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Pet Forum / Miscellaneous / Animal Health / February 2007cat breaths too rapidly
I have a calico who is 8 years old. She has always breathed more rapidly then other cats, and has always gotten more winded faster than my other cats. Now that she is getting older, I"m getting more concerned. If another cat chases her, or she runs around a bit playing, or even if she goes poop in the litter box, she then breaths very rapid to the point that I'm afraid she is going to have a heart attack. I'm planning on taking her to the vet for a check-up and mentioning this to the vet. Can cats have problems like adults such as hypertention? irregular heartbeats? or other heart problems that people have? Do they have meds to help cats with these problems like they do for people? Maybe it is an enlarged heart, maybe it is even her lungs. I'm so scared to bring her in for a teeth cleaning because I'm afraid if she has a heart abnormality, anethesia may kill her. I recently had a dog die from anethesia so I'm so scared of it. What sort of tests would a vet do to determine if she has a heart related problem? > I have a calico who is 8 years old. She has always breathed more rapidly > then other cats, and has always gotten more winded faster than my other [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > problem? > I'd be curious if your regular veterinarian found anything wrong during your kitty's last annual physical exam. There are many, many things which may cause her to breathe more rapidly, some of which are very chronic, such as chronic lung disease or heart disease, and some can be more acute, such as fluid in the chest (pleural effusion, chylothorax). If you're as concerned as you seem about your cat's breathing pattern, I'd agree that you need to take her to your veterinarian but I'd suggest not just "mentioning" the problem, but discussing it at length. Besides a thorough physical exam, I'd suspect your veterinarian will suggest a chest radiograph (X-ray) to look for obvious causes of tachypnea (rapid breathing). An echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) or chest cavity ultrasound may be needed, too. Some cats are just overweight and have poor exercise tolerance because of this problem, others may have a serious problem, such as a pleural effusion, that may be controllable or potentially curable. I understand your concern about having her teeth cleaned, but I'd say the full physical exam and tests associated with the breathing problem are the first priority. If that's all clear, and if she needs her teeth cleaned, by all means have the procedure done. I'm sorry you lost a dog under anesthesia, but thankfully, that's a pretty rare event these days. Good luck. Sandy, DVM Sandy, I just wanted to mention a few things. Angie (my cat) isn't overweight. I would say she is just right at her current 8 pounds. She isn't a big eater and doesn't really like cat food. She licks the gravy of canned food in the AM, then during the day when I'm at work she eats dry food, then in the evening she gets lunchmeat like lean turkey, and eats more dry food throughout the evening and night. Also, she does not go for "annual exams". None of my cats go unless a problem warrants it and I've always had cats, and most live to be 18, 19 and even one 22-1/2. They are all indoor cats. Question, the x-ray, ultrasound that you suggested may be warranted to detect any problem, will she need to be give anethesia for those? If so, I probably won't agree to it. If they can do it with a mild sedative with her being awake, I may then I may consent to tests. I also had a cat died of anesthesia some years ago. Angie was fixed so she had it once, but that was prior to this breathing problem. > Sandy, I just wanted to mention a few things. Angie (my cat) isn't > overweight. I would say she is just right at her current 8 pounds. She [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > prior to this breathing problem. > Great to hear Angie isn't overweight. The rads and ultrasound very rarely require sedation, although depending on the severity of her breathing problem, there are cases where even attempting the diagnostics can be life-threatening. I think your veterinarian will be able to assess this during his or her physical exam. I have personal experience with this because I had a cat with chylothorax that I had to euthanize at 8 years of age. Increased respiratory effort and increased breathing rate were the only signs before I made the diagnosis (with radiographs and ultrasound and no sedation or anesthesia). On a soap-box note, I recommend at least annual physical exams for all pets, especially seniors. I can't tell you how many problems I've diagnosed with physical exam and labwork that have either improved an animal's quality of life or extended his or her lifespan. I'll stop here but I could go on for pages:-) Sandy, DVM > On a soap-box note, I recommend at least annual physical exams for all > pets, especially seniors. I can't tell you how many problems I've > diagnosed with physical exam and labwork that have either improved an > animal's quality of life or extended his or her lifespan. I'll stop here > but I could go on for pages:-) Just in case it means something coming from a non-vet... I agree here whole heartedly. Its amazing the things a trained eye/proper testing will pick up that your average owner will miss/have no idea was there. Dale |
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