difficulty breathing

Has your cat been coughing lately?  Have you noticed weight loss in your pet or periods with difficulty breathing?  You may be dealing with a parasitic infection rather than a respiratory disease, feline heartworms, or feline asthma.  Any cat with clinical signs of respiratory disease that is over 3 months of age should be screened for the feline lungworm, or Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, which is a nematode (type of roundworm) capable of infecting the lungs of cats. 
 

Heartworms or Dirofilaria immitis are a spaghetti-type worm that develop in the heart and lungs of an infected host. The disease is transmitted by the bite of a mosquito. Due to the insect vector, disease is more common in mild, moist climates. Mosquitos appear to infect ferrets with heartworms at a similar rate as seen in the dog.

Heartworms or Dirofilaria immitis are a spaghetti-type worm that will develop in the heart and lungs of an affected feline. Heartworm disease in cats was first reported in 1920’s both in Brazil and in the U.S. Domestic and exotic felines may all become infected. Heartworms affect male and female cats in equal numbers.

Next time you are cutting up fruits and vegetables for your bird, make sure you hold the avocado. Did you know avocados are toxic to birds? Ingestion of the fruit, leaves, stems and seed of the avocado tree have been associated with toxicosis in birds as well as mammals. The causative agent, persin, is found in all parts of the avocado and will cause myocardial necrosis (death of the heart muscle cells) in birds. Budgerigars fed as little as 1 gram of avocado fruit developed agitation and feather pulling.

Heartworms can be a problem anywhere mosquitoes inhabit. This disease syndrome is especially prevalent in Florida and the other Gulf Coast States. Due to their mild climate, these states are pestered by mosquitoes year round.

Feline asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that affects one percent of all adult cats. It is characterized by recurrent and sudden attacks of dyspnea (difficult breathing), and is caused by a spasmodic contraction of the bronchi.

Symptoms you may notice include wheezing, labored breathing, coughing, and frantic attempts to obtain air. Cat coughing sounds more like a hairball being passed than a human cough. The disease can be caused by allergies, smoke, inhalation of small particles, or bacterial infections. Feline asthma is also a common side affect of heartworms.