Pulmonary edema in cats, as in anyone, tends to indicate a heart problem. Heart problems used to be rare in cats, but as with all diseases, old, new and rare, they are all on the increase. The heart isn’t the only cause of pulmonary edema; toxins and medical/veterinary drugs can be, too, as can trauma to the chest wall.
What Is It? What Are The Symptoms?
Pulmonary, which indicates the lungs, edema (or oedema) indicates fluid, so this is a condition of fluid in the lungs. You may first become aware of an increased breathing rate where none would be naturally indicated, such as after exertion.
The fluid collects in the lungs and can’t be expelled, so breathing becomes more laboured and more difficult. When left untreated, your cat may suddenly lose consciousness.
Your cat may also wheeze, show restlessness and/or have an irregular heartbeat.
If your cat has not experienced a trauma, then you can rule that out. If your cat has not been exposed to any toxins, such as household cleaners or garden chemicals, and has not received veterinary drugs, then suspect the heart as the cause.
A good starting point is to count the breaths per minute over a period of time. Make sure you check at the same times of day or conditions, to compare. Such as when your cat has been asleep for a while. Or when they seem to be stressed more. You want to compare apples with apples, not apples with oranges.
This checking will give you an idea if things are worsening or not.
What To Do About Pulmonary Edema
If your cat has collapsed, then they need pretty urgent help. A vet will be able to drain the fluid from the lungs. This normally takes a few days of hospitalisation. This can be life saving for your cat, but also highly stressful. They may feel you have abandoned them. All vet clinics contain very stressed animals.
So it’s a good idea to avoid this scenario if you can.
Possible Causes of Pulmonary In Cats
We live in a highly toxic world, which is escalating. Thousands of new chemicals are released onto the market every year, with very limited knowledge of the harm they do, either on their own, or in combination with others. Much of these are used in agriculture, so the food is becoming increasingly toxic.
But many are also used in medicine. New drugs keep coming out with little real testing.
Most drugs are suppressive in nature. That means they cover up the symptom rather than heal the problem. This undermines the immune system. This means health deteriorates further, not necessarily immediately.
Holistic Support For Pulmonary Edema In Cats
To support a healthy immune system, it’s vital to feed your cat a diet they evolved on. Cats are carnivores. So they evolved on eating very fresh, and raw, meat and bones.
The typical ingredients of commercial cat food is high in carbohydrates (for a carnivore?), uses very low grade animal protein, normally the left overs from the more lucrative human market (cats need high grade animal protein) plus a plethora of preservatives and supplements. These are invariably synthetic, which add to the toxic load (cats are much more sensitive to chemicals than most people).
Simply by switching from a commercial cat food to a good quality raw diet can make a dramatic difference and often quickly. The immune system is getting the boost it needs to restore health.
Even when the food is not sourced organically, a better option for everyone, you have eliminated those found in commercial cat food, so reducing the load.
Using an holistic modality, such as homeopathy, for your cat makes more sense than loading them up with suppressive and potentially damaging veterinary drugs. Not only can good homeopathic treatment reverse pulmonary edema in cats, or anyone, it can support general good health, in tandem with the diet.
