Can feline infectious peritonitis cause difficulty breathing in cats?

Yes, feline infectious peritonitis can cause difficulty breathing in cats. If a cat has wet feline infectious peritonitis, it will develop ascites, pleural exudate, increased pericardial fluid, which can lead to difficulty breathing, enlarged scrotum, and jaundice in male cats. Cats with dry feline infectious peritonitis will have granulomas in various organs and kidney lesions. The disease also causes behavioral changes such as ataxia, mild paralysis, orientation disorders, nystagmus, seizures, hyper sensitivity, and peripheral neuritis.

Common causes of difficulty breathing

Difficulty breathing can be divided into inspiratory difficulty, expiratory difficulty, and mixed difficulty breathing. The main manifestations are changes in respiratory frequency and mode, and the common causes are pulmonary edema, ascites, pneumothorax, hernia, urethral obstruction, pulmonary infection, and upper respiratory tract infection. Difficulty breathing is just an atypical clinical symptom and cannot indicate the exact cause of the disease. A comprehensive analysis and judgment require a combination of questioning and other clinical examinations.

Treatment for difficulty breathing

When a cat has difficulty breathing, it is essential to take it to a pet hospital for oxygen and tranquilization. At the same time, cause examination should be carried out. If the difficulty breathing is caused by foreign bodies in the respiratory tract, it is necessary to remove the foreign bodies promptly. If it is caused by respiratory tract infection, timely treatment is required, which can be combined with aerosol therapy.

Can difficulty breathing be saved?

This situation is quite dangerous. Artificial respiration should be performed, blowing air into the cat every 5 seconds for a rescue time of 5 minutes. If the cat does not wake up after 5 minutes, there is basically no chance of survival. Meanwhile, if the cat has hypoglycemia, go to the hospital immediately for intravenous glucose administration and monitor the cat's body temperature, heartbeat, and breathing.