I lost my beloved cat, Stevie, in June of this year. Three months ago, a stray kitty showed up at my house. I took him in, took him to the vet, shots, neutered, etc. He is the sweetest cat! He is now an indoor only cat. The vet estimates his age at 2 years.

Earlier this month, "Ketty" started exhibiting fast, labored breathing and a decrease in appetite. I took him to the vet who treated him for an upper respiratory infection. Later that night, I awoke to find him gasping for air. I rushed him to the vet--they did not think he would make it. Thankfully, he did. However, since then, he has recurring bouts of labored breathing. He seems to respond to daily injections of a combo of antibiotic, diuretic and prednisone. The vet ran blood work and a chest xray. The blood work was fine. The chest xray showed a small amount of fluid in his right lung. We tried weaning him from the injections and he started "thumping" again. He's since had 2 days worth of shots and he's starting to improve again. He's eating and playing again.

Any suggestions as to what could be going on? Thanks, in advance, for your help.

Tracy

I really hope that i am wrong, but it sort of sounds like some of the stuff our Seth was going through. If you have the money, try to get Ketty in for a ultra sound on his chest. It could be anything from cancer to heart failure or something less serious. With Seth, it was right sided heart failure. He lasted 71 extra days, and was on the same drugs your furbaby is on. The only way that we got an answer about what was causing him to be sick was to go to a specialist and get an ultra sound done. Our vet had to get this special appointment for us. So, i would talk to your vet and see what options you have. Good luck! I hope it is something little that can be fixed so that you will have your furbaby for a long time to spoil and love!

Amber

i am not a vet (my ex was), but the on again off again lung fluid does sound much like heart failure or a heart condition. with exception of the antibiotic, the drugs your vet prescribed are often used for this condition. i would go get a second opinion however, and as ADE says get a heart scan.

I'm also not a vet, but I'd recommend taking your kitty to a different
vet if you haven't already done so. Sometimes one vet can spot
what another one can't.

I had a quick look around on the Internet, and it looks like there
are a number of possibilities. These include Feline Leukemia,
asthma, an inhaled object, parasites, heart disease, chylothorax,
FIP, and probably a number of other things. Because your kitty
was a stray, I'd probably worry most about leukemia or FIP,
which is a scary thought and I'm sorry to have to say it. Have
you had him tested for leukemia? I'd do that, and if he tests
negative I'd ask another vet or at least ask one of the Internet
veterinarian sites.

Best wishes,
Sarah

Thank you all SO much for your support and advice! Ketty has been doing well but unable to be weaned from the lasix. We just got a diagnosis on Saturday from a cardiologist. He's been diagnosed with cardiomyopathy. He seems to be responding well to the lowest possible dose of lasix and will be starting a medication to help his heart work more efficiently. Unfortunately, the long-term prognosis is not good but we will do our best to manage it and enjoy every minute we have with him. He is truly a gift to my family! I will keep you updated. Thanks, again, for everything.

Tracy