Laurie Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 I have 2 cats with breathing problems. My first cat was diagnosed with asthma several months ago and now gets daily puffs of Flovent. (She's 9 years old and also has diabetes.) Now our youngest cat has just been diagnosed with allergic bronchitis. He has been wheezing and last week he had an attack where he was wheezing so hard that he threw up. I took him to the vet and she Xrayed him and also did a test for inhalent type allergies. The results showed that he's got several allergies but tested the highest for a fungus called Cephalosporium, which is apparently a soil-borne fungus that attacks cereal grains. Our cat is a housecat so now I'm worried that the corn-based kitty litter that we use could be making him sick and possibly our other cat, too. I've cleaned out the box really well and switched to a litter made from walnut shells, but now I'm concerned about using any type of "natural" litter. Yesterday I bought some litter made from recycled paper but I think it will take awhile for the cats to get used to pellets so I'll try adding it to the other litter very slowly. (We already have a Breeze litter box with pellets and pads but only one will use it.) The allergy test also showed that he's allergic to pine and cedar (and our cedar tree bothers me, too) so those types of litter aren't an option. Have you ever had a cat get sick from kitty litter? If you have people or a cat in the house with asthma, what brand do you buy? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodhaven Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 Your post makes me stop and think. One of the cats we brought home from the shelter a year ago sometimes wheezes, and he vomits too. I always thought it was because he eats too much, vomits, and that perhaps the vommiting has affected his lungs, as it sometimes does in people. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 (edited) My wheezy cat has feline herpes. Is your change to natural litters recent? I can see how some could cause allergies. Eta: We use clay litter. I have concerns with it but decided not to foist changes into a working system. I do think my cat has improved since I took corn out of her diet. Edited August 9, 2012 by Acorn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted August 9, 2012 Share Posted August 9, 2012 My mom & sister both have asthma & they both have cats. Both use Tidy Cats litter (or other clay-based litters). There is some dust when pouring it or scooping, but maybe it's not extremely irritating to someone w/ asthma? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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