Mittens rapid breathing

Lisa + Mittens and Angel

Lisa + Mittens and Angel

Member Since 2023
Hi all,

Here where I live we're in this horrible, awful heatwave right now. And Mittens has been breathing rapidly for the last few days. Had a video consult with our vet as temperatures do not allow safe travel for pets (aircon in cars here is not up to this heat, she'd 100% arrive with heatstroke if I took her in). Her rectal temp is normal, she is not acting sick at all, just her breathing is much faster than normal. In deep, deep sleep (the geriatric cat kind where you have to check to make sure they're not dead) she's averaging 40-45 breaths per minute. Significantly faster when awake.

The vet said it could be caused by the heat, but I don't think that's the case. None of my other cats are experiencing this. When I called with the vet they said they could do a cardiac ultrasound next week if she's still experiencing this by then (weather predictions say temps will cool down on monday). But after several days of this, I'm 100% getting her that ultrasound even if she's breathing perfectly normal again. She had a checkup at the vet like 3 weeks ago, had a BP check done (I get her tested every 6 months as she's also hyperthyroid) which was a little higher than last time but still decent (150s vs 140s but very stressed), we were gonna do a repeat next month just to monitor that. She's had a mild heart murmur since kittenhood.

I'm just looking for a bit of support I guess. This'd likely be HCM, and CHF since she's symptomatic, right? How do I handle this? What do I do? I'm so terrified that she's gonna have a sudden decline or god forbid a saddle thrombus. It's currently 2:30AM and we're sitting outside because inside my house is still 30°C while outside it's also a stifling 25°C.

She is of course also still on pred, which I know is terrible for heart issues as well. We were doing a very slow taper to prevent the IBD from flaring up again, but I've sped it up now because I'm terrified that it's causing her heart problems. She's now on 1.25mg twice daily.
 
Hi Lisa! I'm sorry that I'm not going to be any help, but my post will at least bump you up and hopefully someone more knowledgeable will see this and weigh in. I'm so sorry Mittens is experiencing this. Have you tried covering her with damp sheets/towels and using a fan on her that can lower her temp, if that is, indeed, what is contributing to her rapid breathing? If her internal body temp is not elevated, perhaps that's not even necessary. How soon can you get her to the vets?? That would definitely be my course of action.
 
Mary & Jude said:
Hi Lisa! I'm sorry that I'm not going to be any help, but my post will at least bump you up and hopefully someone more knowledgeable will see this and weigh in. I'm so sorry Mittens is experiencing this. Have you tried covering her with damp sheets/towels and using a fan on her that can lower her temp, if that is, indeed, what is contributing to her rapid breathing? If her internal body temp is not elevated, perhaps that's not even necessary. How soon can you get her to the vets?? That would definitely be my course of action.
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Thank you Mary! I do stroke her with a wet washcloth every now and then, there's a cooling mat and a fan but she's not participating in either lol. But her temp was completely normal, on the lower side of normal even (38.1°C) so she's not overheated. I think the heat and moisture in the air are just putting more strain on her heart, assuming she already had asymptomatic heart disease before that's gone unnoticed till now. I'm calling the vet monday morning as soon as they open to book the soonest possible availability. I don't know how fast that'll be but I hope they can get us in soon.

Connie & Moonie said:
Likewise responding to bump this up, in the hopes someone more knowledgeable can help. I’m so sorry Lisa and I hope that Mittens feels better soon. I’ll be keeping both of you in my thoughts and prayers.
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Thank you Connie! I really appreciate you both taking the time to comment :)
 
Of course! I’m just so sorry I couldn’t help. I saw that your location is the Netherlands which explains a lot - I’ve been reading about the heat wave from here in the US and it sounds brutal, especially as I understand that this isn’t normal and most homes don’t have central AC for that reason. I hope the vet is able to get you in soon and that the weather gets cooler!

If it’s not too much please keep us posted on Mittens. I’ll be keeping the two of you in my thoughts 🩷
 
Hi Lisa, sorry to hear about sweet Mittens fast breathing. Neko had first HCM - part Maine Coon so not surprising, plus had acromegaly. That didn't impact her heart much for a couple years. Then she went off her food. Since she was a foodie, that triggered alarm bells. Is Mitten eating her normal amount? Anyway, Neko had CHF when she got into see the specialist. It took a few days to get in. CHF can be diagnosed with a simple chest x-ray if you can get that done before the echocardiogram. Neko's heart meds were Plavix (chlopidogrel) to prevent strokes, Vetmedin (pimopenden) used for dogs but off label for cats, and she was already on benazapril (an ACE inhibitor) for her kidneys.

Mittens going forward may not be able to get subq fluids - check with the cardio vet on that, make sure she drinks a lot and you water down her food.

Given that she is hyperT that echo is an excellent idea. Ideally you'd like to get that done by a cardiology specialist. I've heard too many cases of misdiagnosis or alarming diagnosis that weren't really when done by someone not skilled.

For the IBD, you should talk to the vet about budesonide as an option, which is less harmful for the heart. Neko got a small cell lymphoma diagnosis at the same time as her CHF (she was one tough cookie!) and couldn't go on pred but the budesonide did help her. And had a side benefit of not impacting her blood sugars.
 
Thank you Maria for helping! And thank you Wendy for your detailed reply! To answer your questions:

She is eating a bit less than normal, but so are all my other cats, it's normal for them during hot summer times. Same with a bit of lethargy. She's maintaining her weight. I did note a week or so ago that she was losing muscle mass though, I know this can be cardiac related too.

With CHF, would she be a lot sicker or is it possible for the breathing to be the only sign? If we can't get in with the echo ASAP I'll get her a chest x-ray, thank you for mentioning that. The vet that would be doing the ultrasound is a cardiologist, I just don't know if he's booked out far, will find out soon it's monday 6am right now where I live.

She's not on subq fluids atm (no renal disease yet, knock on wood) but that's good to know too. She's on 95% wet food (100% these last 2 weeks) and often gets water added to make it easier for her to eat (she's completely toothless).

Budesonide has been discussed, but laws here are tricky since it's a human med/not licensed for vet use. Human meds by law aren't allowed to be used in vet med unless there's no good vet med alternative, which there is (pred). However, with both the pre-diabetes and HCM if she does have it, maybe I can convince the vet to allow it. Or consult with the oncologist since they might have experience with it and therefor may be more willing to prescribe it. Her biopsies were inconclusive (and of course we started her on pred after the biopsies were taken, before we got the results back) so it might still be SCL too. Maybe bude +/- chlorambucil would be better for her. The pred has controlled her vomiting mostly, and helped her gain weight, but it's never fully gotten her stools normal even on higher doses so I've always felt like it wasn't tackling 100% of the inflammation.
 
Weight maintaining is good. Most SCL kitties lose weight. There are additional tests, IHC and PARR on biopsy samples that can help get a definitive answer. That's presuming the samples were taken from the appropriate locations. Was her B12 level tested? Many IBD or SCL kitties are low on B12, though not any of my 3 that had it. Sigh! Psyllium husk powder (prebiotic) can also help stools, as well as a good probiotic.

Neko's 2nd CHF episode, it was the fast breathing that was her only symptom. X-rays found fluid in her lungs.

Good luck with the vets today.
 
Biopsy was too long ago to do extra tests on it unfortunately. B12 not tested but supplemented anyways. She's been on pre- and probiotics, fiber, etc but didn't help.

The soonest they could get us in for the ultrasound is wednesday next week (the 8th). I took the appointment but also asked for an earlier consult to get a chest x-ray done to rule out CHF. Soonest they could get us in for that is Thursday afternoon. Not super happy but they were absolutely slammed so I understand. They did say that if she deteriorates of course they'd let us come in as an emergency.

Breathing wise, she's slowed down a tiny bit but not much. Lowest I've counted her in deep sleep is around 35 breaths per minute, but other times she's over 40 again, so I still think something's going on. Heat wise we're doing a lot better now thankfully. Down to 25°C both outside and indoors now.
 
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