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7 Year old Cat Coughing

This forum is for cat lovers seeking everyday advice and suggestions on health-related issues. Remember, however, that advice on a public forum simply can't be a substitute for proper medical attention. Only your vet can say assuredly what is best for your cat.

  
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Mama

I think I'm a- princess!		 
 
Purred: Fri Sep 28, '12 10:44pm PST 
Yes, with my 8 cats I'm for sure helping keep the company that makes my L-Lysine in business! I go through a lot of L-Lysine!

The problem is, Mama is SO hard to give meds to! She is way to smart for her own good and seems to just KNOW when I'm gonna give her meds. I try so hard to be sneaky...I even make it up quietly in the kitchen when she's asleep in my bedroom, and then I'll just wait for awhile till I give it to her, but she finds some place to hide where I can't get her, and she'll stay there all night! And I'm supposed to give her 2 doses of L-lysine a day, but I can never give it to her consistantly since she's a hider. So it's really not effective unless they get it regularly. She WON'T eat it in her food. Tried that, but she smells it and will walk away, even though she loves her wet food! I feel like if I could just get L-lysine in her regularly, her coughing might improve.

Interesting about the enlarged heart with your cat who has herpes. It makes me wonder about my two males who have enlarged hearts. They both have herpes. I wonder if there's some sort of link between herpes and cats with enlarged hearts. I WISH I could afford to get Mama a echo cardiogram, but there's no way. My vets never heard a heart murmur in her, but you never know. I would just freak out if Mama had something wrong with her heart like my 2 males. It would just be too much worrying. I am worried every day that my 2 males might have some kind of heart incident. It's like waiting for a ticking time bomb to go off. My cat Sammy already had a thrombo embolism (aka Saddle Thrombus) 2.5 years ago which nearly killed him.

I need to study more about herpes in cats. Years ago when I found out my babies had herpes I read so much about it, but maybe there's some new info out there and new treatments. About 2.5 yrs ago my 11 yr old Deliah had to be put down because her herpes was killing her. She had it so bad and was in such bad shape. It was so hard for me to lose her, as she was my first cat of my own as an adult. I know so many people who have cats who live to 16 or beyond, and I've had cats my whole life (MANY!) and NONE have lived past 13! And I take SUCH good care of my babies! I feed them a high quality food, take them to the vet when needed, give them vitamins/supplements, etc, but they always succumb to something early! I guess maybe because I frequently rescue cats with special needs. All 8 of my cats have special needs.

It's funny, but I've always dreamed of having a big, healthy Maine Coon, but I know I probably never will get one. With all the abused, neglected, sick cats out there, I couldn't live with myself if I actually went out and adopted a healthy, pure-bred from a breeder! Sigh. Why am I such a bleeding heart??? (oh, & I'd LOVE to have a fluffy Rag-Doll too! wink
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Ramsey

Ramsey - The Bedroom Cat- Burglar
 
 
Purred: Sat Sep 29, '12 4:31pm PST 
Our Swiffer is a Maine Coon/Siamese mix. We thought she was a Snowshoe when we brought her home. She was 12 weeks old and had the same markings as my sister and I did at that age. We're Snowshoes. You can probably find a Maine Coon rescue somewhere online and maybe adopt one that way.

Back to the cough. My very first thought was a hairball. Our Hoot has them now and then and the coughing is awful! The subject of Asthma came up and I concur, it can happen at any time, at any age.

It sounds like you are in that "rule out" stage. You seem to be very experienced with your cat care and about the only additional advice I might give at this point is to get a second opinion. I know you trust your vet but sometimes a second opinion can be helpful. The cough seems to have persisted for quite some time now so I'd probably at least want the X-Ray and additional blood work done. Keep us posted!
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Coopurr

I still suck my- thumb...		 
 
Purred: Sat Sep 29, '12 8:37pm PST 
They actually make Lysine treats now. That's what I give Coop. He loves them -- and he's a bit of a picky eater. You might want to try them. It made our lives a lot easier!

I don't think there's a link with enlarged hearts and herpes. My point was just that Coop had a cough, and I had no idea that a cough could actually be a symptom of cardiomyopathy. I had just assumed that it was another URI from the herpes.

You know, I've found it so difficult to find good, sound information on herpes. So much of what's out there just invokes a lot of fear. It's hard to find practical info on how to care for a herpes kitty. I was so afraid right before I brought Coop home from the shelter that I called my vet in tears. What I didn't know is how manageable it actually is.

I've just sort of learned as we've gone along -- like when to up his lysine, what symptoms to look for and that sort of thing. I do have a couple of friends who are herpes kitty moms, and they've helped a lot, too, just by sharing their own experiences.

Purrs,
Coop's Mom
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