Yes on the training: beyond what She's a witch mentioned, our vet tech suggested petting Ireland with the chamber. I'd already been showing her the mask so petting her with the chamber itself was a good next step. I still do it when I'm shaking the inhaler for her second puff: Ireland likes to scent it.
And I think it made perfect sense in her case, since she didn’t have such strong symptoms as other asthmatic cats and probably mild inflammation only; I think it’s awesome that prednisolone was spared to her. I’m not saying that oral steroids are necessary prerequisite to inhaled one, by all means, but referring to Kila’s case, my understanding is that it’s unlikely the inhaler would work if the prednisolone didn’t-but of course I may have a wrong understanding! So I’d totally ask your vet,
frazzfox
, if he thinks the inhaled steroids may make a difference at this point. Yes, Ireland only has mild inflammation and I'm really glad she was (we were all!) spared the pred. (Honestly, I think the inhaler is easy compared to giving her pills, given how particular she is about her food!)And I think it made perfect sense in her case, since she didn’t have such strong symptoms as other asthmatic cats and probably mild inflammation only; I think it’s awesome that prednisolone was spared to her. I’m not saying that oral steroids are necessary prerequisite to inhaled one, by all means, but referring to Kila’s case, my understanding is that it’s unlikely the inhaler would work if the prednisolone didn’t-but of course I may have a wrong understanding! So I’d totally ask your vet,
And yes about petting! The inhaler time for us always starts with petting and making Ygritte purr! And I continue the petting through the process, both for her and mine pleasure and the drug effectiveness- she breathes much better when she purrs.
frazzfox
, here's more crossed fingers for tomorrow's appointment.I can see why you're feeling anxious, these are the sorts of symptoms that would worry me, too. I'm very glad you'll be able to bring her in to the vet again tomorrow. And wow that they noticed those differences in her xrays over just two weeks.
She's a witch , those articles are very good. I particularly like the charts.
D Dawk , your summary of cleaning is great! And all too familiar: we also used to have humidifiers with filters, but what a pain to clean! We used a bunch of the warm Vicks humidifiers, which worked great... but then one burned out in a scary/smelly way so we switched. We now have a bunch of Honeywell Mistmates, which (since we live in Maine, too!) we bought at Marden's. We've also found that the cheaper humidifiers do just as good a job as the expensive ones and are much, much easier to clean. I bet your cat is doing well with all that cleaning!
Good point about opening the windows when we vacuum. We do live in an apartment with wall-to-wall carpet so keeping that clean and dust-free is a big undertaking. We have an air purifier running all the time as well. It's a little small so I'd like to get a bigger one soon but better than nothing for now. Some things will require a little saving up but we would do anything for our little girl. <3
lisahe
&
She's a witch
-- Thanks so much for the insights! I've read conflicting info about humidifiers helping, we might try putting her in a steamy bathroom a few times before investing in one. Also heard conflicting evidence about whether Flovent will / won't help if the pred doesn't help... I've been stalking a few feline asthma groups and reading posts and some folks report that while their cats didn't respond to pred, they responded well to the inhaler. Or that some needed a more precise combo of meds, etc. etc. Every cat is different I suppose!
Twylasmom
-- I thought so too! I wonder why it was such a low dosage. Kila's a big girl. Though with how sleepy she seems to be on the meds I wonder if that would have been a good idea anyway.
...I'll tell you what, if nothing else smartphones capabilities and ease of getting videos sure have made things easier for our vets/kitties. Good for you!
frazzfox
! It sounds like an eventful (in a good way?) vet visit. (I found it especially interesting that he said the recent coughs seemed "upper respiratory," given your videos. That's helpful to keep in mind with Ireland.) And antihistamines, that definitely sounds worth trying. Here's hoping (fingers crossed!) that this last bunch of things helps! 
Yes, "calm" is definitely the way to start! As
She's a witch
has mentioned, it's great if the cat is purring. And you're so right,
D
Dawk
, that the AeroKat is "built like a tank" -- I have to admit, I wasn't expecting it to be so sturdy. It's a very good device. 
They are very happy cats! Well, at least most of the time. (They are cats, after all so they have to be cranky every now and then when they think they're not getting the food/attention they deserve.)
frazzfox
, that Kila's symptoms start to lessen this weekend. as always!Hi Lisa and Frazz, Lisa is there an easy way to post a kitty picture? Frazz, I may have overwelmed you with info but I just wanted to tell you what may be ahead.If you take things slow and calmly and follow the vets advice you and your cat will be just fine. When you see someone with an asthma inhaler that's the same stuff you get for your cat. With the device Lisa and I were talking about it's a snap to give your cat the medication.Take care....DawkThey are very happy cats! Well, at least most of the time. (They are cats, after all so they have to be cranky every now and then when they think they're not getting the food/attention they deserve.)
I hope everybody's (meaning cats and people!) doing well and,
I'm not very good at instructions (and the ones on the site are outdated!) but I'll try!
I'm so glad to hear that! The energy factor is so important. That's always a tip-off for me with our cats.
but I think the antihistamine was an inspired choice from the vet. As someone who's been allergic all her life (other than the six years I lived outside the US, when I had almost no allergies at all!), I have to say that allergies can really take the energy out of you! And cause all manner of symptoms, which can vary tremendously, depending on the allergens themselves. And how many allergens are around at a given time. Cleaning more because of Ireland's asthma has really helped my indoor allergies this winter.Yes, let me know if you see any changes after putting the comforter away! I was horribly, horribly allergic from the down and not just when I was under the comforter: I was constantly congested, sneezy, and puffy until I figured out what the problem was. (That took a week or two: I can be slow about these things!) I'll be the first to admit that synthetic comforters aren't as good as down during Maine winters but the allergies were really awful.
