Here we are, almost one month after dealing with Oscar’s liver disease and death, and now we are going through a whole new adventure with our other cat Charlie, who is 14 and has been with me since 1996.

My cat has had asthma for years and I never knew it. I took him to the vet for his dry cough many years ago, but the vet didn’t seem to know what it was. He asked if there was vomiting or hairballs (there weren’t), said “I wish he’d cough right now so I could see it,” and sent me home with a shrug and a 7-day course of antibiotic which didn’t help. Since he didn’t seem concerned, I wasn’t concerned. Charlie never wheezed or seemed out of breath. He just coughed once in a while.

So years went by, and then Oscar passed away. Oscar passed on the eve of an August heat wave. For the next two weeks, I slowly started to notice–perhaps because I now didn’t have an eye on Oscar every minute of the day–that Charlie’s coughing was increasing. We tried to bring home a new cat in a foster-to-adopt situation, but the stress made Charlie cough more. So off to the vet we went.

Charlie was x-rayed and his lungs had the “classic donuts” associated with the inflamed airways of asthma. The vet said old, dead heartworms couldn’t be ruled out, but she wanted to lean toward asthma and either way, the treatment was with steroids. I was very nervous about this, but I felt better that so was she. She wanted me to start him on 5 mg of prednisone twice a day for a week, and slowly taper off until we found the smallest amount that kept his coughing under control. I was nervous still, because I knew from previous research that steroids can give cats diabetes, and Charlie is a bigger cat. So I did my research, as always, and became a less compliant cat mom for my veterinarian, as usual.

In my research, I found out about a better way to treat asthma that I knew was for me – Flovent (Fluticasone, a steroid spray) sent directly to the lungs by the Aerokat chamber made especially for cats. It’s true that steroids are the way to treat feline asthma, but if the steroid goes straight to the lungs it stays out of the bloodstream and there is no chance of the terrible side effects that come with oral steroids. I myself have been taking Flonase nasal spray for years, and it has helped guard me against sinus infections, so I was excited to hear that the inhaled version could also help Charlie! (Please don’t confuse Flonase and Flovent. While both are Fluticasone, Flonase must only be used for the nose and is only for humans. Flovent and Flixotide are orally administered sprays that are safe for cats.)

I called my vet to ask if I could try the inhaler. She said I could try it, but warned me that “it’s expensive and my cat will hate it.” More supportive than some veterinarians, but less than others. She gave me a prescription for Flovent, but only for the 110. I would soon learn that that dose is not enough for most cats.

I was nervous about the price at first, but found out at the VERY helpful FAIM Yahoo Group (Feline Asthma Inhaled Meds) that you can get the inhaler MUCH cheaper at safe, overseas pharmacies like 4 Corners Pharmacy, where I placed my first order for Flixotide as it is called there. Whereas the inhaler would be about $150 or more from my local pharmacy, I purchased one from them for just $50. Since it takes a few weeks to arrive from 4Corners in the mail, a very compassionate member of FAIM sent me some Flovent so I could get Charlie started quicker! When my own Flovent arrives, I’ll just send one back to her to keep in the FAIM stash. It’s amazing the help you can find if you just look!

Treat placement for getting my cat used to the Aerokat chamber

I also would like to thank Phil at MaxsHouse.com. Their amazing rescue group supplies adopters of their cats with asthma Flovent for the life of the cat! He sometimes has extra inhalers, and I was able to get some from him at a very reduced rate as well, for a donation to help them get surgery for an abandoned cat.

Now it was time to learn how to get my cat to use the Aerokat. I ordered my Aerokat Chamber last week and as soon as it arrived, I started to get Charlie used to it by showing it to him during “treat” time (giving him his prednisone in a Pill Pocket, which he loves). I would place the Pill Pocket in my hand directly in front of the Aerokat so that his nose was almost up against the mask when he took his treat. Then I started putting it on his face for 2 seconds and giving him more treats immediately after. Then I gradually increased the amount of time I left the mask on his face, all while I waited for my Flovent to arrive in the mail. The first time he saw the mask coming at him he did not look happy, and did try to avoid it, but surprisingly he has been better than I thought he would be.

Below is video of Charlie getting his Flovent for only the 6th time! I am shocked at how well he is taking it. Although you can’t see it in the video, rest assured that I did shake the canister for 15 seconds before giving him a puff. And unfortunately my cameraman stopped recording, so you don’t hear Charlie purring as I pick him up and take him to his food, where he begins to devour his breakfast happily.

Please know that not all vets are up to speed on inhaled meds for feline asthma. My vet never would have mentioned it to me had I not asked. And, she gave me a prescription for the 110, but I soon learned through the FAIM group that I needed to give Charlie a larger dose than that…and I got the larger dose without my Vet’s prescription. I also found out that I have to keep Charlie on his prednisone at a steady rate, not decreasing it until the Flovent builds up in his system for at least two weeks. This was an instance where I had to listen to people with years of experience in treating their own cats with asthma, because sometimes such experience gives you more insight.

I give Charlie two puffs (220 mcg each) of Flovent per day, one in morning and one at night. When dosing asthma meds for cats, it is always better to give too much than too little. If I hear Charlie’s throat “humming” when he breathes or eats, I up his puffs to one in morning and two at night, or two twice a day.

Update-February of 2010: Charlie is doing so well on his asthma medicine! He has not coughed once since I started treating him with Flovent and Aerokat. He is over six months completely cough free.

Update-March of 2010: I’ve written a few articles on learning about the Aerokat:

Feline Asthma: Treating Safely with Aerokat

Inhaled Asthma Medication for Cats: Correct Dosage

Train Your Cat to Use the Aerokat: How to Get Cats Used to Asthma Mask

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