Asthmatic cat treatment

My asthmatic cat absolutely hates his inhaler, he gets stressed whenever he sees it and his breathing gets worse, the vet prescribed me oral bronchodilator ( salbutamol) because its the only available form of oral bronchodilators in my country, but i red it can be risky for cats, what do you think i should do in this case ? Thank you in advance.

Hello - and I'm sorry to hear of the problems that you and your cat have been having with this.  Pleased rest assured that they are not uncommon.  Through an inhaler, drugs can be delivered straight to the lungs where they are needed, reducing the potential for side effects caused by the drug en route.  Salbutamol does not carry a license for any other method of delivery in cats although steroids can be given, but as you say there are side effects; no tool is ideal.  Ask your vet for statistics regarding each potential drug and method of delivery, regarding whether it has been proven to work and what is known about the side effects; they should be able to help you to quantify any risk and contrast it to the risk of not giving therapy.  It is not unusual for a cat to resent having an inhaler on their face and having been an asthmatic small child who was forced to use a nebuliser, I can identify.  However, my experience is that most cats will take an inhaler with a period of gentle introduction and training.  They key is to work up to it slowly, with a process of familiarisation.  Perhaps they can share a space with the mask at first, with no expectation to approach or put their face near it.  In the first training session, the cat may not even approach the mask; by the third, perhaps they are eating food scattered around it.  I would hope that you have been offered consultations with your nurses to support with this; it can be achieved for the majority of cats but needs to be done very carefully.

Sometimes, if a at will not wear a mask, shared proximity with it may still have some advantage.

Sometimes, if a at will not wear a mask, shared proximity with it may still have some advantage.

Experts recommend that no-one should ever approach a cat with an inhaler in their hand; rather that, by introducing a cat to a space with an inhaler lying benignly in it, they will eventually begin to approach it for themselves.

I would therefore recommend speaking to your vet or nurse and asking for help with mask training.  It can absolutely make a huge difference.

Dear Meriem I apologise for my scatty reply with this case:   here it is more articulately.

• First, I am sorry to hear about the problems you are having at home with the mask.  You are right in that it is the safest and best way to get these drugs into a cat; you are also right in that many cats find it very difficult at first, especially if delivered before they are used to it.
• We - and the manufacturers, I have checked - would recommend against forcing a cat to wear a mask.  For one thing, it is stressful and this can exacerbate a breathing condition.
• However, there are tried and tested methods of introducing masks to cats in order to prevent this - and after a short break, it sounds to be a good idea to try this for your cat.  Frequently, the programme would start with simply having the mask - a strange object - in a room a distance away from the patient and allowing them to get used to it.  They could be encouraged to approach it by putting treasured food around it and so on - but please do allow your veterinary nurse or vet to guide you with this.
• Cats should only be encouraged to wear the mask when they are ready.
• I hope that you are able to get the support you need with this process. sometimes, other drugs need to be given alongside for a while.