Indoor cats with asthma can have symptoms triggered by basic items in your home. We often don’t even think about how the products we use as humans affect our kitties, but they do.
For those of you who have cats with asthma or chronic respiratory problems, here are a few things known to trigger these issues that we should all know about. Some are obvious – but some we never even thought about! This is another great example of why once we know better, we can do better (for our kitties)!
Asthmatic Triggers for Indoor Cats
- Fragrance enhancers. We learned this one the hard way. Plug-ins, candles, aerosol sprays and other aromatic products are usually not safe – for us or our cats. In fact, the majority of these products are downright toxic to our kitties! Asthmatic kitties do best if you discontinue use of home fragrances all together. If a fragrant home is important to you, just do your research before exposing your cats health to dangerous fumes.
- Litter Dust. Dusty litter sucks. We used to use the basic clay litter – and we’d mask our nose and mouth while scooping so we didn’t breathe it in. We didn’t even think about how our cats have to breathe in this dust every single time they used the box! Just listen to how much some cats love to scratch around in there – what a cloud of dust they create! Cats with asthma really suffer under these conditions – so if your little one has a respiratory issue, find a dust free litter and switch it up!
- Mold. Obviously everyone knows the horrible health effects mold can cause in our homes. If you have the slightest suspicion that mold may be an issue in your home, make sure to have someone conduct a thorough mold inspection. This will be beneficial for you as well as your cats.
- Cigarette smoke. This, too, should be a no-brainer but just like we didn’t think about the litter, some cat parents don’t think about their smoking habits. A cat’s respiratory system is not equipped to breathe in 2nd and 3rd hand smoke, so please make sure to only smoke outside the home and wash up well when you return inside. Residue on your hands and clothing are toxic too!
Making some minor adjustments in your home with an asthmatic cat can make a world of difference. Many have reported that simply discontinuing the use of the above items inside have reduced symptoms in their cats up to 90%!
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