We Still Don't Know What's Wrong With Her. (with Video!)

[LeonieLunatic]

I'm crushed.

Our 6 year old Tabby Mix Pebbles has had breathing issues since well before we adopted her, which was nine months ago.

She has fits of reverse sneezing (yes, REVERSE sneezing) and coughing multiple times a day and we don't know why. We took her to the vet, who noted that she had severe gingival disease, and said that bad teeth, especially the Canines, can cause breathing issues in cats.

So, two weeks ago, she had a thorough dental cleaning done and some of the really bad teeth extracted.

Her coughing and sneezing attacks persist.

Everything from Sinusitis to Chronic Snuffler and Asthma has been theorized, and while these conditions would explain her nasal congestion, coughing and frequent upper respiratory infections, all of them are missing a key symptom: The reverse sneezing. Which is Pebbles's most prominent symptom.

Doing online research, I could find barely anything that can cause reverse sneezing in cats.

Bad teeth were one of the conditions - but we've fixed her teeth, and if anything, the attacks have gotten worse.

Nasal Polyps - Our vet checked her ears and said she didn't see any. But she also said that just because she can't see them doesn't mean Pebbles doesn't have them. But to find them, we'd have to take x rays or put a small camera up her nose... and that's expensive.

And the last and possibly scariest option - Ciliary Dyskenesia. It's a rare genetic condition that's already rare in dogs and even rarer in cats. So rare, in fact, that I could barely find any information on how it presents itself in cats, but what I could find seems to describe Pebbles to a T. To break it down; CD means that the small hairs in her lungs are either not functioning properly or missing entirely. The only treatment option I could find was life-long antibiotics, which she'll eventually build up an immunity to... which will then result in Pneumonia and ultimately, death.

We have a follow up appointment for the surgery next week. I hope our vet can shed some light on things. I've managed to catch both, a reverse sneezing and a coughing fit on camera. Links can be found below. If anyone has any ideas - please let me know.

Reverse Sneezing
Coughing

 

[8kitties]

I'm crushed.

Our 6 year old Tabby Mix Pebbles has had breathing issues since well before we adopted her, which was nine months ago.

She has fits of reverse sneezing (yes, REVERSE sneezing) and coughing multiple times a day and we don't know why. We took her to the vet, who noted that she had severe gingival disease, and said that bad teeth, especially the Canines, can cause breathing issues in cats.

So, two weeks ago, she had a thorough dental cleaning done and some of the really bad teeth extracted.

Her coughing and sneezing attacks persist.

Everything from Sinusitis to Chronic Snuffler and Asthma has been theorized, and while these conditions would explain her nasal congestion, coughing and frequent upper respiratory infections, all of them are missing a key symptom: The reverse sneezing. Which is Pebbles's most prominent symptom.

Doing online research, I could find barely anything that can cause reverse sneezing in cats.

Bad teeth were one of the conditions - but we've fixed her teeth, and if anything, the attacks have gotten worse.

Nasal Polyps - Our vet checked her ears and said she didn't see any. But she also said that just because she can't see them doesn't mean Pebbles doesn't have them. But to find them, we'd have to take x rays or put a small camera up her nose... and that's expensive.

And the last and possibly scariest option - Ciliary Dyskenesia. It's a rare genetic condition that's already rare in dogs and even rarer in cats. So rare, in fact, that I could barely find any information on how it presents itself in cats, but what I could find seems to describe Pebbles to a T. To break it down; CD means that the small hairs in her lungs are either not functioning properly or missing entirely. The only treatment option I could find was life-long antibiotics, which she'll eventually build up an immunity to... which will then result in Pneumonia and ultimately, death.

We have a follow up appointment for the surgery next week. I hope our vet can shed some light on things. I've managed to catch both, a reverse sneezing and a coughing fit on camera. Links can be found below. If anyone has any ideas - please let me know.

Reverse Sneezing
Coughing

One of my cats did that (although only a couple sneezes every day) when she was a very young kitten. It went away when she got older though. I remember googling it and seeing a video of a cat doing it where it said that they do it to clear out their nose/lungs/throat. I theorized that my kitten was doing it due to the change in air because she would always do it when I carried her inside for a minute. (She is an outside cat).

 

[LeonieLunatic]

One of my cats did that (although only a couple sneezes every day) when she was a very young kitten. It went away when she got older though. I remember googling it and seeing a video of a cat doing it where it said that they do it to clear out their nose/lungs/throat. I theorized that my kitten was doing it due to the change in air because she would always do it when I carried her inside for a minute. (She is an outside cat).

Pebbles is six years old and she's an inside only cat.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi LeonielLunatic.

I'm inclined to suggest that she is trying to expel something...as in, she's ingested some 'foreign object' and she's struggling to vomit it out.

I wonder if, what you're calling "reverse sneezing" is that object getting 'caught up' somewhere on its way out.......

Same cause, different effect.

You say a followup for "surgery"........exactly what surgery is proposed?

Now, if this were the case, then depending on the nature of the object, a 'simple' radiograph/xray might reveal it - an endoscope could be another tool. An xray is certainly less expensive than any surgery - an endoscopy might just be as well...and, unquestionably, either/both are far less invasive than surgery. Have a read: Endoscopy to Remove Foreign Objects in Cats - PetPlace

Any Veterinary clinic should be capable of providing basic xray - scopes, perhaps, might necessitate a referral 'elsewhere'. Is there a College of Veterinary Medicine anywhere near you? If so, I'd be headed there (were I in your position).
.

 

[LeonieLunatic]

.
Hi LeonielLunatic.

I'm inclined to suggest that she is trying to expel something...as in, she's ingested some 'foreign object' and she's struggling to vomit it out.

I wonder if, what you're calling "reverse sneezing" is that object getting 'caught up' somewhere on its way out.......

Same cause, different effect.

You say a followup for "surgery"........exactly what surgery is proposed?

Now, if this were the case, then depending on the nature of the object, a 'simple' radiograph/xray might reveal it - an endoscope could be another tool. An xray is certainly less expensive than any surgery - an endoscopy might just be as well...and, unquestionably, either/both are far less invasive than surgery. Have a read: Endoscopy to Remove Foreign Objects in Cats - PetPlace

Any Veterinary clinic should be capable of providing basic xray - scopes, perhaps, might necessitate a referral 'elsewhere'. Is there a College of Veterinary Medicine anywhere near you? If so, I'd be headed there (were I in your position).
.

I doubt it's a foreign object. We adopted her nine months ago, and long before that, according to her old foster home, she's already had this issue since she came there at age three. It's possible that she's had this all her life, but it has gotten progressively worse over the past year or so.

The surgery I'm referring to is the dental procedure she had done two weeks ago. It was a thorough cleaning and a few extractions were done as well.

Additionally, her nose is perpetually congested and she's prone to upper respiratory infections, which doesn't line up with a foreign object in her lungs.

 

[Callas]

Has vet checked Pebbles' heart?..
Not sure if it might be a reason for a cat... But my senior dog used to make the same sounds (which you call "reverse sneezing"). He has a heart condition and it got much better with medicine. One of the symptoms was that he started to cough/sneeze after physical activity and before/after going to sleep.

I'm quite sure that the vet would have checked Pebbles' heart but just to be sure...

 

[LeonieLunatic]

Has vet checked Pebbles' heart?..
Not sure if it might be a reason for a cat... But my senior dog used to make the same sounds (which you call "reverse sneezing"). He has a heart condition and it got much better with medicine. One of the symptoms was that he started to cough/sneeze after physical activity and before/after going to sleep.

I'm quite sure that the vet would have checked Pebbles' heart but just to be sure...

I'll have her check the heart just in case. But Pebbles' attacks happen at complete random and are in no way connected to physical activity.

I've been trying to catch one of the reverse sneezing fits on camera for several months, and it was pretty hard because most of the time, by the time I got my phone and opened the camera, it was usually over. At one point tried to see if I could trigger one by playing with her to get her to move, but it never happened.

They happen when she's relaxing, just walking around, and sometimes when she's eating. I've noticed that they seem to happen less when she's distracted; for example when she's playing or when she's super nervous/scared, as for instance at the vet's.

 

[silkenpaw]

You say Pebbles has has URIs. How often? Has she been tested for allergies? There is a saying in medicine: “When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras.” Meaning: make sure that you work your patient up for the common causes of his symptoms before you start testing for the rare stuff. I commend you for thinking of zebras but the coughing makes me think of asthma and allergies and I would empirically treat her for those before I went to endoscopy for nasal polyps or mucosal biopsy to rule out immobile cilia.

I hope allergies is all it is. Please keep us updated on Pebbles’ progress.

 

[jen]

I second checking her heart and blood pressure too. I would also suggest trying treatment for asthma, with steroids, for a period before going into surgery and testing for the rare conditions.

 

[furmonster mom]

If she had severe dental disease, it could have affected her heart.
If left untreated, periodontal disease can cause a build up of histamine around the heart. If her teeth were that bad for so long, it's a possibility.

 

[LeonieLunatic]

Small Update: One of our other cats had a vet appointment to get updated on her vaccines. While we were there, I used the opportunity and showed our vet the videos of Pebbles.

First, she did confirm that I correctly identified the reverse sneezing as such.

However, she believes the coughing and reverse sneezing may be unrelated.

She suggested that the coughing, frequent upper respiratory infections and nasal congestion could be caused by allergy induced asthma.

As for the reverse sneezing, her best guess is polyps. Since she didn't see any when she checked Pebbles' ears and and the vet clinic that did her dental didn't report seeing any during the procedure, she thinks they're probably located in the back of her throat.

Otherwise, she did agree that there aren't many conditions that can cause reverse sneezing in cats on such a frequent level.

She took note of my concern for Ciliary Dyskenesia, and while she did agree that Pebbles fits many of the symptoms, she doesn't want to jump to conclusions due to how rare the condition is. But she promised she would look into how to test for it.

First an foremost, she wants to do an x ray of Pebbles' chest and throat to confirm her asthma diagnosis, and said if she has polyps, she might be able to see them on the x ray as well.

If the asthma diagnosis is confirmed, Pebbles will be put on a steroids. Polyps, if they turn up on the x ray, will require surgery. If they can't see them on the x ray, they'll likely do an endoscopy to look for them.

A test for CD is planned as soon as she figures out how to test for it, in case they can't find polyps and/or confirm the asthma diagnosis.

 

[misterwhiskers]

I’m glad your vet suggested polyps and or athsma. I’m super wondering about the polyps thing esp. Does your cat have feline herpes, by any chance?

 

[LeonieLunatic]

I’m glad your vet suggested polyps and or athsma. I’m super wondering about the polyps thing esp. Does your cat have feline herpes, by any chance?

We haven't tested her for it yet, but according to the vet, it's very likely.

 

[Daisy6]

Pebbles is a beautiful cat. I think you are doing everything right so far.

Would she only be put on steroids for asthma? That would not be my preference if Daisy had it.

 

[misterwhiskers]

We haven't tested her for it yet, but according to the vet, it's very likely.

I hope your vet considers famciclovir in the treatment. Pretty sure polyps can be caused by herpes and this stuff has been
A godsend for my cat.

 

[lenka]

Hi, what is the update on Pebbles? My cat started reverse sneezing, no discharge, nothing, vet said we can rule infection out.

 

[LeonieLunatic]

Hi, what is the update on Pebbles? My cat started reverse sneezing, no discharge, nothing, vet said we can rule infection out.

We are the brokest. A friend of mine has volunteered to pay for her lung xrays, the appointment is on Monday. I'll let you know.