Cat Shortness of Breath | How to Treat Breathing in Cats 2020

Cat Shortness of Breath

Cats pant in hot weather to regulate their body temperature. They also pant when they are frightened or nervous. These are normal body reactions and are not shortness of breath. If your cat is truly having trouble breathing minor breathing out and is gasping for breath, there is probably a serious obstruction in the chest or breathing tubes.

Cat Shortness of Breath Home Remedies

During an emergency, give artificial respiration and see your veterinarian immediately.

Cat Shortness of Breath Treatment

Your veterinarian will perform a careful examination of all systems. Your pet may need oxygen at this time. If there has been evidence of trauma (such as an auto accident), X-ray swill is taken when your cat is stabilized. An outdoor pet that has no fever and sudden breathing problems may have a chest injury from being in a fight or being hit by a car.

An old cat with a history of coughing and heart disease develops sudden shortness of breath may have a failing heart. Acrimony (a sudden degeneration of the heart muscle of a cat at any age) can also cause the heart to fail. Oxygen and drugs are necessary to strengthen the heart. Blood tests, electro-cardiograms, echocardiograms, hoarseness, and X-rays are indicated.

There are other common diseases that your doctor will consider if your cat has short-ness of breath: clamps in nursing cats, anemia, internal hemorrhage from bleed-in disorders or trauma, fever from infection or heatstroke, tumors, or feline infectious peritonitis. Hospitalization is almost always necessary for a pet that has shortness of breath.

Cat Shortness of Breath Diagnosis

There are several diagnostic tests to find out the reason behind the shortness of breath of your pet so often.

• On taking your pet for cat shortness of breath the vet doctor would generally go through the medical history and conduct a detailed physical history of the animal. Special attention would be given to diagnosing the cause of the shortness of breathy through auscultation or examining the heart and lungs with a stethoscope.
• The radiographic X-ray of the chest is also done.
• The blood pressure level of the pet is also measured.
• Echocardiogram or the ultrasound examination of the heart is also carried out.
• Testing of blood in the laboratories is also carried out to detect the cause of the cat shortness of breath.

Cat short of Breath Treatment

The following are the treatments conducted after finding the cause behind the shortness of breath.

• In severe cases of shortness of breath, the pet cat is hospitalized and is treated by supplying oxygen.
• The pet is attended to minimize the level of stress.
• Sometimes the shortness of breath may occur due to the accumulation of liquid around the lungs or the pleural effusion. To cure the disorder the fluid is trained out with the help of a needle. This process is known as Thoracentesis.
• To treat the shortness of breath the pet cat can also be given Diuretics or ‘water pill’ like furosemide or (Lasix®), spironolactone and such.

As a home remedy, never stop providing water to your pet even if you find your pet to be urinating more than the normal range.