My older cat has a raspy purr and wheezy, fast breathing. What to do?

That may be due to a pharyngeal/laryngeal inflammation, potentially due to a viral or bacterial infection. A check up would be needed to have a look inside his mouth and throat and spot any sign of it. Antibiotics may be needed.

Upper and lower respiratory issues in cats are very worrisome. Cats are prone to getting asthma (causes wheezes), pneumonia (crackles heard in the lungs), and upper respiratory infections (crackles in the nasal passage). They can also get heart problems that lead to fluid build up in the lungs. I would highly recommend taking Prince to your local vet to get examined thoroughly, potential bloodwork and x-rays of his chest. We need more information on what is actually going on internally so that we can select the proper course of treatment for Prince to hopefuly get him back on his feet. I would try to get him in as soon as possible, because it often is a sign of a serious illness whenever a cat decides to refuse food. Cats are masters at hiding illness, so we must take these symptoms that Prince is showing right now, very seriously and get him treated right away. Best wishes with Prince and I hope that he feels better soon.

Sorry to hear Smoky isn't acting normally. If your current veterinarian hasn't performed diagnostics to back up his statements, I would consider taking him elsewhere in order to do a little more investigation since there have been persistent clinical signs. Abnormal breathing and increased nasal discharge could be an indicator of an upper respiratory infection, feline asthma, cardiopulmonary/cardiovascular disease, or a primary respiratory condition. X-rays of the chest would be the first and foremost diagnostic test to perform in order to rule some of these in/out. There are medical therapies as well that can be attempted instead of diagnostics, but if you would like to get down to the crux of the issue, the diagnostics would be preferable. Hope this makes sense.

I'd be concerned that Sock may have feline asthma. It would be worth a trip to the veterinarian to have X-rays done again on Sock to look for asthmatic changes. Asthma in cats is fairly common and can be treated with both inhalant medication and oral medications. An Aerokat inhaler can be ordered to help administer inhalant medications if necessary. Your veterinarian can also ensure that Sock is not experiencing another upper respiratory infection. I'd also recommend eliminating the use of perfumed cleaners, or perfumed or dusty litter types as these things can aggravate airway disease in cats. Try to change air filters regularly and use an air purifier to cut down on allergens. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Heavy breathing is certainly abnormal in cats. It can be seen with conditions like asthma, heart disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, among other possibilities. This is usually concerning in cats and warrants a visit to a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and possible treatment. They will likely going to perform thoracic radiographs, among other diagnostics dependent on the results obtained. Treatment would be dependent on the findings. Good luck and have a good night!

He could have multiple things going on here. Itching is a sign of allergies, so I would first check for fleas (they leave behind tint black pepper looking specks on the skin). The purple bumps may be an inflammatory reaction or actual masses, so have these tested through your vet. The wheezing is the most concerning symptom that he has, as this can be early signs of asthma, bronchitis, a mass (an enlarged thyroid) pressing on his airway, or an upper respiratory infection. I would encourage you to schedule an earlier appt for Tobby to address the wheezing as soon as possible. Cats with airway issues are consider unstable and should seek medical attention right away because the lungs are their stress organ, so that means that if they are not feeling well then the lungs can get worse very quickly. I hope that your pet Tobby feels better soon. Best of luck at the vet.

She could definitely start having asthma at her age. I would recommend having a vet listen to her heart and lungs, and take a chest x-ray. They can send the x-rays to a be read by a radiologist if you'd like a second opinion. The treatment for asthma is usually steroids and inhaled broncodilators. You would need a prescription for those things. So unfortunately, there isn't much you can do totally alone, but it does sound like she needs some help.