Saturday, January 2, 2010

Saturday Caturday after the Holidays

Mom did something really nice for me. She saw that I was using the presents over Christmas to jump up on the bench to get to the window. So, she made the Guy bring down a stool from upstairs and put it in front of the bench to make it easier for me to get up there.

Yep, thanks Mom, I know you're always thinking about me.

This is Rusty's Mom. I've been a bit worried about him. He's started doing some wheezing when he breathes. I took him to the vet and he said his lungs sounded good, nothing seemed to be amiss, but still I worry about this wheezing. The vet said he thought it was a sinus thing. It seems that Rusty only does it when he's excited, and I've seen some comments on the internet about it in older cats, but I haven't found any conclusions or what it might be. Rusty seems to be fine, except for when he's wheezing, and then I get worried and put him on my lap to calm him down and get his breathing back to normal quiet. Has anyone else experienced this with an older cat? I thought I'd ask here since you all seem so knowledgeable about cats and their difficulties and health problems. It's hard when you have an older kitty. You know that day is coming and you keep trying to push that thought aside. I know that we all love them so much and we have a very hard time dealing with losing them.

I can't read what Mom just said, and she won't tell me what she wrote, but I sure hope that everyone had a very happy Holiday Season and I hope that everyone has a fabulous New Year!

23 comments:

The Meezers or Billy said...

Happy New Year!!!

Sweet Purrfections said...

I'm sure you will get some good advice from the CB. They have a lot of experience.

Cheyenne -Millie said...

Happy New Year! We hope you get some good ideas about older kitties.

dArtagnan Rumblepurr/Diego Hamlet Moonfur said...

This is the Rumblemum... could it be his sinuses? Is he going somewhere dusty maybe?

Sorry I don't have more of a suggestion, I'm sure someone will have better advice.

Noll's Nip said...

My Uncle Keaks had the wheezies once but that was because he had a cold. He got over it with some antibiotics.

The Florida Furkids said...

We hope you figure out what is causing the wheezing.

Sniffie and the Florida Furkids

Niko and Cloud said...

When I was a kitten, so not old, I wheezed a lot. Vets put me on antibiotics and they did not help. They also told mom they didn't really hear anything.
Finally Mom got a vet who suggested it was allergies and now I get an allergy pill when I wheeze. It's a generic over the counter pill, Mom forgets what it's called but you could ask the vet about it. Also if you don't get better soon your Mom could ask the vet if maybe you have asthma- Mom has heard asthma often triggers when a kitty gets excited.
Hope you feel better soon!
-Niko

Angel, Kirby and Max said...

I have no experience with older cats but I know as an asthmatic, I wheeze with activity.

The Monkeys said...

We hope your wheezing goes away soon, Rusty. It's no fun at all.

Unfortunately our Mom doesn't have any advice, but she thinks it sounds a lot like asthma, especially if he only wheezes when he's over-excited and his lungs appear to be okay.

That stool to get up on the bench is so sweet!

Lisa + current cat said...

We're glad your mom put a stool out for you...that is really nice. Happy New Year!

Everycat said...

Poor Rusty! Sometimes the airways in older cats can become inflamed slightly and this causes a constriction and wheezing. If his breathing is fast at rest (more than 35bpm) it could also be a pain issue (have experienced this with Angel) The vet has said his lings sound fine, so it does sound like something transient. Dry air can make cats wheezy too - maybe try making the air more humid in the house? Damp towels on radiators are great for this. The air does get dry in cold weather too and that can irritate the airways, especially if the cat has asthma. Have you changed his litter at all, sometimes litter dust is irritating. Hope you get to the root of it. Rusty is a lovely old fella.

Happy New Year!

Memories of Eric and Flynn said...

We have no other suggestions to add but it does sound like asthma if it happens when he is excited.
Rusty, the stool is a good idea for helping you get up in your favourite places.
Happy New Year to you.

Milo and Alfie said...

Happy Noo Year Rusty and yoor fambly. Take it easy 'cos we love yoo.

The Island Cats said...

Hiya, Rusty! It's nice that your mom put that stool there for you.


We don't have any suggestions about the wheezing though...we hope you're feeling better...

And we hope you all had a very Happy New Year!

Percy the Cat said...

Happy New Year Rusty! :)

That's awfully nice of your mom to get that bench for you! And I bet it is a great view out that window!

Rusty's mom: my mom doesn't have any advice as she's not experienced that with any kitties, but she hopes that it is nothing serious.

Brian's Home Blog said...

Sorry, we hope your wheezing gets better. We don't have any older cats here, Sister Gracie wheezes, but she has asthma.

Rusty said...

Rusty's Mom here again. Thanks everyone. I'm wondering if it's a type of allergy or perhaps mild asthma. The vet asked if we were doing any remodeling that might cause more dust around that usual, but that's negative. I'll just watch him and try to keep him calm. Maybe this is just how it is with an old kitty, he's the oldest I've ever had.

Anonymous said...

A Happy New Year to you all as well...

meowmeowmans said...

Rusty: that sure was nice of your mom to set up that bench for you. :)

Rusty's mom: It kind of sounds like asthma; hope you find out what's going on.

Happy New Year!

Anonymous said...

Tristan is going to be 15 yrs. old in a few months, but we haven't experienced any wheezing so far. We weren't aware that it's an issue with seniors. Your question actually alerted us to this.

Feel better Rusty! We love that your beans gave you a bench:)

Anonymous said...

Our Chica is 18 but no wheezing issues. Just keep an eye on Rusty and it could be dry air, allergies or even a touch of ashtma - all not so serious. Nice to help him see out the window. We bought a set of pet steps from a local shelter shop to help the older ones get on high things. They are not as agile as they were. Happy New Year!

Amy & the house of cats said...

hi Rusty we are super late in visiting. We hope you are having a good new year so far!!

Ok, this is for your mom - don't have her read it to you:
We have had a few wheezing issues in our house although not in older cats, and they were due to 2 different things - one was a stuffy kitty who got overexcited (when the stuffy nose cleared it went away) and the other was from a lot of dust in the air. I would swear I read somewhere (although I cannot remember where) that dry air can cause a bit of wheezing, so maybe a humidifier would help. I am not a vet so I can't really vouch for it, and really am not sure who's blog it was on (but it was a blog, I know that), and what works for one cat may not for another, but if you have one it might be worth a try.

Cat with a Garden said...

Oh Rusty, mom just read what your mom wrote and she said that we have to be extra nice to you. Why? What's happening? Aren't you feeling well? We think you look fantastic.