Natural Asthma Treatment for Cats

Treating any pet with a respiratory problem can be hard. However, cats can be particularly complicated to treat because they often respond poorly to prescription medicines and can develop additional health problems. While this should not deter you from working with your veterinarian to treat your cat's asthma, you should be informed about your natural treatment options before you simply opt for prescription medication alternatives.

Identification

Natural treatments can include medicines, but they do not include artificially made materials. For example, nutritional supplements can be part of a natural treatment program. However, natural treatments generally are entirely organic and are often behavior based. For example, surgery is not really a natural alternative, although noninvasive procedures like massage and, according to some holistic vets, acupuncture, are.

Time Frame

While natural treatments for feline asthma may be better for your cat in the long term, in the short term you need to be patient. A natural treatment may take as long as several months to work, while a prescription medication could resolve the issue much faster. If your cat is in mortal danger, then it may be necessary to combine a natural long-term treatment plan with a less organic short-term remedy in order to avoid compromising the animal's health permanently. Short-term natural treatments generally include dietary changes, which can have an effect almost immediately, and changes to the areas where the cat goes to the bathroom and sleeps. For example, if your cat spends a lot of time in his bed, then switching to an easily cleaned, all-cotton bedding can help you keep him away from allergens that might trigger his asthma. Options like acupuncture and vitamin regimens tend to require repetition over time.

Types

There are many types of natural, or holistic, treatments for feline asthma. A fresh food diet is common, as is changing their litter to a "green" litter like shredded newspaper instead of clay-based litters. Also, acupuncture is fairly common as a way to balance the animal's meridians. Some cat owners also believe that feline massage relaxes their cats and enables them to better recover from respiratory problems that previously might have triggered an asthma attack. In addition, some pet owners treat their pets, and themselves, with vitamin C to alleviate respiratory problems and colds in general. Of course, always check with your vet before giving your cat any vitamin or nutritional supplements.

Effects

Generally, natural asthma treatments for cats have longer-lasting effects than their prescription medicinal counterparts because they involve changes in the behavior that caused the asthma symptoms to develop in the first place. One of the primary ways that you can treat your cat's asthma naturally is by trying to eliminate asthma "triggers" in your home. This may be accomplished by using a HEPA filter air purifier to remove airborne inhalants that can set off allergic reactions that trigger the asthma. However, if the cat has bronchial asthma, which is less related to allergens and has more to do with a genetic predisposition to respiratory difficulty, then the natural remedies may alleviate but not eliminate the problem.

Prevention/Solution

There are a number of natural things that you can do to prevent your cat from developing feline asthma in the first place. Keep your kitty fit, since overweight cats are more prone to respiratory disorders. In addition, if you smoke, stop. Just as with young children, when cats are exposed to smoke, their odds of developing asthma increase exponentially. Also, check all your cat's food and treats for ethoxyquin. This chemical preservative can cause everything from asthma to liver cancer.

Warning

If you believe that your cat has serious respiratory problems, do not try to treat them naturally on your own. You need to work with your vet to insure that your cat gets the proper treatments according to the severity of their symptoms and the nature of the problem. While a cat with mild asthma may benefit from a long-term, natural change, the change still needs to be implemented appropriately. A struggling feline could die while waiting for the natural remedies to take effect.