In fact, the difficulty in breathing and persistent cough can be some reasons why you need a cat asthma inhaler. Does your meowing furry friend have such symptoms? It may be a feline asthma. Asthma is an allergic reaction to irritants or allergens that come through its respiratory system. Inhalers are the most used cure for both humans and animals, including cats for asthma. Below is some information about cat inhalers that you need to know.
Asthma Symptoms in Cat
Asthma affects 1-5% population of cats in the world. Well, although the prevalence is not that significant, it does not mean your cat is safe from this lower lung airways disease. For your information, below are frequent symptoms known in cats with asthma:
- Difficulty breathing which accounts to a rapid breathing, or longer inspiration.
- Wheezing sound
- Mouth breathing
- Cough and hack frequently
- Vomiting, usually following the coughs
Managing the asthma
There are ways to manage and cure asthma in felines. One of them is by using a cat inhaler. The use of inhalers is called as a symptomatic cure. In common, drugs used for the management of asthma are anti-inflammatory drugs and bronchodilator therapy.
Inhalers
Cat asthma inhaler is used to administer the asthma-curing drugs, including steroids as anti-inflammatory agents, or any bronchodilators. Inhalers for cats usually resemble those used for babies and young children – the tool is known as ‘spacer’. It’s a two-end device with each end holds a different function. On an end, a face mask can be attached. The other end of the spacer, the MDI (metered-dose inhaler) is attached, and this where the drug is placed.
How to use:
- At first, that is important to make your cat gets used to the device, especially the mask. So, try to playfully attach the mask on its face and let sit for 10-20 seconds. That is the common duration to use it.
- Make sure to have consulted with a vet regarding the dose of your cat drugs. The cat asthma inhaler medication should be one of the aforementioned drugs: bronchodilators or anti-inflammatory agents.
- Once the attack hits, shake the MDI; prepare the spacer and attach the MDI to the spacer. Set a dose by pressing down the MDI.
- Connect the mask. Hold the cat tight. Put it on its face covering both nose and mouth. Let the cat breathe for 10-15 times which usually takes up to 20 seconds.
- For two-drug patient, always do one drug for one moment and never have two drugs combined as it can be less effective.
That is the information about asthma in cats as well as information regarding cats’ inhalers. Well, it needs to be underlined that curing asthma through managing the cats’ diet and weight management can also help to make the symptoms less worsen or less frequent to show up. In addition, preparing a cat asthma inhaler is a good step to quickly alleviate the ill cat’s symptoms.
