Worried about my cat

Last July during one of the heatwaves my cat started having coughing/wheezing fits. My husband took her to the vet and all they said was that they were concerned about her weight, to have her "eat less and exercise more" and to have her come back if the coughing/wheezing worsens. So we've been giving her less food and she has lost weight. The coughing and wheezing fits went away for a while but have returned in the past couple of weeks. Now she is often wheezing when breathing normally rather than just having the coughing/wheezing fits. We took her to the vet last Friday. He wanted to do bloodwork because of her weight loss and make sure it was just due to the diet. So he did bloodwork to check her kidneys, liver, thyroid, etc. It cost 200 pounds. He said he wanted her to come back the next week for more bloodwork to check her heart and also a chest x-ray to see if she has asthma. The chest x-ray would be 400 pounds. We haven't taken her back because we are worried about how we'd afford this. He did give us some steroids in case she gets worse, but he said to call them for assistance if we need to use them. Does anyone know of a vet in southwest London that isn't so expensive? The vet we went to was a Vet4Pets in a Pets at Home. I checked the PDSA site, but it says we're ineligible for help since we're not on any benefits. Should I call the RSPCA? By the way, the bloodwork she had came up normal except for her white blood cells. He suggested she might have lungworm, but I read up on it and it seems like something only outdoor cats really get.

I'm sorry I can't help with your question but I really hope you are able to get the help you need for kitty and that it's nothing serious. *hugs*

Oh there is nothing worse than an unwell pet!!!

Okay, my experience.  My big boy turns 20 tomorrow!

He's a Siamese and they are "allergy cats".  He has always been a cougher.  This summer I got worried as he had runny eyes and runny nose!  I called the vet at the first sniffle (he was literally sniffling) and she assured me that even with his advanced age that it was allergies.  She said they were particularly bad this summer and that she had been fielding calls left, right, and center for the same thing.

He also had a second bout of the "noises" last week but has improved this week.

So my Dr. KFdancer hat on the internet with someone I've never met, it definitely seems it could be allergies.  (Not a real doctor).

My kitty also has kidney disease, diagnosed via bloodwork two years ago.  As the blood work was normal, I'm inclined to think that kitty has lost weight due to the diet.  I'm cracking up at the telling a cat to exercise!   

How is kitty in himself/herself?  What is your gut telling you?  How old is kitty? 

CROSSING OUR PAWS!!!

Has the kitty been vomiting at all?

I hate to say this, but you probably need the xray. But that is incredibly expensive for one, it would have been about £300 for an ultrasound under anesthesia for my kitty. Are you in any local Facebook groups? They are a wealth of information for vet practices, you could also call around to all nearby on Google to get pricing.

In the US, unfortunately my cat was exposed to heartworm because I didn't realise it was a risk to cats. They did an xray and blood work at the time and she's been OK since, but the antibodies still hit in the blood work and we can't give certain worming meds in case there are any circulating. A previous kitty ended up with heart disease and the only symptom before she suddenly died was puking randomly (I thought it was furballs) and then wheezing in the last few days. So it's really important to find out what is going on.

I would say, consider what you'll do with the information you find out from an x-ray with kitty....  it's horrible to think about, but a reality.

For me, as my boy is so old, I'm not going to perform any heroics.  UTI and needs antibiotics to sort?  Absolutely.  Chemotherapy?  Not going to put him through that. 

Massive hugs.  Paws crossed that he's racing through the house when you see this!   

I'm sorry I can't help with your question but I really hope you are able to get the help you need for kitty and that it's nothing serious. *hugs*

Thank you.

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Oh there is nothing worse than an unwell pet!!!

Okay, my experience.  My big boy turns 20 tomorrow!

He's a Siamese and they are "allergy cats".  He has always been a cougher.  This summer I got worried as he had runny eyes and runny nose!  I called the vet at the first sniffle (he was literally sniffling) and she assured me that even with his advanced age that it was allergies.  She said they were particularly bad this summer and that she had been fielding calls left, right, and center for the same thing.

He also had a second bout of the "noises" last week but has improved this week.

So my Dr. KFdancer hat on the internet with someone I've never met, it definitely seems it could be allergies.  (Not a real doctor).

My kitty also has kidney disease, diagnosed via bloodwork two years ago.  As the blood work was normal, I'm inclined to think that kitty has lost weight due to the diet.  I'm cracking up at the telling a cat to exercise!   

How is kitty in himself/herself?  What is your gut telling you?  How old is kitty? 

CROSSING OUR PAWS!!!

Thank you for sharing that. I definitely think it could be allergies and/or asthma. She is almost 9 years old, and I am hoping we still have another decade with her! I noticed this has been happening when my own allergies are acting up. We do have some mold we need to get rid of, and my allergies tend to bother me during autumn anyway. Her white blood cell count is concerning though. I wonder if she has an infection.

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Has the kitty been vomiting at all?

I hate to say this, but you probably need the xray. But that is incredibly expensive for one, it would have been about £300 for an ultrasound under anesthesia for my kitty. Are you in any local Facebook groups? They are a wealth of information for vet practices, you could also call around to all nearby on Google to get pricing.

In the US, unfortunately my cat was exposed to heartworm because I didn't realise it was a risk to cats. They did an xray and blood work at the time and she's been OK since, but the antibodies still hit in the blood work and we can't give certain worming meds in case there are any circulating. A previous kitty ended up with heart disease and the only symptom before she suddenly died was puking randomly (I thought it was furballs) and then wheezing in the last few days. So it's really important to find out what is going on.

She vomited a couple of times a few weeks ago, but it seemed hairball related. I do really want to get that x-ray and hope it's allergies or asthma rather than something heart related. Too bad we live in London as the Animal Trust appears to be in the Manchester area and their x-rays are £235 according to their site. I will try the Facebook group idea and keep searching around.

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I would say, consider what you'll do with the information you find out from an x-ray with kitty....  it's horrible to think about, but a reality.

For me, as my boy is so old, I'm not going to perform any heroics.  UTI and needs antibiotics to sort?  Absolutely.  Chemotherapy?  Not going to put him through that. 

Massive hugs.  Paws crossed that he's racing through the house when you see this!   

Yes. If it's asthma or allergies I would like her to be treated. I was often hospitalized with asthma as a kid, so I know how awful it can be. Not sure what we'll do if it's something worse though.

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Here’s what I would do.  Request that she is treated for allergies/asthma.  See if she improves.

NOTHING wrong with telling your vet that you have a budget and that further diagnostic testing isn’t possible right now.  The blood work would have checked allll her organ function and would have caught most things.

Keep us posted.  She’s still very young! 

That sounds like the best we can do for now. At least they gave us emergency steroids as well.

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That sounds like the best we can do for now. At least they gave us emergency steroids as well.

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Gorgeous girl!   

She’s gorgeous!  What’s her name?

Thank you! Her name is Athena. We got her from Battersea, and they had already named her. We both loved the name and didn't want to change it. I was feeling really anxious last night about a bunch of things including her health, and she jumped on the sofa next to me for a really long time, purring and not wheezing or coughing at all. It made me feel a lot better, although she has been coughing/wheezing a bit today. She seems to be coughing for shorter amounts of time though, which is hopefully a good sign.

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I love her name too! 

Glad that she seems happy in herself.  Call the vet on Monday and work out a plan you are both happy with.