Hi all,
I have a 15 year old blue point birman with kidney disease. She has developed what sounds like a chesty cough or infection and a sore throat. I took her to the vet and he gave her a small dose of cortizone, (she only weighs 2 kilos) which helped ease the inflammation in her throat.
This morning I called him because I'm worried about the congestion in her lungs/chest and he told me to get her to breathe in eucalyptus oil vapor for 15 minutes morning and night.
He is an excellent vet and has always looked after Diddy well but I was wondering if anyone had any experience with this kind of problem or any advice on how I can help her. Other than the congestion she is much better than she was 2 days ago and is eating, drinking and purring as normal.
Many thanks in advance :)
Thank you Regina and Julie. As a precaution I wormed her yesterday because the vet suggested that her syptoms could be related (even though she is regularly wormed and rarely goes outside). I also bought a dehumidifcator for the bedromm which appears to have done us both a lot of good! I slept like a sloth for the first time in ages.
I am happy to report that today she is practically back to normal, eating well (for her) and putting Hannah (the kitten) in her place. I am taking her back to the vets on Monday if necessary for a check up.
Thanks again to all three of you - much appreciated.
Namaste :)
Hello Damaris,
sorry to hear about your cat’s breathing problems!
What kinds of tests has your vet done in addition to her kidneys? I think he should check her out again and maybe take an x-ray to eliminate any other underlaying conditions. It could be her heart, lungs etc.
All the best,
Regina
The website is great. Thank you x
You're welcome Damaris.
I don't think you are 'clutching at straws'. If her kidney numbers are better, she could live a long time with kidney disease. Her food is important (high quality protein), and keeping hydrated. I was giving my cats subcutaneous fluids for the last few months of their lives. It helped them feel better, so was worth it. Check out that website - it's very helpful and has a ton of info.
If your home is too humid, you can use a dehumidifier (and be sure to deal with any mold if there is any) - at least in the room where your cat mostly hangs out.
Good luck and take care!
amy
Thanks for your quick rely and advice Amy.
My vet recommended that I use Respicat which is apparently blended for cats. I have never heard of it and I haven't mentioned to get a hold of my sister who works in a vets to ask her. I will take a look at the site and see what is on there as well. In any case I am going to pick it up this afternoon and see if that helps.
We've just moved and the flat is a little bit humid. I was wondering whether that was part of the problem. Other than that she is actually doing better now (apart from the breathing) than she has done since she was diagnosed. She also had a double stroke which was how we diagnosed the kidney disease and has had a habit of swallowing quite a bit since that happened. It was the only side effect that appeared to remain from the stroke.
I am a Reiki practitioner so I regularly treat her and she is also on Vasotop everyday for her kidneys. Her
creatine and urea levels have reduced quite significantly since her first control and she has put weight back on too. I'm probably clutching at straws but I hate to think that this is the end for her. She has improved so much since we came back to the South West. It is almost like she got a second wind.
Dear Damaris,
I am sorry to hear about your sick kitty. I have personally nursed my two cats through kidney disease, and sat with them while they passed away. I found this website very helpful: http://www.felinecrf.org/
Although my cats didn't get respiratory infections, one of them did seem to have a bit of trouble breathing for a while near the end, and my vet prescribed a mixture for inhalation that did have some essential oils. I think it helped a bit, but I am not sure. I am an aromatherapist and know that normally it's not advised to use essential oils with cats. They do not have the same detox system to deal with some of the components of essential oils and it will tax their detoxification organs (liver, kidneys). So if I were you, I would mention that to the vet and see if there is an alternate treatment. Since you cat may be near the end of her life (I have lots of resources for dealing with that too; don't hesitate to send me a message if you want me to forward some links, etc. to you), you might decide that easing her breathing is most important for her immediate quality of life. Hopefully you will only have to use the oil temporarily.
Good luck and take care!