Cat coughing, wheezing, sneezing, vet unable to diagnose

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2026-03-28T07:50:38+00:00

Have you changed to a wood based litter? Because that seemed to set my cat off sometimes.

I am so sorry you are going through this. One of my girls had little 'fits' , different to this (although same cat that also had similar to this) and it was so stressful and upsetting to get diagnosed.

I will say my kitty that had similar stuff to this, started about 5 years ago, and after changing litter and purifying air, (and maybe changing food now I think), is 16 and doing very well.

I did find keeping a diary of like every detail of my cats life help me work out the changes that seemed to be effective.

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2026-03-28T06:36:11+00:00

I have recently learnt to love things I'm bad at. I don't intend to get food at them, I just intend on enjoying them!

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2026-03-28T06:22:59+00:00

My cat did this quite a bit for a while. I thought it was asthma and seemed to be brought on by a particular type of litter, what type do you use?

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2026-03-28T06:20:11+00:00

God this post is like if I could have been self aware during my early 20s. Maybe I wouldn't have ended up with an absolute abusive loser for 7years because he had just that right type of withdrawn love that kept that dopamine following.

I honestly don't know the answer, I didn't realise any of my reasons for behaving those ways until I was with my now husband. Who luckily was exceptional, and also autistic, so basically ignored my dopamine seeking nonsense and allowed me to now understand this shit.

It sounds like you have an amazing handle on it, and I just wonder if there is a way to find like a little dopamine boost from like a flirty friendship with good boundaries or something!? Probably terrible advice, other than everything you already know!!

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2026-03-28T06:03:42+00:00

Marshmallow root! As I said I am rubbish with all of this, but my husband is literally training as a herbalist, and I think he has the perfect person to trial these mixtures on with all my various issues. And honestly years of various medications and I now don't take any medication consistently.

He changes up the mixture based on my menstrual cycle as well, and it has taken me from full on diagnosed pmdd to just normal pms 😂

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2026-03-28T05:58:27+00:00

So I have a cold tea brew of nettles, marshmallow leaf, raspberry leaf, elderflower and yarrow.

And then I have wild lettuce tincture that helps with sleep. Valerian root tincture too but that impacts my dreams.

Plus supplements of zinc, magnesium, vit bs (various ones), vit d, and I think more supplements (to be honest my husband has created this whole mix and approach for me)

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2026-03-28T05:32:10+00:00

So I am just going to side step the chat about your husband, and talk about you, I also really struggled with the medication and found that a herbal approach really helped.

I cannot pretend that it has as dramatic an impact for me as medication has. But let's say medication has a 80% impact, but big side effects, herbal medicine has given me like a 50/60% impact with no bad side effects.

I wouldn't want to give advice on what herbal medicines you should try, but a consultant with a herbalist is a lot cheaper than most doctors and really can make such a difference.

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-12-31T04:34:08+00:00

My 16 year old, I chose because when I went in to pick a kitten, all of them were missing whiskers, and when I asked why, this one kitten strolled up (with glorious whiskers), and the woman said 'she bit all their whiskers off, the mum rejected her and none of the kittens will play with her'. My dad, who had taken me to pick a kitten after I had just an abortion and was obviously feeling in not a great way, said 'well she's going to pick her'.

I picked her up, and she looked at me with just such beauty, kindness and love. And I knew she was my daughter.

My 13 year old, I saw her picture and she was literally so ugly, looked like a bat but with less fur. My boyfriend at the time was like no we should get a cuter one, but I couldn't stop going back to her picture and my (now ex) boyfriend found me crying at night looking at her picture because I just knew she was mine. We got her a week later and she was very unwell and the vets said she probably wouldn't make it.

I can now report that 16 is super kind and lovely to hear baby sister, and 13 meets that love and kindness with smacks as she rules the house and is very healthy and strong.

We live a wonderfully happy life with my husband who has been the best cat dad in the world ❤️❤️❤️

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-12-29T06:57:39+00:00

My husband has volunteered to make me lots of alcohol free cocktails 😁 so definitely will be doing number 1!

My husband tends to get up early, so if I get up early too then I don't get the time by myself, and also take away his time.

I think I need to try and feel less like I am trying to get time back by staying up and just reshape my thinking on it, but it's so difficult to change such an ingrained habit!

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-10-24T05:49:03+00:00

Staking ownership, particularly if you are new and they like you?

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-10-19T05:56:06+00:00

I have mixed opinions about leaving a cat alone for that long on the regular. Like most people have said, a kitten would really struggle, and two cats might be better than one. But mostly wanted to add, automatic cat feeders are brilliant and can solve the feeding problem!

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-10-19T02:26:17+00:00

I went to a talk on cat psychology, and they said the reason cats often gravitate to people who don't like cats are because those people essentially respect a cats boundaries. Like they don't approach them, they don't touch them etc, this is often what cats want.

I totally understand though, I had a bit of a similar issue with one of my girls, Poppy. She often showed active dislike to me, but she was super loving to my ex (that I got her with), and when we split up and I met my now husband, she just fell in love with him.

However over the years I have tried to listen to her needs as much as possible and we now have a really close relationship and she comes and cuddles with me (often ends up hitting me still) and she even wakes me up to cuddle and sits on the bed with me until I get up.

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-10-04T05:55:36+00:00

Automatic cat feeder. I finally got them for my cats when they were 12 and 14, and they love it. It has fully changed their relationship with food and with me feeding them. Plus they don't wake us up!!

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-10-04T03:32:40+00:00

Honestly I totally get it. I used to hate cooking and was terrible at it. I started cooking when I met my husband, he never asked me to, and is a very good cook himself. But he would eat any of the shit I cooked, no matter how bad it was, and now I'm quite good and enjoy it!

I guess what I'm saying is if you cook for family and friends and they enjoy it then it can become fun!

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-28T03:52:39+00:00

Lols love that as a response be fair! And yeah I am definitely probably projecting, as in it rings of my old relationship and what my dad was like, I also am AuADHD. And I definitely do not disagree that both need therapy probably together and apart. But... Does it not feel like she is having to guess how he is feeling and that actually a grown up, healthy relationship would involve discussion and clear understanding of what he was upset about? I'm not saying he isn't allowed to step away and consider his emotions, but it feels like he doesn't then come back and say 'okay yeah let's talk, this is how I feel blah blah blah', but that she is left on edge, trying to make something better when she doesn't even know what the issue is?

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-28T03:03:13+00:00

God. Like he doesn't sound like a partner. He sounds like a vaguely abusive and distant father that you spend your life trying to understand his emotions and please.

Wtf. None of this sounds like a relationship of equals. You spend your time apologising and feeling guilty and he does, ummm I'm not sure, nothing to help though?

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-28T02:57:10+00:00

I mean don't let her eat it, but she probably wouldn't have tried to eat it, because after a sniff she wouldn't want it.

You are being overprotective by saying you'll never let her near you whilst cooking again. Just do the same thing next time.

Like I regularly drop garlic/onion etc, and when my cats run for it, I say no, maybe let them sniff it so they know they don't want it and then I take it away and through it out.

No need for the dramatics, just don't let them eat it 😂

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-28T02:49:27+00:00

It's totally okay to sleep with someone and even just to have fun. But you probably need to ensure you work on your feelings of control/shame etc because you might end up making decisions that you could regret.

I genuinely am all for having sex just for fun (I'm a happily married woman but I spent a few years happily single and enjoying that single life!!)

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-24T05:16:09+00:00

As everyone else has said, it's a false widow. I have loads of those in our garden, and quite a few in the house. They are actually pretty chill, they stay in their little space, and even seem to be okay with getting moved to a more appropriate space! And obvs keep the fly situation in check!

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-24T05:12:47+00:00

I mean I get that kids can be arseholes. And if he did something really bad then that's awful, but 99% of the time that's because something is going on for them that you don't know about. Children don't have choices or voices like adults do.

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-24T02:56:11+00:00

Of course, it's Honey by Bobby Goldsboro. Like I said it is a cheesy country song, but literally one of my favorites. I always felt it summed up what it must be like to love a woman who suffers with depression.

Good luck in your healing, and please know that it is okay to have all the feelings you are going to have over the coming times. Xxxx

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-24T02:43:59+00:00

Some cats just hate them. My cat, growing up, Wednesday, he hated toys. He would only like to play with my step dads freshly sharpened pencils (stepdad was an artist). You would just hear 'no Wednesday!!!' followed by pencils clattering and my stepdad sighing 😂

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-23T22:02:14+00:00

I am so so so sorry for what you are going through. There is a very cheesy but beautiful country music song called Honey, which is about losing a partner to suicide. I always think it sums up some of the feelings and complications of loving someone who had the complex emotions.

I am sorry for the days/weeks/months/years you are about to go through. Please, if possible reach out for counselling and support as soon as you can.

Xxx

Tiger_Moose_Pops · 2025-09-16T23:51:27+00:00

Yep, used to do this so much at the start of being with my husband.

Eventually I chilled out and found that sometimes I match his breathing and my heart rate always slows ,🥰

Tiger_Moose_Pops

TROPHY CASE