Frequently (and not so frequently) Asked Questions
BRIEF: What is wrong with my cat?
QUESTION:
I have a cat who has extreme breathing problems. She has had this condition since
she was born. My boss did an exploratory surgery on
her and found nothing. She thought maybe she had a polyp in her nasal
cavity. These are her symptoms: whenever she purrs, she starts out
normal but then gets a really high pitched wheezy sound, then starts
coughing violently. I'm not even sure that it's a cough, because it
sounds like a very loud sneeze. When this happens, she has to lie down
on her side and she goes on like this for about ten or fifteen minutes.
Sometimes her gums get bluish like she isn't recieving enough oxygen,
but she has never passed out. These sneeze/cough things rack her whole
body, and she squints her eyes through the whole process like she's in
pain. We have tried different medications, the most recent being
Antirobe, but nothing helps. The only thing that brings this on is
purring.
ANSWER:
I am not a vet. I do research, teaching and extension work in the fields of
nutrition and toxicology. Sometimes I can help clinicians with nutrition or
toxicology questions (especially with ruminants), but I am not qualified to do cat
medicine over the internet.
I have seen humans with similar symptoms diagnosed with asthma
and given a blast with one of those inhalers. Good luck doing that on a cat!