Cat cough

[SiriE]

Hi @Dr. Jean Hofve @Dr. Jeff @Dr. Christina

I have written here a few times before getting advice for my foster cat Finn, male, now 11 yo, neutered, standard Norwegian house breed, with hyperesthesia. He is now a very happy and loving cat that I allow outside even though I’m not really allowed to do so by the Animal Rescue, but it’s such a quality of life for him. He is now giving lots of kisses, but doesn’t always want to be touched, I think the FHS gives discomfort from touch sometimes. But now he has had a cough since January. At first I thought it could be worm since he is outside and he was given a dose of dewormer meds, profender, from the vet in February. It didn’t quite go away after that so I thought it could be some of the raw meat from a local farm he was having that gave him an infection so I stopped giving him the raw meat and now he only gets raw meal from the petshop and grain free wetfood. And it got better, but it didn’t quite make it go away either, but I had some breaks in his supplements and he wasn’t coughing for about 3-4 weeks and after some 4 weeks without supps I reintroduced some of them and the cough came back the following day so I thought it was quite obvious that he was reacting to one or more of the supps so I stopped giving him them about a week ago. He then had one more cough a few days after stopping and every now and then since he has tiny wheezing, but not really coughing, so it could definitely be the supps. I was adviced by you to give him b12, micro c and lysine so all year until the break about 1,5months ago, he has been getting 3-5drops b12 daily, a sprinkle of micro c and 500-1000mg of lysine. He has also gotten 1-3 drops of zinc, 1-2 drops of lemonbalm and a sprinkle of barley grass juice powder. Last week, reintroducing the supps I think I gave him b12, zinc, LB, BGJP and lysine, but I can’t remember exactly.

Have you heard of reactions to these supplements? How do I go about this? I so wanna help him with his FHS, but reacting (seemingly) to supps makes it difficult at least if that really is what the cough comes from. He has lost a tiny bit of weight, but he’s still a bit overweight (about 6,2kgs, should be around 5kg). Doing what I can to help him lose weight safely. His FHS isn’t improving much and he seems a little dry in his eyes, every now and then he gets a half closed eye with a little white/yellow mucus in the corner, not runny. Other good options of wet food unfortunately are too expensive for me and the only other raw meal option in Norway has even higher fat content so not optimal for his weight. Just mentioning this in case the food has anything to do with the cough. He’s currently getting about 100g raw meal from the store (chicken meats and beef liver) and 50g of a grainfree wet food either turkey meats daily. His nose is a little less stuffed.

Any advice on what I can do with the cough and could it be a reaction to the supps?

Warmly,
Siri and Finn aka cuddlebun

PS Although I haven’t adopted him (AR paying for vet services helps alot financially) he’s definitely staying with me. I’m his person, he says. I know, I says…

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Of course he says so, and you (as a Norwegian, since we are all amazing!) are perceptive enough to hear that!

Any animal can react to anything at any time. He has had a rough go, so no doubt his immune system is a little whacky here and there. Sometimes a cat will become sensitized to something early on, then years later react to something *similar* that isn't obviously related. It's very tricky!

My inclination would be to stay as minimal as possible so his system isn't exposed to too many things. Simplest diet, fewest supplements. Let things settle down for a month or two (or three... often it takes about that to really calm down) before re-introducing anything else.

If the cough is only occasional and is not affecting is quality of life, and his BEAM is good, it's probably not worth worrying about at this time.

You are doing a fabulous job, and I'm so glad you plan to steal adopt him eventually!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

he has been getting 3-5drops b12 daily, a sprinkle of micro c and 500-1000mg of lysine. He has also gotten 1-3 drops of zinc, 1-2 drops of lemonbalm and a sprinkle of barley grass juice powder. Last week, reintroducing the supps I think I gave him b12, zinc, LB, BGJP and lysine, but I can’t remember exactly.

Have you heard of reactions to these supplements?

Not these in particular, however reactions are dependent on individual susceptibility.

In my interpretation, it's just his body's way of saying that "I don't need no supplements other than vitamin V" (Vitality).

Any advice on what I can do with the cough

Keep working on his mitochondrial upgrades (by optimizing happiness and joy).

Perhaps add a snuffle mat twice a day using freeze-dried turkey hearts.

And maybe try this:

Lung Gold - Lower Respiratory Tract Support for Cats

Veterinarian-formulated herbal supplement supports a healthy immune response to lower respiratory tract conditions. Promotes easier breathing in your cat by helping to relax the airways, and optimal respiratory function including healthy oxygenation. Helpful for productive coughs, and provides...

petwellbeing.eu

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

Pollen is a common allergen... I might think about pausing that. Barleygrass is known to be a risk factor for urinary issues, and there isn't a real need for it unless it was prescribed for a particular reason.

But I just always prefer to simplify as much as possible. The first three you mentioned all look quite safe.

 

[Dr. Christina]

totally echo Dr. Jeff and Dr. Jean on too many supplements. And beware of jumping to conclusions of what is causing any symptom (re-read lesson 1 of the 101 course) as the cause is the imbalanced energy field.

You may want to work virtually with a homeopathic veterinarian to help rebalance the energy field so these problems will not keep recurring and lots of supplements and different chemical treatments will not be needed.

Dr. Christina

 

[SiriE]

Thank you dearly @Dr. Jean Hofve @Dr. Christina @Dr. Jeff for your responses. Based on them I will pause all supplements for a few months and after that maybe just reintroduce one or two of the three you said are ok, Jean, or the one Jeff suggested. You all might b completely right in that it's too much for him at this moment. I think in my eagerness to help him, I might push him in ways he doesn't need. He means so much to me (and as we speak he's lying here sleeping on my lap outside in the spring sun).

I did have a homepath working with him last fall. She didn't quite seem to figure out the best way for him as it didn't seem to have any results over about 4 months so I quit seeing her. My finances are limited as I have chronic illness myself, but I will consider if we can try another homeopath to work on the energetics. For now I will make it simple and focus on his happiness. Will get a snuffle mat. Finn says thank you.

Do you have a specific homeopath to recommend?

 

[Dr. Christina]

sounds like a good re-start, Siri. Have you downloaded the Cat Journal? it would be great to document what were the specific symptoms, then note the changes after stopping the supplements. Check in with Finn and your intuition weekly to see if maybe one of the supplements is needed. leave the bottles out and he may start knocking one down.

There is the mental, figuring things out approach, and the intuitive one. good to combine both.

Who was your veterinary homeopath? Maybe before you begin with a new one (and Dr. Jeff does have a practice) you may want to read more about homeopathy (go to the resource library) and maybe even take the introduction to homeopathy and vitality course (whole weekend) listed there.

Keep enjoying Finn and having the most fun with him

Dr Christina

 

[SiriE]

@Dr. Christina Great input, thank you, I will work my intuition as well. And leave them out and see if he signals anything. I haven't used the journal, but will download it.

I used a lady here in Norway called Karianne Telneset. She's very sweet, but said so herself that she found it hard to figure Finn out, what main remedies to go with. I will check out the course.

 

[Dr. Jean Hofve]

I know what you mean, it's so hard to just "let it be." While we want to be proactive and provide extra support, too much can really confuse things! But the body's wisdom is often all it takes to heal.