Feline asthma (allergic bronchitis) is a chronic, eosinophilic lower airway disease with reversible airflow obstruction. It resembles human asthma, and the cough is often mistaken by owners for a hairball. The practical NAVLE questions are how to confirm it, which mimics to exclude, and how to treat a crisis and the chronic disease.
Key facts
Asthma at a glance- Species and system: cat, lower respiratory tract.
- Cause: IgE-linked immune response to inhaled allergens or irritants with eosinophilic inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling.
- Signalment: young cats, Siamese and Himalayan breeds most affected (MSD); sudden asthma in older cats is uncommon.
- Classic presentation: episodic cough or wheeze, expiratory effort with an abdominal push; acute respiratory crisis in severe cases.
- Treatment: corticosteroids (oral or inhaled) for the disease, bronchodilators only as adjunct or rescue, plus allergen and irritant control.
What's inside
14 sections in the full guide- Key facts
- How the NAVLE tests this
- Cause and pathophysiology
- Clinical signs
- Diagnosis
- Don't confuse these
- Treatment and management
- Prognosis
- Inhaled therapy in practice
- Monitoring and re-evaluation
- Why cough points away from the heart
- Quick review
- Test yourself
- References
The full guide also has 4 tables, 3 self-test questions and 9 references, available to NAVLE members.
Read the full study guide
The full guide is part of every NAVLE plan, with diagnosis and treatment tables, figures, a quick review and self-test questions. Start a free trial to try the question bank, or log in if you are already a member.