Tabitha, Brenda's
7-year-old tabby cat, has a cough.
Actually, Brenda is not sure whether
Tabitha is coughing or gagging. Initially, Brenda was
pretty sure Tabitha was trying to vomit up a hairball.
The veterinarian prescribed
medication, which seemed to eliminate the problem. But
after about two weeks, the symptoms returned. Brenda
thinks Tabitha may be coughing more than gagging, and
the frequency and duration of these episodes has
increased. Tabitha's appetite and overall attitude seem
to be unchanged, although Brenda thinks she seems more
reclusive lately.
Sometimes it can be hard to
distinguish coughing vs. gagging vs. retching. In fact,
they may all be occurring concurrently depending on what
might be the underlying cause.
Based on experience with other
patients and the time of the year, I believe Tabitha is
coughing.
The coughing indicates, as coughs
usually do, that there is an insult to Tabitha's
respiratory tract. There can be many causes, but for the
sake of discussion, let's go with feline asthma.
This is a bronchial disease that
results from the cat's immune system reacting to
something that has been inhaled into the breathing
tubes, or bronchioles. This reaction is inflammatory in
nature and can cause narrowing of the bronchial tubes.
This can lead to coughing and, with progression, quite
serious constriction of the tubes to the point where
some of these patients cannot breathe effectively. Let
untreated, these severe cases can lead to respiratory
arrest and death.
Tabitha is not to that point, but the
disease can be progressive. In fact, it is very similar
to asthma in humans.
It is thought that feline asthma has
an allergic component, something in the air that the
cat's immune system is ultrasensitive in responding
against. When exposed, the asthma signs ensue, coughing
being a hallmark symptom.
Diagnosis of asthma involves
radiographs of the lungs, which will demonstrate
prominence of the bronchial tubes. There can be
infectious causes of bronchitis that can also cause a
similar pattern on the chest films and, in fact, there
can be secondary infections involved in cases of primary
feline asthma. To diagnose definitively the cause of the
bronchitis, we collect small wash samples from the
bronchial tubes and examine them microscopically.
Treatment for feline asthma involves
muting the hyperactive immune response using
corticosteroids such as prednisone. In the cases that
involve secondary bacterial infections, we also treat
with appropriate antibiotics. The prognosis with
treatment is good; however; we do not cure this
condition. As in humans, it is treated as episodes
occur.
Recall that I mentioned that the
season of the year is right for asthma. Those of you who
suffer from this disease will relate that this time of
year, asthma episodes are much more frequent. The same
holds true for cats, owing, I suspect, to the increased
amount of allergens in the air.
———
(Jeff Kahler is a veterinarian in
Modesto, Calif. Questions can be submitted to Your Pet
in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256,
Modesto CA 95352.)