OT - Sasha is having trouble breathing

All was well until about a week ago. Before, food = love for Sasha,
and love = food. Suddenly, she's not so interested anymore. It
disappears, but slowly. She no longer stars meowing an hour before
breakfast and an hour before dinner. This was enough to worry me.
Now she is breathing heavily. Not panting, but as if she had been
doing a modest amount of exercise before laying down. Before, I had
to hold a small mirror beneath her nose to make sure she was still
alive. Now I can see her chest going up and down even from across the
room.
The third symptom is, when I pick her up, if I tip her over, or even
away from "level to the ground" she starts coughing. Deep coughs,
like when a person has a cold.
I'm going to ring the vet and get an appointment - they probably
won't be able to see her until next week.... but does this sound
familiar to anyone? She turns 13 in June. She's always been quite
healthy until now, and gets her shots every year (and doesn't go
outside).





-- (worried) Jo in Scotland

Johanna Gibson wrote:
All was well until about a week ago. Before, food = love for Sasha,
and love = food. Suddenly, she's not so interested anymore. It
disappears, but slowly. She no longer stars meowing an hour before
breakfast and an hour before dinner. This was enough to worry me.
Now she is breathing heavily. Not panting, but as if she had been
doing a modest amount of exercise before laying down. Before, I had
to hold a small mirror beneath her nose to make sure she was still
alive. Now I can see her chest going up and down even from across the
room.
The third symptom is, when I pick her up, if I tip her over, or even
away from "level to the ground" she starts coughing. Deep coughs,
like when a person has a cold.
I'm going to ring the vet and get an appointment - they probably
won't be able to see her until next week.... but does this sound
familiar to anyone? She turns 13 in June. She's always been quite
healthy until now, and gets her shots every year (and doesn't go
outside).

I would be very worried too. (insert disclaimer about I am not a vet nor
do I play one on tv and the closest I get to being in the medical field
is as a transcriptionist which means I can recognize words, but not
necessarily the meaning thereof).

It sounds kinda like cardiomegaly symptoms or something along those
lines. Or like there is fluid in the lungs or emphysema for some reason.
None of these things are good things at all for cats, and Sasha is still
fairly young.

Tom goes in for more dental surgery today- he has to have his remaining
bottom canine seen to, and it may involve as much as a root canal. Today
also we should find out if Sassy fat cat has squamous cell carcinoma on
her face. So I'll hold your hand and you can hold mine.

-georg

Definitely vet. If your vet can't see her until next week, I would try
another vet. Next week is 4 days away, and that will be 4 days of
worry for you and discomfort for Sasha. If she needs antibiotics they
will have 4 extra days to work in.

All vets see emergencies, so play it up well, sound as worried as yoiu
are and they will see her quickly.

Hugs to you and strokes to Sasha.
--
Sally at the Seaside ~~~~~~~~~~ (uk)
http://community.webshots.com/user/sallyswin


On Thu, 11 May 2006 12:37:39 +0100, Johanna Gibson
wrote:

All was well until about a week ago. Before, food = love for Sasha,
and love = food. Suddenly, she's not so interested anymore. It
disappears, but slowly. She no longer stars meowing an hour before
breakfast and an hour before dinner. This was enough to worry me.
Now she is breathing heavily. Not panting, but as if she had been
doing a modest amount of exercise before laying down. Before, I had
to hold a small mirror beneath her nose to make sure she was still
alive. Now I can see her chest going up and down even from across the
room.
The third symptom is, when I pick her up, if I tip her over, or even
away from "level to the ground" she starts coughing. Deep coughs,
like when a person has a cold.
I'm going to ring the vet and get an appointment - they probably
won't be able to see her until next week.... but does this sound
familiar to anyone? She turns 13 in June. She's always been quite
healthy until now, and gets her shots every year (and doesn't go
outside).





-- (worried) Jo in Scotland

Disclaimer: I have no idea what all conditions those symptoms can describe.
I do, however, have experience with *one* condition it can describe, and
it's of the level of "get her in now."

I had a cat of similar age who apparently (wasn't seen doing it) jumped off
a kitchen counter or something of that sort, and somehow managed to tear her
diaphragm. What happens from there is that the lungs get caught in the
tear.

As it happens, she couldn't be saved; the vet said that surgery was
sometimes possible, but he felt she'd gone too far downhill by the time he
saw her (we'd been away when it happened, and she'd been in that condition
for 24-48 hours by the time we got home). He said had we not brought her
in, it would have killed her within another 24 hours anyway, but we saved
her some pain.

--pig, in memory of Lady Victoria Battenbird, "Tory", 1977-1990


On 5/11/06 06:37, in article ,
"Johanna Gibson" wrote:

All was well until about a week ago. Before, food = love for Sasha,
and love = food. Suddenly, she's not so interested anymore. It
disappears, but slowly. She no longer stars meowing an hour before
breakfast and an hour before dinner. This was enough to worry me.
Now she is breathing heavily. Not panting, but as if she had been
doing a modest amount of exercise before laying down. Before, I had
to hold a small mirror beneath her nose to make sure she was still
alive. Now I can see her chest going up and down even from across the
room.
The third symptom is, when I pick her up, if I tip her over, or even
away from "level to the ground" she starts coughing. Deep coughs,
like when a person has a cold.
I'm going to ring the vet and get an appointment - they probably
won't be able to see her until next week.... but does this sound
familiar to anyone? She turns 13 in June. She's always been quite
healthy until now, and gets her shots every year (and doesn't go
outside).





-- (worried) Jo in Scotland

-- Megan Zurawicz
South Holland, Illinois

On Thu, 11 May 2006 13:21:43 +0100, Sally Swindells
wrote:

Definitely vet. If your vet can't see her until next week, I would try
another vet. Next week is 4 days away, and that will be 4 days of
worry for you and discomfort for Sasha. If she needs antibiotics they
will have 4 extra days to work in.

All vets see emergencies, so play it up well, sound as worried as yoiu
are and they will see her quickly.

Hugs to you and strokes to Sasha.

Thank you everyone! I have to go to work soon, and Andy is in some
meeting until 4. Sasha will be seen at 2:30 tomorrow.



-- Jo (my kitty is the most important thing for me) in Scotland

So very glad you've got a vet. appointment, Jo. Poor little soul. She
does sound poorly. I know nothing about anything like this, so can't
help; but I do know that when Beau was really ill two years ago, we got
him to the vet the next day and they got him better (his symptoms were
nothing like Sasha's, but just wanted to give you some encouragement.
..
In message , Johanna Gibson
writes
All was well until about a week ago. Before, food = love for Sasha,
and love = food. Suddenly, she's not so interested anymore. It
disappears, but slowly. She no longer stars meowing an hour before
breakfast and an hour before dinner. This was enough to worry me.
Now she is breathing heavily. Not panting, but as if she had been
doing a modest amount of exercise before laying down. Before, I had
to hold a small mirror beneath her nose to make sure she was still
alive. Now I can see her chest going up and down even from across the
room.
The third symptom is, when I pick her up, if I tip her over, or even
away from "level to the ground" she starts coughing. Deep coughs,
like when a person has a cold.
I'm going to ring the vet and get an appointment - they probably
won't be able to see her until next week.... but does this sound
familiar to anyone? She turns 13 in June. She's always been quite
healthy until now, and gets her shots every year (and doesn't go
outside).





-- (worried) Jo in Scotland

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Glad he is going to get some real vet help. Keeping my
fingers crossed.
Taria

Johanna Gibson wrote:

On Thu, 11 May 2006 13:21:43 +0100, Sally Swindells
wrote:


Definitely vet. If your vet can't see her until next week, I would try
another vet. Next week is 4 days away, and that will be 4 days of
worry for you and discomfort for Sasha. If she needs antibiotics they
will have 4 extra days to work in.

All vets see emergencies, so play it up well, sound as worried as yoiu
are and they will see her quickly.

Hugs to you and strokes to Sasha.


Thank you everyone! I have to go to work soon, and Andy is in some
meeting until 4. Sasha will be seen at 2:30 tomorrow.



-- Jo (my kitty is the most important thing for me) in Scotland

In article ,
Johanna Gibson wrote:

All was well until about a week ago. Before, food = love for Sasha,
and love = food. Suddenly, she's not so interested anymore. It
disappears, but slowly. She no longer stars meowing an hour before
breakfast and an hour before dinner. This was enough to worry me.
Now she is breathing heavily. Not panting, but as if she had been
doing a modest amount of exercise before laying down. Before, I had
to hold a small mirror beneath her nose to make sure she was still
alive. Now I can see her chest going up and down even from across the
room.
The third symptom is, when I pick her up, if I tip her over, or even
away from "level to the ground" she starts coughing. Deep coughs,
like when a person has a cold.
I'm going to ring the vet and get an appointment - they probably
won't be able to see her until next week.... but does this sound
familiar to anyone? She turns 13 in June. She's always been quite
healthy until now, and gets her shots every year (and doesn't go
outside).





-- (worried) Jo in Scotland


I know nothing about cats, Jo, but I'm crossing my fingers for you and
Sasha. I do know how much our QIs mean to us....
--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
my ISP is earthlink.net -- put sfoster1(at) in front
http://home.earthlink.net/~sfoster1

AKA Dame Sandy, Minister of Education

Ack!! I'd get a new vet if mine didn't see my babies on a same-day basis!!
Prayers for you & Sasha, too, on the way pronto.
--
TerriLee in WA (state)

"Johanna Gibson" wrote in message
...
All was well until about a week ago. Before, food = love for Sasha,
and love = food. Suddenly, she's not so interested anymore. It
disappears, but slowly. She no longer stars meowing an hour before
breakfast and an hour before dinner. This was enough to worry me.
Now she is breathing heavily. Not panting, but as if she had been
doing a modest amount of exercise before laying down. Before, I had
to hold a small mirror beneath her nose to make sure she was still
alive. Now I can see her chest going up and down even from across the
room.
The third symptom is, when I pick her up, if I tip her over, or even
away from "level to the ground" she starts coughing. Deep coughs,
like when a person has a cold.
I'm going to ring the vet and get an appointment - they probably
won't be able to see her until next week.... but does this sound
familiar to anyone? She turns 13 in June. She's always been quite
healthy until now, and gets her shots every year (and doesn't go
outside).





-- (worried) Jo in Scotland

Call the vet...it sounds as kitty has cardiomyopathy??? Kitty might needs
meds. They thought my cat had it once. and he would get a bark of a cough.
Also give some laxatone for a hairball that sometimes can block the kitty.
Cats get older just like we do...
I feed my cats Iams catfood...
My cat also was licking my nightgown before I found the mass in my
breast...I swear I think pets sense cancer. She sleeps with me and she
knows I am ill right now and of course misses the breast missing that once
was her pillow but she rarely leaves my side once I lay down,
Pami