of decline before the end). Yes he was at the vet a lot, but mostly because he found a vet visit for an injection less stressful than a tablet That was before we got liquid meds and realised he'd syringe more easily.

Good luck with fooling Ming. I hope he's less suspicious than Cal was

 

[lisahe]

I should have asked the vet if there were alternative ways to administer pills (d'oh!) and how much is too much taurine. I'll do that when I go in on Saturday to pick up the rest of his pills since they didn't have enough for me.

@LisaHE  Yes, I adopted Ming in February! I always wonder what his past was like - he's so sweet and gentle. I can't imagine anyone not wanting him unless they lost him (he HAS been following me outside to the garden against my wishes - that bugger!) or they just couldn't take care of him. He was neutered by the shelter in November so that also makes me wonder. It's so great when cats transition well! 

Now I can only hope his heart stays the same size and he's just a kitty with a bigger heart than most! 

I hope you get some good answers from the vet about the taurine and pill administration. I'm very curious about the taurine myself.

Like @Columbine, we used a syringe with our cats when they had to take medicine for three weeks. It got easier, though they weren't at all happy with us in the beginning! I'd really been hoping I could sneak their liquid medicine (fish-flavored) to them in their food but oh no! We developed a two-person method where my husband would get the cat and I would pop the syringe into the mouth. Our cats are ridiculously squirmy young things so there was no way we could use the one-person methods in the instructions the vet gave us. And I still find it humorous to think that anybody could consistently hit the same (recommended) part of the mouth with the medicine! I was lucky not to have a cat knock the syringe away so half the dose went on the floor. (Thank goodness the cat pharmacy gave us some extra.)

I hope Ming's physical heart stops growing, though I'm sure his emotional heart will just keep getting bigger. He sounds like such a great cat! I, too, just can't imagine why anybody would give up cats like yours or ours, though I wonder with ours if one was barfing and the other was coughing, and the previous people didn't know what to do with them. Or just couldn't feed all their cats: they apparently came from a (minor) hoarding situation. All I know is that I feel very lucky to have them!

 

[greencateyes]

I am sorry to hear about Ming

  The first cat I had (many years ago..) had asthma.  He did not have what I would call a severe case, however every three or four months I needed to take him in for a methylprednisolone shot.  Last May, I adopted two kittens, in November, 2014, one my then 10 month old kittens, Dandy, first had a minor coughing attack, at the time I could not see her and was not sure if it was a hairball hack or an asthma attack.  Later that day she had another attack, it was definitely asthma, and it was a bad attack.  I could see she could not breathe, and she was frightened. I made an appointment to see the Vet the next day.  The next morning, she had another attack, worse than the night before, 3 asthma attacks in 2 days. I asked the Vet to give her a short acting steroid shot; my vet told me best way (most economical) to diagnose asthma in a cat is to first have a thorough checkup, if no underlying illness is present, give the cat a steroid shot. If the coughing stops, then it is definitely asthma.

After her shot, Dandy's attacks stopped.  I did not want to have her on steroids her whole life, so I ordered Newton Homeopathics Cough - Asthma.  I give her 3 drops in the morning and 3 drops at night. I mix it in with about 1/2 teaspoon of wet food to insure she finishes everything.  I have her asthma under control.  Every once in a while she will start wheezing and sound like she is going to start coughing, but she never does, and it is extremely mild.  When this happens, I put her in my lap and pet her, and she calms down. I do not know how bad Ming's attacks were, but it might be something you may want to try.  Also, regarding "pilling" a cat, I crush up the pill and put it in a tiny bit of wet food.  You can also try cream cheese.  Good luck.

 

[mingking]

 
I hope you get some good answers from the vet about the taurine and pill administration. I'm very curious about the taurine myself.

Like @Columbine, we used a syringe with our cats when they had to take medicine for three weeks. It got easier, though they weren't at all happy with us in the beginning! I'd really been hoping I could sneak their liquid medicine (fish-flavored) to them in their food but oh no! We developed a two-person method where my husband would get the cat and I would pop the syringe into the mouth. Our cats are ridiculously squirmy young things so there was no way we could use the one-person methods in the instructions the vet gave us. And I still find it humorous to think that anybody could consistently hit the same (recommended) part of the mouth with the medicine! I was lucky not to have a cat knock the syringe away so half the dose went on the floor. (Thank goodness the cat pharmacy gave us some extra.)

I hope Ming's physical heart stops growing, though I'm sure his emotional heart will just keep getting bigger. He sounds like such a great cat! I, too, just can't imagine why anybody would give up cats like yours or ours, though I wonder with ours if one was barfing and the other was coughing, and the previous people didn't know what to do with them. Or just couldn't feed all their cats: they apparently came from a (minor) hoarding situation. All I know is that I feel very lucky to have them!

I'll definitely relay the info when I go to the vet. I've read one website and they said any extra taurine just gets peed out. And then I read another forum where they were reviewing FirstMate canned cat food and there was a typo on their website that wrote 0.2% taurine as opposed to 0.02% and many were concerned about the amounts. Anyway, those are just websites - the vet probably knows better 

Whoever wrote those instructions was dreaming, obviously haha!

When I hear about cat hoarding situations, it's just saddening. Not only can it be difficult for the cats, but also for the owners who struggle to feed and care for so many. 

I hope his emotional heart gets so big that I drown in it too! And yes, we are all so very blessed to be able to have such wonderful cats in our lives. 

 
I am sorry to hear about Ming

  The first cat I had (many years ago..) had asthma.  He did not have what I would call a severe case, however every three or four months I needed to take him in for a methylprednisolone shot.  Last May, I adopted two kittens, in November, 2014, one my then 10 month old kittens, Dandy, first had a minor coughing attack, at the time I could not see her and was not sure if it was a hairball hack or an asthma attack.  Later that day she had another attack, it was definitely asthma, and it was a bad attack.  I could see she could not breathe, and she was frightened. I made an appointment to see the Vet the next day.  The next morning, she had another attack, worse than the night before, 3 asthma attacks in 2 days. I asked the Vet to give her a short acting steroid shot; my vet told me best way (most economical) to diagnose asthma in a cat is to first have a thorough checkup, if no underlying illness is present, give the cat a steroid shot. If the coughing stops, then it is definitely asthma.

After her shot, Dandy's attacks stopped.  I did not want to have her on steroids her whole life, so I ordered Newton Homeopathics Cough - Asthma.  I give her 3 drops in the morning and 3 drops at night. I mix it in with about 1/2 teaspoon of wet food to insure she finishes everything.  I have her asthma under control.  Every once in a while she will start wheezing and sound like she is going to start coughing, but she never does, and it is extremely mild.  When this happens, I put her in my lap and pet her, and she calms down. I do not know how bad Ming's attacks were, but it might be something you may want to try.  Also, regarding "pilling" a cat, I crush up the pill and put it in a tiny bit of wet food.  You can also try cream cheese.  Good luck.

I'm sorry about your cats too.

 It's so difficult both for them and us to experience attacks like that. And now having to experience it again with another cat. But it sure is amazing to see that Dandy is doing good with the treatment you're giving her. I will definitely look into that. I am a little concerned about the steroids but Ming is only taking them for a total of 2 weeks and it's tapered down. My mom is more concerned than me. She sent me 4 pictures of him sleeping while I was at work and asked if it was because of the prednisolene and I said, "Mom. He's a cat. He's going to sleep all day if he can!" 

 

Thank you for the advice! It's good to know what to look for if Ming ever exhibits any of these signs. He could still be at risk for asthma since the vet isn't entirely sure why he's coughing. 

I did feed him pills this morning all by myself. He squirmed a little but I got it in quick and easy! Although, I dropped the prednisolene on his tongue by accident so he chewed it haha. I think I got lucky because I caught him while he was napping on his window seat. 

Thank you again, all of you, for the amazing advice!

 

[lisahe]

I did feed him pills this morning all by myself. He squirmed a little but I got it in quick and easy! Although, I dropped the prednisolene on his tongue by accident so he chewed it haha. I think I got lucky because I caught him while he was napping on his window seat. 

That was our trick, too: catch them when they're sleepy! There were a couple days when they were so sleepy we barely had to take them out of their little beds!

 

[Columbine]

Quick note about prednisone: whilst steroids aren't ideal, my vet told me that cats tolerate steroids better and get fewer side effects than dogs do. Hope that reassures you a bit

Well done with his meds this morning. Catching them asleep always makes it so much easier

 

[greencateyes]

 
I'm sorry about your cats too.

 It's so difficult both for them and us to experience attacks like that. And now having to experience it again with another cat. But it sure is amazing to see that Dandy is doing good with the treatment you're giving her. I will definitely look into that. I am a little concerned about the steroids but Ming is only taking them for a total of 2 weeks and it's tapered down. My mom is more concerned than me. She sent me 4 pictures of him sleeping while I was at work and asked if it was because of the prednisolene and I said, "Mom. He's a cat. He's going to sleep all day if he can!" 

 

Thank you for the advice! It's good to know what to look for if Ming ever exhibits any of these signs. He could still be at risk for asthma since the vet isn't entirely sure why he's coughing. 

I did feed him pills this morning all by myself. He squirmed a little but I got it in quick and easy! Although, I dropped the prednisolene on his tongue by accident so he chewed it haha. I think I got lucky because I caught him while he was napping on his window seat. 

Thank you again, all of you, for the amazing advice!

I am glad to hear Ming is doing well, and thank you so much for your kind words. FYI (for your mom!!) steroids generally make cats more active and increase their appetite.  So if Ming is sleeping, it is likely because her body needs rest!!  Is  Ming's asthma getting better on prednisolone?  With my first cat, Woodrow, giving him prednisone orally did not help him, that is why I had to take him in every 3-4 months for an injection.

 

[mingking]

 
I am glad to hear Ming is doing well, and thank you so much for your kind words. FYI (for your mom!!) steroids generally make cats more active and increase their appetite.  So if Ming is sleeping, it is likely because her body needs rest!!  Is  Ming's asthma getting better on prednisolone?  With my first cat, Woodrow, giving him prednisone orally did not help him, that is why I had to take him in every 3-4 months for an injection.

Ooh that's good to know. I just remember reading that cats on prednisone drink and pee a lot more than usual. Thanks! I'll add the prednisone injections to my list of things to ask about if it ever comes down to giving Ming more meds. 

Ming doesn't technically have asthma and we're just treating the cough to rule our infection. He hasn't coughed since this Monday and he's on this third day of meds. He does breathe loud sometimes but I'm not sure if he's a purring or not. I've heard him purr when he kneads things. Sometimes it's clear and sometimes it sounds like bubbly breathing so I'm never sure! 

 

[Columbine]

As far as I'm aware it's diuretics (eg fruseomide..something like that anyway) that cause excess peeing and drinking. In chf they're often given alongside prednisone to combat fluid build up on the lungs.

 

[Columbine]

Cough is a rare symptom of chf in cats (but common in dogs). As far as I'm aware cough with retch/spit up can be due to fluid on the lungs. Please note, I never saw this in Cal, but it's a regular feature of my greyhound's chf. Cal never really coughed, just wheezed and fought for breath.

 

[mingking]

Cough is a rare symptom of chf in cats (but common in dogs). As far as I'm aware cough with retch/spit up can be due to fluid on the lungs. Please note, I never saw this in Cal, but it's a regular feature of my greyhound's chf. Cal never really coughed, just wheezed and fought for breath.

Hmmm... your comment makes me really think his cough and vomit is from the cold he allegedly had before I adopted him. His medical records from the shelter tells me they only vaccinated him and treated his earmites and tested for FIV/FeIV (negative). 

I'm really liking all this advice. Thank you! Again, it's really good to know symptoms to watch out for and the details of these symptoms.