Cat wheezing when sleeping

Hi Annrenee. From the little I know here, this sounds more complicated than a typical cat recovering from herpes or calicivirus. To clarify, there is no virus called feline respiratory virus. Upper respiratory symptoms are most often (about 90%) caused by feline herpes virus, feline calicivirus, or both. There are also sometimes bacterial complications.

But what bothers me about your description is that it doesn’t sound like your cat has typical upper respiratory signs like we would expect to see from your typical shelter kitty, at least not mostly. Wheezing is more of a lower airway sign. Cats with asthma/inflammatory airway disease will show signs of wheezing or coughing(often confused with trying to bring up a hairball).

Cats with viral upper respiratory infections often have a lot more signs of sneezing, nasal congestion, and conjunctivitis. But their signs settle in a couple of weeks once they get home and they’re not under stress. It sounds like you’ve been observing this for a good 6 months.

You could be dealing with a more chronic inflammatory airway condition.

The other thing that is a distinct possibility from your description of the snoring, loud breathing, etc. and from your cat’s young age is a nasopharyngeal polyp. If the wheezing is not from the lower airway, it could be from something affecting the back of the throat area, and the snoring is suspicious. Here is a link to an article with more information on nasopharyngeal polyps. The good news is that these can often be diagnosed with x-rays or sometimes suspected during an oral exam if a vet can get a good enough look. A lot of times sedation is needed to look far enough back behind the soft palate to see them. 

I think that would be something worth looking into. As far as another medical condition like asthma or some kind of chronic bacterial complication of the lower airway, testing and identifying causes are often less clear. Many cats can be asymptomatic carriers of bacteria in their respiratory tract, so testing for the presence of those organisms doesn’t always mean they’re causing disease. Some veterinarians may elect a course of antibiotics and/or steroids to determine the type of improvement being seen. A humidifier where he sleeps at night may help.

As for what you have been giving him already. Perhaps some degree of inflammation has been addressed, but you still have a significant issue occurring. I think investigating for a polyp is at least a good step to consider given what you’ve described.

My only other comment is on the olive oil. It’s not harmful, but it is a significant source of calories and can easily lead to weight gain. If your goal is to get some omega fatty acid supplementation in, consider a green-lipped mussel supplement. It is a marine source with unique anti-inflammatory properties and is not subject to the same toxicity concerns seen in generic fish oils. 

Dear Dr. Vanderhoof~

Thank you very much for your reply and the extensive information you’ve given!

This is so helpful and gives us clarity as to the direction we must take with Lynx I am very glad to know about the green-lipped mussels supplement, too: he does love his seafood 😊

I will research the link you sent as well as what other steps we need to take while we await his appointment with the veterinarian here. Our local veterinarian is booked through November 20, Lynx’s appointment is that day

We may need to look for a different veterinarian in our area so we can get him in sooner

I have some phone calls to make with this information in mind

I will keep you informed with what I find out 

Warm blessings,

AnnRenée