Training your cat to tolerate the AeroKat...

The coughing cat

Nick enjoys some fresh air

Nick's carer wasn't sure if he had a hairball or was coughing until we saw him at the hospital. He crouched down with elbows out, hacked and hacked and then swallowed - he was definitely coughing.
To help you work out whether your cat is coughing have a look at this video. Some people mistake 'hairballs' or vomiting for coughing.
When we listened to Nick's chest he had a wheeze, which his owner had also noticed at night. His wheezing has been much worse this spring and summer.
We decided to Xray Nick and found that he had thickening of his bronchial walls, typical of chronic bronchitis or asthma.
Like humans, cats can have frightening episodes of not being able to breathe. They panic and can die if not treated with a bronchodilator like Ventolin immediately.
Nick is now on steroids and is training his owner to use an AeroKat inhaler.

Medications in food

This morning I received a very sad email from a cat whose carer is adding chicken flavoured medicine to his food:

Dear Dr Kate,

I'm writing to report  on the appalling conditions the slaves are forcing me to live in. For the past two and a half  weeks my life has gone from good to bad. I was running the place, had that rotten new dog playing right into my paws. 

Then the slave took me to see you. As the problems started shortly after my visit I thought it was best to make my complaints directly to you (my constant complaining to the slave has not resulted in any improvement in my conditions...) 

Initially I was forced to take some revolting medicine - it made me gag and froth and retch - but I do feel better now. My cough has completely gone.

Now they think they can hide "chicken" flavoured poison in my food. I’m not stupid enough to fall for their tricks! 

I went on a hunger strike and refused to eat, hoping my protest would guilt them into feeding me something normal - it didn't work. I have cried and whinged every minute of the day. 

Yesterday I gave in and ate the food with the poison in it - just to lubricate my throat, you understand. I just couldn’t go on with my tummy rumbling so much. 

Today I managed to climb up on the fridge where they keep the dog treats (why didn’t I figure this out years ago??). I've threatened to stay here on the fridge and/or throw myself off if conditions don’t improve ie if THEY DON’T FEED ME DECENT UNADULTERATED REAL FOOD!

They are ignoring me. Dr Kate, please help me! Talk to them for me. Please....

Regards Gus

Gus enclosed this photo of his poor suffering self:

Poor Gus! He will feel so much better if he relents and eats his 'adulterated' food. Already the antibiotics for his chest infection have reinvigorated him! The asthma medicine that his carer is putting in his food will make him feel better every day.