How long it took you to train your asthmatic cat to use Inhaler?

galaxygal

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My 4yo female tabby Goose has ashtma. She recently got diagnosed with it. She was on Prednisone for about 13 days. She’s been off her Pred for about a few weeks now. I’ve been cleaning, vacuuming, have air purifier running and changed to a low dust no scent litter. I finally got the inhaler and now starting to train her slowly. I just get worried I’m going slow wasting time and worried she’s not getting her meds. I also don’t want to completely freak out. I’ve heard her cough once or twice but very short compared to as before her diagnosis. How long is it normal to train a cat to use an inhaler? Should I do the cat carrier trick in the meantime?
 

Twylasmom

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It really depends on the cat. It took a couple of months for Twyla. But now she goes to her medicating spot and waits for me to dose her. It helps to give food rewards. Are you starting with just getting her used to the mouthpiece?
 

jmichaelp

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While he was on an injection for asthma, I started giving my cat treats & laying the inhaler next to them. Then worked on positioning him between my legs while doing that, then holding the inhaler up next to his face, next activating the inhaler, etc. He was on the inhaler daily for 10 years, & now it is every other day for the last 6 years after he developed IBD which required prednisolone.
 
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galaxygal

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Yes I’m starting with the mouthpiece. I’m just worried of the training process and she’s not getting her medicine in the meantime. She’s off Prednisone and I didn’t like it because of the side effects that caused her
It really depends on the cat. It took a couple of months for Twyla. But now she goes to her medicating spot and waits for me to dose her. It helps to give food rewards. Are you starting with just getting her used to the mouthpiece?
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stephanietx

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Ask the vet for a nebulizer solution and how much to give her. Then you can place her in a carrier and drape with a towel. Then you hold the nebulizer up to the opening in the nebulizer and administer the medication that way. You can also make a box out of a clear tote with a hole cut out for the nebulizer opening, put the kitty in the box and secure the lid. (We use the carrier with our kitty and it works well for us).
 

Meowmee

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My 4yo female tabby Goose has ashtma. She recently got diagnosed with it. She was on Prednisone for about 13 days. She’s been off her Pred for about a few weeks now. I’ve been cleaning, vacuuming, have air purifier running and changed to a low dust no scent litter. I finally got the inhaler and now starting to train her slowly. I just get worried I’m going slow wasting time and worried she’s not getting her meds. I also don’t want to completely freak out. I’ve heard her cough once or twice but very short compared to as before her diagnosis. How long is it normal to train a cat to use an inhaler? Should I do the cat carrier trick in the meantime?
It should not take long to train her. With Sybil she was inhaling it right away. What are you doing to train her? We did it with two people one person held Sybil and I gave her the inhaler. Then eventually I was able to do it by myself as I recall. If your kitty is not inhaling you should still be giving her the pills until the inhaler is accepted. I’m not sure what the carrier trick is?
 

Mac and Cats

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I am still getting my cat use to hers. What I've been doing is giving her a treat after 3 breaths in and then doing about 3 more and another treat. Sometimes I will stop there and other times I'll go for another 3. She's very treat motivated. She takes pills twice a day and now she comes to her spot, eats the pills without me popping them down her throat and then she gets her treat. I honestly think she just learned that she can either eat the pills on her own or I'll shove them down her throat if she doesn't and she decided she'd prefer to eat them on her own as long as there is a treat afterwards. She isn't quite at that point with her inhaler, but shes getting better.
 

Meowmee

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I am still getting my cat use to hers. What I've been doing is giving her a treat after 3 breaths in and then doing about 3 more and another treat. Sometimes I will stop there and other times I'll go for another 3. She's very treat motivated. She takes pills twice a day and now she comes to her spot, eats the pills without me popping them down her throat and then she gets her treat. I honestly think she just learned that she can either eat the pills on her own or I'll shove them down her throat if she doesn't and she decided she'd prefer to eat them on her own as long as there is a treat afterwards. She isn't quite at that point with her inhaler, but shes getting better.
Sounds good hopefully you can train her that way. 😀
 
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