|
Post by spindrift1 on Jul 15, 2013 8:03:34 GMT
A year ago I adopted a beautiful tomcat from a rescue home in London. I was warned that he suffers from asthma but as I am also an asthmatic I thought I could understand his health problems and perhaps restore him to an equilibrium of health. I live at a distance from Kensal Green, London which means that I cannot easily take him to consult the vets at the rescue home. One of the reasons I decided to adopt a sickly cat was because no-one else wanted him and he would have been condemned to living his life in an indoors cage.
His asthma has been more or less contained over the year until this summer. The pollen count is very high in my area and my little cat is suffering. The vet had given me an orange steroid inhaler spray for him together with a breathing-tube 'spacer' and I had instructions to administer this spray once a day. It took a while for him and me to become accustomed to administering and receiving the spray. But still it was not sufficient to stop his asthma attacks and so I had the bright idea to ask the vet to prescribe a cat Ventolin (blue) spray as well. She did this for me. On inspection, I found that the cat inhaler is the same as my inhaler!
But still my cat has asthma and I'm waiting for the pollen season to end. Of course I do not give him milk to drink because, being a nutritionist, I know that cows' milk induces mucous production in the body....pity because he used to love drinking milk and now has to make do with water.
Yesterday I met a homeopath who suggested that I obtain some Arsenicum 30 (from memory) and place one tablet in his drinking bowl without crushing it, leave it there for 24 hours and then remove it....and wait for a result.
Has anyone any suggestions as to how I can help my wonderful cat? His name is 'Sawyer'.
I have taken him to see my usual vet in my home town. I have used them for 30 years since my farming days. I had always considered them to be reasonable vets. However Sawyer got very stressed being transported to the surgery, had a severe asthma attack and could hardly draw breath at all. They put him into an oxygen tent immediately and told me this would be cost me £246 for 2 hours, suggested that they keep him over night (£70) for observation, x-ray him the next morning (£60) and another 'consultation' (£40) - so as the amount neared £400 I gathered up my little cat and left the premises. When I enquired as to how much a new spray would cost, they told me in the region of £76. At this point I decided to nurse my cat at home and care for him the way I care for myself when I have asthma. I always have the vets at Kensal Green at the end of a phone.
Vets increasingly have a bad reputation in England now due their money-grabbing propensities.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Jul 15, 2013 8:52:33 GMT
I am so sorry to hear your kitty is poorly with asthma. My husband is a sufferer and has medication everyday. I heard about the pollen count in the UK being bad this year. While Sawyer is indoors could you not install one of those air filters that use water to trap particle in the air? I don't think they are expensive. Sometimes you can hire them like you do with a nebuliser. What about cortisone? Hope he improves soon. Milk: Have you thought about rice milk. It has a lovely taste, or what about a baby formula that doesn't contain dairy?
|
|
|
Post by spindrift1 on Jul 15, 2013 16:25:58 GMT
Thanks Tod2.... I have not thought of having an air filter. Would this mean that I would have to keep him confined to one room?
Luckily my doctor gave me some cortisone tablets for when I go trekking...and when Sawyer becomes very ill I break these 5mg tabs in half and give him one. A day or so later he starts to improve. I did ask the vet about giving him cortisone but she didn't want him to take it. I'm pretty sure it does not matter if the course is short-lived i.e. about 5 days. I have tried my goats' milk on Sawyer but he won't touch it. I shall try rice milk and thanks for the suggestion.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Jul 15, 2013 16:41:04 GMT
Mommies try everything as I can see with you Spindrift1! I think during the night you can confine him to your bedroom - my cat sleeps wherever the underfloor heating is pulsating the best! At the moment he has chosen my dressingroom - why I don't know but I have found that cats don't stick to one specific place for very long. The thing about Cortisone: It works wonders in a crisis the first time. It works less the second and third time. I have not asked why but a few investigations on the internet should provide an answer.
I don't blame him for rejecting goats milk. The only time in my life I have ever tasted it was on the island of Skiathos. I put it in my morning coffee, which was spat out at a high velocity into the flower bed!! God, I thought I had eaten a smelly old goat! Please tell me it has improved......OK, I admit it was straight from the goat that morning! Ha ha!
Get better kitty cat!
|
|
|
Post by spindrift1 on Jul 15, 2013 18:23:46 GMT
Oh Tod, you are so funny! Well, yes, goats' milk used to taste vile, however these days the major supermarkets sell a sanitized version because to me it seems to have no smell at all. However pussy cat still gives it a wide berth! Even my best friend does so perhaps I've lost my sense of smell!
Sawyer sleeps on my bed most nights and you are right in that he shifts his sleeping place from time to time. Very soon there will be a right commotion as my daughter will bring her two cats to stay in my house and I'll have three Tomkats all together. I cannot guess the outcome.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Jul 16, 2013 7:04:08 GMT
My cat Sebastian, can detect 'old' milk like a radar! Just shows how sensitive their pussycat noses are. I have to open a brand new bottle even if there is still half a 2litre still in the fridge!
Oh dear. I'm not so sure about getting all those cats together as they are very territorial animals..... something tells me if they start reacting badly you might have to rub that Vogel stuff all over their fur. When they lick themselves it calms them down as it does to humans. I cant remember the name for the moment. Anyway Spindrift1, best of luck honey!
|
|
|
Post by spindrift1 on Jul 16, 2013 10:20:21 GMT
oh! so you are as bad as I am...throwing away their 'old' food and opening new cartons of milk! Which Vogel product do you mean? (If you remember). Is it Echinacea? I'll have to get some for sure. My Swiss friend lives very close to the Vogel clinik...they have an 'open' day every year in summer. I'll ask her to drive up and ask about products for calming cats! I have to take the two extra cats because my daughter will be moving house and needs must! I am prepared to be kept awake most of every night. Her cats have never been outdoors (they are also rescue cats) and I suspect this is why she's moving house, to give the cats a garden
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jul 16, 2013 22:28:25 GMT
My cat would go ballistic if I brought another cat into the house. Good luck, Spindrift.
We once used cologne to help make the peace between our dog and a stray cat we found and brought home. We put a little on each of the pets at the same time (top of their heads where they wouldn't get a mouthful if they licked) and they gradually got used to each other. However, that particular cat was a real sweety and not aggressive in any way. It was more to help ease the dog's anxiety.
I have never heard of the "Vogel stuff." Sounds interesting.
|
|
|
Post by spindrift1 on Jul 18, 2013 11:59:44 GMT
Cologne....that might be worth a try. The three cats have met before but mine was kept shut in a room until my daughter appeared after work.
Sawyer has had two days of severe asthma - so bad I thought he might die. I have put him on a small dose of steroids, half per day. I am at my wits' end.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 19, 2013 2:52:02 GMT
I really wish I could help you, as I love cats, and have respiratory problems myself (tendency to bronchitis, probably because my Dad killed himself smoking and back then, nobody thought one shouldn't smoke around children and pets).
My cat loves my goat yoghurt - I rarely use any mammalian milk, but cheese and yoghurt yes, usually goat or ewe.
I do hope you can solve that, so your furry friend can thrive...
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Jul 19, 2013 3:06:43 GMT
On second thought, if Sawyer is so terribly asthmatic the addition of cologne might not be good for him at all. It's too bad you need to take in your daughter's cats for a bit. It doesn't seem like your kitty is in need of any additional stress.
|
|
|
Post by spindrift1 on Jul 20, 2013 11:09:00 GMT
Thank you for your advice and observations my friends. I adopted Sawyer one year ago. He has never been so poorly so this must be due to the high pollen count. Over the past two days his health seems to have stabilized. I administer his inhaler morning and evening, and in-between if he is gasping. It's dreadful to see this. His coat does not look so good at the moment which must be due to his respiratory problems. I am keeping him indoors most of the time as per the advice of the vet at his Rescue home but, she said, that now he has a routine of going out I should not deprive him of this pleasure. So once or twice a day is enough. He slept last night on my bed and he did not have his usual fit of coughing. This is a good sign. I shall try offering him rice milk and goat's yogourt. Please, one more thing, can anyone suggest how to help him to remove the thick mucous clogging up his airways? I've been looking at homeopathic remedies and the one recommended is Arsenicum...but it is not available in tablet form, only ampoules. I am not sure what to do. There is no way I could refuse to take my daughter's two cats. When they arrive they will be kept inside for the duration of their visit since they have never been out of doors. Sawyer will have to stay in as well. I am quite stressed about all this...
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Jul 20, 2013 13:35:14 GMT
Bear up Spindrift. You will get through it and come out the other side a better person.
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Jul 20, 2013 16:59:48 GMT
Spindrift...Are you sure your kitty does not have cat 'flu? I ask this because a stray once hung around for a few days and I watched this poor creatrure not only gasping for breath but it was so bad it could hardly walk a few paces before stopping. Eventually we manage to snaeak up on it one morning and wrap a towel around so that we wouldn't get scratched. The vet took one look and said " Nothing to do but put him to sleep". I watched from the waiting room as the injection was administered....all the while the vet gently stroked his head.
I felt bad. I thought of something once said to me long ago when my first cat was suffering with a huge bite on his leg which turned septic. "You have given him a good life - Now give him a good death"
Please don't let Sawyer suffer, which he undoubtedly is even with your best intentions, love and caring.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2013 18:41:22 GMT
I would tend to agree with tod2. If Sawyer is suffering too much all the time, too much treatment could be even worse torture.
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Jul 20, 2013 18:45:40 GMT
I would agree about that. There were several occasions when I wished my wife was a pet and I could call the vet in, instead of the doctor. It would have been kinder in the long run.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Jul 22, 2013 4:27:09 GMT
Mossie, I wished the same with my mum. But for the time being, we should try to see if there is any way spindrift's cat can live and thrive. He seems to be rallying a bit.
|
|
|
Post by Ron on Jun 29, 2018 10:37:33 GMT
Hi, my cat is having similar problems and I wonder if you did find a solution that helped? Ron
|
|
|
Post by lea on Jun 29, 2018 10:45:56 GMT
I am so sorry to hear your kitty is poorly with asthma. My husband is a sufferer and has medication everyday. I heard about the pollen count in the UK being bad this year. While Sawyer is indoors could you not install one of those air filters that use water to trap particle in the air? I don't think they are expensive. Sometimes you can hire them like you do with a nebuliser. What about cortisone? Hope he improves soon. Milk: Have you thought about rice milk. It has a lovely taste, or what about a baby formula that doesn't contain dairy? Hi, this is some great advice! We did give baby formula to our cat and it helped a lot. There are different formulas like goat milk formula or the one we did choose was the hypoallergenic formula from myorganicformula.com/collections/hipp-organic-formula. We did try a lot to help our cat and we were so happy when we finally found this solution! How is your kitty doing? Lea
|
|