My kitten sounds stuffy8/6/2023 Seeing the problem in action is worth a thousand words.ģ. Keep Track: Count the number of breaths your cat takes within a minute’s time. This will help your veterinarian to localize the problem.Ģ. Record Your Cat: If you have the ability to record what you are seeing, do so, and take the video with you to the veterinarian. If you have the luxury of time, you can help your veterinarian determine what’s causing your cat’s breathing trouble.ġ. Observe Your Cat: Try to determine whether the noise you are hearing happens when the cat is breathing in (inspiratory), breathing out (expiratory) or both. Ways To Help Your Veterinarian Diagnose Your Cat Any cat who is suddenly making a new respiratory noise, is awake and appears in any way distressed (sides are pushing, respiratory rate is increased, or mouth is open) should be seen by a veterinarian immediately. Cats generally do not pant like dogs and we worry about any pet that is open-mouthed breathing. Take your cat to the nearest veterinary hospital whether it is 2 a.m. Do not even stop to take a respiratory rate. Any cat who is breathing with her mouth open is an emergency case. If your cat is breathing faster than that (especially at rest), do not hesitate to take her to the veterinarian.Ģ. A healthy cat normally takes between 20 and 30 breaths per minute. Any cat who has an increased respiratory rate. Signs that your cat needs to be seen immediately include:ġ. I always take respiratory disease seriously in cats, and always recommend an examination to look for the underlying causes. Confused by all of the choices yet? Don’t worry, that is why you have a veterinarian! However, even if the details are difficult to understand, there are some very basic points to grasp about respiratory disease in cats. Two very common causes of this are pneumonia and heart failure. This indicates a lower airway problem, and veterinarians generally race into action looking for the cause. This can occur with inspiration, expiration or both - but it generally occurs when the animal is really laboring to breathe. In cats, it has a variety of causes including foreign bodies in the airway and bacterial infections.ģ. Dyspnea: Another airway symptom is something we call dyspnea, or difficulty breathing. Stridor is a high-pitched and noisy sound that can occur during either exhalation or inhalation, and is usually caused by a respiratory obstruction. In cats, it is usually noticed in a younger cat with polyps, but sometimes is seen in obese older cats as well. This sound is usually normal, but could indicate an obstruction of the larynx or upper airways. Stertor is a heavy snoring sound occurring primarily during inspiration and is most commonly noticed during deep sleep. But often in such cases the cats have other signs of illness, such as sneezing, ocular or nasal discharge, or coughing.Ģ. Stertor And Stridor: Less common are noises that we call stertor and stridor - both of which occasionally happen in cats. Many cats, particularly if they go outside, are exposed to a large number of other cats or are not vaccinated, can develop respiratory infections that result in congestion and respiratory noise. However, this sound can occur with inspiration (inhaling), expiration (exhaling) or both. Many other noises can be confused with wheezing.ġ.Whistling: A high-pitched whistle is a very common sound from cats sufferings from congestion. In most instances, a wheeze indicates a lower airway problem (such as the bronchi and lungs), as opposed to an upper airway problem (such as the nose and pharynx). The sound you hear is the air being forced out of the lower airways and through these narrow tubes. The cause of the wheeze is a narrowing of the airways, which traps air into the lungs. Wheezing is a high-pitched airway sound that is usually produced while the patient is exhaling. Many owners use the phrase “wheezing” to describe any noise that appears to come from the airway however, the word has a very specific medical meaning associated with it. However, a little detective work by you will absolutely be helpful to your veterinarian in working through the process. Across the board, I recommend an examination to determine the underlying problem. Much like with people, ANY trouble breathing is something we consider significant. Respiratory problems are very common in cats, and particularly in old cats. Lamarre had called earlier that day, frantically stating that Patches had started having trouble breathing all of a sudden, and letting us know that she was on her way down with her. She was clearly distressed, but it was difficult to tell who was more upset - owner or patient. Taking a look at her, I could see her entire belly heaving with each and every breath, mouth held open wide, with a loud, rhythmic wheezing noise. We could even hear her breathing from outside the exam room. Patches lay on her side on my exam room table, clearly struggling to breathe.
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