Senior cat breathing hard from smoke. What symptoms mean vet?

Question

Hello, I'm just kind of worried about something. With all these wildfires in the country, smoke and such has been drifting into my state (IA). The sky was orange this morning. My cat is a 15 year old female Siamese, and she's extremely susceptible to respiratory issues. For about half an hour now, she's been sneezing intermittently and she's having some difficulty breathing. Should I take her to my vet? Also, what else should I be looking for as far as symptoms? Thank you in advance. Pet's info: Cat | Siamese | Female | spayed | 15 years and 1 month old | 6.5 lbs

Rodrigo Roca, DVM · Accepted Answer

Hello, sorry to hear about Jezzie. If she is having a hard time breathing then I would definitely take her to your veterinarian immediately. You should be monitoring for a rapid respiratory rate, open mouth breathing, increased respiratory effort (using her belly to breathe), and collapse. These are all signs that Jezzie may not be obtaining enough oxygen and may need emergency medical attention. One big concern in cats that have respiratory disease such as feline asthma is that they can develop respiratory crisis which could be life threatening. Therefore, any sings of respiratory disease warrants prompt veterinary evaluation. Please have Jezzie evaluated by your veterinarian if she continues to sneeze or an emergency veterinarian if she is having a hard time breathing or is showing any of the signs listed above. Best wishes for Jezzie and hope this helps.

Senior cat breathing hard from smoke. What symptoms mean vet?

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