Answer

Thank you for chosing Just Answer for your question. Asthma in cats is interesting as well as frustrating, because it can be a difficult condition to diagnose definitively. There was an articlr written by a reseacher a couple of years ago that advocated the use of cyproheptadine (Periactin Rx) for asthma. The researcher was using 2mg per cat given twice a day. Although this is the only article published on this drug, it is probably pretty safe since Periactin is used frequently as an appetite stimulant in cats.

I also found some information that stated many cases of suspected asthma may acutally be heartworm disease. Cats apparently react very strongly to the early stages of heartworm disease and can arrest or suppress the growth of the heartworms but develop severe respiratory disease in the effort, in some cases. This might be worth checking into. Again, there are no other references to this that I have found supporting this theory.

Some vets have had a cases where asthma was suspected but when checking a stool sample, they found lungworm eggs (although they are not always present when this disease is affecting a cat). In this stuation, cats usually respond well to the administration of ivermectin. However, have been some reports of ivermectin reactions in cats being treated for ear mites, including some deaths, so it is important to be reasonably sure that lungworms are a potential problem before using this treatment. I am not sure if there are other treatments that would be affective against lungworm.

Unfortunately, the best documented treatment for asthma is corticosteroids like prednisone, so far.

It was reported that Veterinary Medicine magazine had a review article on feline asthma in September of 1990 that had some good information on diagnosis of this condition. If your vet subscribes to this journal, and saves it, he or she might still have this issue. (I found this information by searching the net, but am unable to locate a copy of the issue or article myself).

Recently, the use of antibiotics like azithromycin (Zithromax, Rx), which seem to work well against chronic upper respiratory bacterial infections, have been helpful in many instances in clearing up chronic sneezing/coughing kitties. It is definitely not the answer for all cats but it would be worth considering if the response to prednisone isn't sufficient or if the pred is something you want to avoid.

Since the long term use of steroids in cats is not suggested, I found some alternative treatments that have reportedly worked well for other cats. One of them is a Becotide 50 inhaler (50 ug beclomethasone per "puff"). Each puff is delivered into a 500 ml plastic bottle held over the cat's muzzle (muzzle sized hole at one end, and smaller inhaler nozzle hole at the other end). The bottle is held over the muzzle for about 90 seconds. Needless to say, this treatment would only work on a cat that is very easy to handle and is not distressed by the process.

When the asthma is bad, you would administer 1 puff morning and night. This treatment was reported as extremely effective, being almost as effective as an oral
prednisone but without the systemic risks.

For treatment of the occasional acute attack, you might ask your vet about the possibility of Boehringer Ingelheim Ventipulmin Syrup (clenbuterol hydrochloride 25 ug/ml), 0.2 - 0.4 ml BID max dosage. This also has been reported as helping acute attacks, but is only used perhaps once or twice a week.

Possibly the above would be a good alternative when your cat is having severe attacks. In any event, the information may be something your vet could consider and it may even prove helpful with possibily looking at some other issues that could be contributing to your cat's attacks.

Please let me know if I can assist further.