Feline Asthma & Air Purifiers
Just like humans, cats can develop asthma, sometimes severe enough to be life-threatening. Medical treatments are available for feline asthma. You can also take steps to control your cat's asthma at home. While a humidifier could provide your cat with some relief, standard air purifiers are unlikely to help.
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Feline Asthma
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If your cat has feline asthma, then it experiences chronic inflammation of the airways within its lungs. Most asthma attacks in cats are triggered by allergies. When allergens enter your cat's lungs, your cat's immune system responds, causing increased inflammation and constriction of those airways. Feline asthma usually develops between the ages of 2 and 8 and it is more common in female cats than male.
Symptoms
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According to the ASPCA, a cat with asthma will cough and wheeze. The cough will linger and become persistent. When your cat coughs, it could gag and then bring up foamy mucus. You could see your hunch its shoulders and extend its neck, trying to make it easier to breath while it pants. Opened mouth breathing and trouble breathing after playing or exercising are also symptoms of feline asthma. If your cat exhibits any of them, you should take it to the veterinarian.
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Treatment
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While there is no cure for feline asthma, your veterinarian can offer you treatment options to help prevent and control asthma attacks. Corticosteroid medication can help reduce inflammation of your cat's airways. Some medications can help control a cat's reaction to allergens, which can reduce the risk of your cat having an asthma attack. Inhalers have been developed that can work on a cat and deliver medication.
Air Purifiers
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You might try to control you cat's feline asthma by using an air purifier to filter allergens out of the air. Most portable air purifiers available on the market are only large enough to work in one room, so will not help your cat in the rest of the house. Standard air purifiers often fail to remove large particles from the air, including common allergens such as dust and pollen, before they settle onto floor and furniture, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Considerations
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You can help control your cat's asthma by making some changes to your cat's environment. Use a cat litter that does not release dust when it is moved, according to "The Complete Home Veterinary Guide." Avoid exposing your cat to lung irritants, including cleaning chemicals, perfumes and cigarette smoke. A humidifier placed near where you cat sleeps can help prevent an asthma attack triggered by dry air.Keeping your cat at a healthy weight and unstressed will help to support its immune system.
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References
- Photo Credit cat image by Krzysztof Kiercul from Fotolia.com
