A Perth woman has revealed how she has to give her cat an inhaler three times a day after he was diagnosed with asthma.
Kelly Boyle, 35, and her cat Rascal, have attracted a large online following after revealing how they cope with the condition – thought to affect up to 5% of felines worldwide.
When Rascal developed a small cough, Kelly assumed that a hairball had become lodged and bought the pet a paste to help.
But when nothing was coming up, Kelly knew that something was not right as the cough then turned into a “harsh hack”.
Cat developed ‘hacking cough’
She told The Courier: “The hacking cough was up to six times a day.
“At that point we took him to the vet and I was asked if I’d ever heard of feline asthma, which I hadn’t.
“They did some x-rays and some blood work and at that point they said: ‘Your cat has asthma’.
“He was four years old at the time – he’s now nine.
“It’s very rare and unheard of. If you said to people my cat’s got asthma, they’d just laugh at you.”
According to the Blue Cross animal charity, a variety of things can bring on asthma in cats.
Triggers include pollen, grass, mould, dust mites, tobacco smoke, cat litter, household cleaning products and even some foods.
Kelly bought Rascal in 2014 but his symptoms did not show until the age of four.
£25,000 spent treating cat with asthma
Since being diagnosed, Kelly has spent about £25,000 on treatment for her furry friend.
But she was willing to fork out whatever it took to help him.
She said: “Rascal is not just a cat, he’s my family.
“He’s my rock, he’s my soulmate and we’re inseparable.”
Kelly – who gets support from Fair City Vets – has been raising awareness of Rascal’s ordeal through her Instagram page.
She has more than 19,000 followers and has been inundated with messages thanking her for spreading the message.
She added: “I always tell everyone if in doubt, get it checked out. It’s so important.
‘Rascal is now full of life’
“Rascal is now full of life, curious and I think with him having asthma, it’s brought us so much closer.
“It’s an unbreakable bond. The first thing I do in the morning is give him his inhaler and it’s the last thing I do at night.
“He’s very good at taking his inhaler and has a much better quality of life now.
“He has a very active life – he can run, jump and he is always exploring.”
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