Anyone able to get a cat with asthma to use an inhaler? (dogs, medication)
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I inherited a 13-year-old cat from my very ill sister-in-law (actually, 2 13-year-old cats). The cat in question has asthma (no upper respiratory symptoms like a runny nose at all, but loud, noisy wheezing). My SIL could only tell me that the cat routinely got "allergy shots" (I'm assuming prednisolone or dexamethasone). My vet prescribed fluticasone and albuterol inhalers, to be dispensed through an AeroKat spacer device. I cannot get this cat to as much as put her face in the mask, no less keep the mask on long enough to inhale the medication. I've tried petting her the way she likes, giving her treats, dispensing her treats from the mask end (shaking them out) so she associates the AeroKat with good things, leaving the AeroKat out for her to get used to it, but no dice. She simply will not go near the device. If anyone had a "difficult" cat like this and successfully got them to use the AeroKat spacer device, I would love to hear what you did!
One of our cats has asthma, & I would never be able to get her to use an inhaler. We go to the vets every few months & she gets a shot & we get some drops to give her. The drops are hard enough, but manageable. I would tell your vet that the inhalers are not working, & can she get the shots instead.
One of our cats has asthma, & I would never be able to get her to use an inhaler. We go to the vets every few months & she gets a shot & we get some drops to give her. The drops are hard enough, but manageable. I would tell your vet that the inhalers are not working, & can she get the shots instead.
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i was going to suggest something like this. When I volunteered at the Humane Society I frequently did breathing treatments. For most dogs we needed to use masks but for cats and small dogs we used nebulizers - much easier. You can buy one or fashion one out of a bin as it sounds like Tranquil's links show. For larger dogs that nobody could get to use the mask we would put them in a crate and cover it with plastic with an aperture just for the nebulizing pipe.
We had a cat with asthma and managed it with oral medication--bronchodiolators (sp). They were a human medication and inexpensive (check prices but IME Costco is the cheapest, and you don't need a membership to use their pharmacy).
I'm sorry your SIL is ill, and it's very kind of you to take in these kitties.
I was able to get my cat to do the inhalers with the AeroKat, but he is a very chill cat. So far I've only found one thing he won't tolerate, unfortunately that's my attempts to brush his teeth.
I would crouch over him, imagine the cat in a "cat loaf" crouch, and me holding him by basically being in a low kneel behind him and my elbows on the floor on either side of him, so he can't back away, and he would let me hold the spacer mask onto his face. He obviously thought the whole thing was pretty weird, but he tolerated it.
Problem was...the inhalers didn't help. His attacks occurred just as often with no discernable difference with or without them, and they were expensive. If they actually made a difference, I would not have minded the cost, but it's a lot to pay for something that didn't work. What did work, was staying on top of my dusting and cleaning, changing HVAC filters in the house every few months, and running humidifiers in the house. Also, his attacks were worse when we lived in Colorado, compared to Arizona (it is more dry and arid and high elevation in CO where we were.) He still has attacks occasionally but nowhere near as often.
Do you mean aerosol mask or actual inhaler? No, you can't get a cat to close his lips tightly around a mouthpiece and inhale, as one does a rescue inhaler, but you can hold the mask near the cat's face while he sleeps or enjoys being petted in your lap and get enough of the good stuff in him THAT way.
This is assuming you've received the medication, equipment, and instructions from your vet.
I have one with asthma, she wheezes. She almost never has an attack anymore. We just had a yearly check with a new vet, she asked about trying an inhaler for her. I said at her age (11), I’m not gonna torture her with one. She’s pretty much under control other than wheezing.
I know her quality of life is not perfect but it’s good. And I’m not going to change that.
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