Shallow Breathing

[OliviaC]

Hi Everyone!

I’m hoping some of you can shed some light on the issue I’m having with my one year old orange tabby.

We started having issues with getting him to eat his dry food. He had been on a strictly dry diet, but when his usual mix changed a bit in consistency we started to add a spoon of wet. He loved the wet immediately and slowly transitioned into only eating wet and leaving dry behind. There were several contributing factors as to why we assumed this was happening, primarily the fact that we just introduced a new kitten into the house. I brought him to our usual vet who did an exam and said that he seemed completely healthy and was probably being stubborn with his food. A few days later I noticed he was breathing quite rapidly and shallowly. His mouth was closed, but his nostrils were flaring a bit. I videoed the behavior and took him to a different vet. Once again, his exam was normal, but the vet did not like the breathing on the video and decided to run a chest x ray. It showed that his bronchi were inflamed. They gave him an antibiotic shot and sent him home. 2 days later we took him back to our regular vet who agreed with the x ray findings and did another exam. He is thinking it might be asthma although he has never exhibited the typical asthma cough at home. The vet gave him an anti-inflammatory shot and a theophyline shot. He also gave us a prescription of aminophylline that we are starting this evening. In the meantime I am still seeing the rapid breathing. We are also waiting for a blood test to rule out heart issues.

I feel like a terrible owner because I don’t know how long his breathing issues could have been going on. He is the first cat I’ve owned and so I never paid attention to his breathing until I was concerned about his appetite.

Does anyone have experience with a situation like this? Could the stress of the new kitten be adversely affecting his health? Any advice on what we should be doing at home while we wait to hear back from the vet on how to proceed?

Thanks in advance!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I just wanted to acknowledge your post and tell you I hope the best for your little guy. While it is possible that he might be having some issues with the new kitten, it would my guess there is an unrelated health issue going on.

I would follow the vet's treatment plan at this point, and hopefully you will hear back soon from the vet. I am crossing Feeby's paws that the vet identifies the problem and that it is easily treatable!!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It can frequently take up to three days for medications to reach theraputic levels in the body, so watch him closely for the next couple of days. If there is no improvement in that time, OR IF HE GETS WORSE AT ANY TIME, call your vet and take him back in.

Sick cats are second only to sick infants in the worry and panic they can cause. They are so small, and so helpless, and just can't tell us what is wrong! Try to breathe deep, as he will certainly pick up on your stress! Remember, you're not alone in this now, and DO keep us posted. Once you've posted about an issue here, in some small way, your cat becomes our cat, and we worry!

 

[OliviaC]

Thank you both! I’ve noticed that when he’s ‘cat napping’ his breathing slows greatly. We’ve spent most of the day on the couch together today and I’ve gotten my fair share of purrs and licks. Thanks for the reminder to stay calm and not show my stress. That’s something I definitely need to work on! I will keep you posted!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

It is encouraging that his breathing does slow when he catnaps! Hang in there! We're here.

 

[OliviaC]

Good news! Just heard back from the vet! The bloodwork came back normal, so it is something bronchial and not cardiac related! I am so happy! The vet said to continue him on the medicine and see what the week brings, we go back Wednesday for a follow up.

Any suggestions on how we can get him to take his pills? We’ve tried wrapping them in food, pill pockets, and just dropping them in his mouth. He spits them out every time. Also tried sprinkling and mixing in his wet food and he refused that! He is a stubborn little guy!

Thanks again for your encouragement!

 

[darg]

You can try a Kruuse Buster pet piller. The local pet store may have something similiar.


Kruuse Buster Pet Pill/Tablet Syringe with Classic Tip | Provides a Fast & Easy Way of Administering Tablets To Pets | Medi-Vet

 

[OliviaC]

Hi all!

Another update...Last night we found our boy hunched over in his litter box for 10 minutes producing no waste. He wouldn’t even be enticed out by his favorite toys. I have read enough to know this was a cause for immediate attention and we rushed him to a 24 hour vet. We saw a wonderful doctor who after many tests, and trying to obtain a urine sample under sedation, determined that he did have an obstruction in his urethra. He is currently staying in the hospital with a catheter for 2 days. It was so hard to leave my baby behind, but I know he is in good hands.

Anyone have any experience with the surgery to widen the urethra? The doctor said we may want to consider it if this is a recurring issue (which she said there is a 2/3 chance it will be).

I’m also wondering if the new kitten could have played a part in this all. The vet didn’t seem to think so, but it’s just all coming to a head at once!

Thanks for listening and for your support!

 

[OliviaC]

I should mention, this was completely out of left field. There have been no signs of obstruction. The litter box has been normal and there have been no surprises around the house!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thanks for the update! Sorry he has to spend time at the hospital, but he will feel much better by the time he gets to come home.

Until other members who have dealt with PU surgery come along, you might like to read through some of the previous posts?

Search Results for Query: PU surgery | TheCatSite

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I don't have direct experience with the PU surgery, however, a LOT of people here have, and I only remember on instance of there being an issue after surgery. ALL of the others did just fine!

No, I'm with the vet...there's no way that the new kitten would have caused this. Crystals grow over time, so take that worry off of the table right now.

 

[amandag1]

Aw hope your baby heals soon. Rapid breathing is so very scary.

 

[OliviaC]

Thank you all for your words of wisdom!

Conan is home now resting comfortably. He is very sleep from his hospital ordeal, and is licking himself like crazy - particularly in the areas that the doctor shaved. We are monitoring that to make sure he doesn’t end up causing harm to himself.

The doctor at the animal hospital did not notice anything wrong with his breathing so he advised us to continue monitoring his urine output/ stress levels/ new diet/ water intake/ interaction with new kitty before we continue to stress about asthma. He said we may want to consider something for anxiety as well. We are just so happy to have him home and hoping that he doesn’t obstruct again - although if he does, surgery is the recommended course of action.

For right now he is getting plenty of TLC, and we will be following up with our regular vet tomorrow.

Thanks again!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Glad to hear he is back home! I am sure he is loving the extra TLC!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If he is easy to medicate, you could try chamomile tea for his stress. Buy the commercially prepared bags from the coffee/tea aisle. That insures that you are getting ONLY German Chamomile. The English, which often grows in gardens, is toxic to cats. Be sure that you buy simple chamomile, not a blend. Brew a cup, chill it, and administer via syringe, between 1-3 teaspoons full (but up to 3 Tablespoons full for cats over 11 pounds) up to three times a day. It is gently calming without being sedating. No wobbly, drooling cat staggering around the house.

 

[OliviaC]

Thank you for that tip! He is pretty difficult to medicate by syringe, but my we just have to try that!

I am wondering now if anyone has experience with demeanor after a hospital stay. Conan has been sleeping pretty much straight through the last 3 days. While he has always enjoyed his naps, this is a bit excessive. I initially thought it was leftover remnants of the sedatives he had been given at the hospital, but I’m assuming those are out of his system by now? He did come home on two prescriptions, Buprenorphine, and Prazosin. We went for a check up with our regular Vet yesterday and he recommended discontinuing the Buprenorphine (assuming we didn’t see any signs of discomfort) as that could be the culprit of his sleepiness. He did advise us to finish the course of the Prazosin though. Does anyone know if this could cause this drowsiness?

In addition, we did begin him on the Royal Canin Urinary and Calm wet and dry food. He picks at it here and there but does not eat as enthusiastically as he used to. It’s a struggle to get him to eat his recommended amount. This upsets me because he came home considerably thinner than when he went into the hospital. I also haven’t noticed him drinking and have taken to feeding him water from a spoon. We bought him a fountain but haven’t gotten him to use it yet.

Conan is usually a very social fella - loves to be with us, play, run around the house and examine everything in sight. Now he is almost in a fog - sleeps constantly, hides under beds and in corners, walks around aimlessly and plops down in various locations and just stays there. My heart is breaking to see him this way, almost in a fog and defeated - especially since I don’t know what is causing it and I don’t know what to do to fix it.

I have been keeping an eye on his litter box and he has been urinating properly, which is great. I also have been keeping him separate from our new kitten (suggestion from the vet) to limit his stress.

Could this behavior just be normal and take time? I guess in my unexperienced mind we were just going to bring him home and everything was going to return to normal right away.

Thanks all for your continued support! It meant more than you know!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Since you just discontinued the Buphrenorphine yesterday, I'd give it until tomorrow before becoming concerned. If he is still "off" then, give the vet a followup call.