My cat has breathing issues. Should I cage him and what precautions?

If he is dyspneic, he may have both upper and lower airway disease. I find that chest x-rays can underestimate the extent of lower airway disease. In some of these cases, we have to do additional diagnostics such as a thoracic CT, bronchoscopy and in some cases biopsy. He may need to be evaluated by a veterinary internal medicine specialist. Discuss this with your veterinarian.

This is a medical emergency - he is also very pale which indicates he is not getting sufficient oxygen around his system. This can be due to anemia, heart/lung disease or severe infection and shock. Please have him fully assessed by a vet urgently as this is immediately life threatening

I understand that, but Mimu is having trouble breathing so it's a medical emergency. This will be very distressing to him, and it may be he is having heart problems such as heart failure. Heart failure will cause fluid to build up back in his lungs, causing labored breathing. If he does have this and it's left untreated, he will literally drown in fluid in his lungs. You do not want to do that to him, so you need to bring him into a vet immediately. If he does have heart failure, there are medications that can be prescribed to make him more comfortable and diminish his symptoms. Please take him into a vet now. Best of luck.

I understand your concerns for Scuff! Fortunately, from the signs that you describe, a foreign body obstruction from plastic is unlikely, as significant vomiting and anorexia would be expected. Wheezy breathing and changes in purring can be caused by asthma, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, among others. While I understand Scuff's fear of the vet, in this case, that is the only way that he's going to be diagnosed and treated appropriately. Consider looking into mobile vets in your area to see if they can make house calls and also have a portable x-ray machine. It sounds as though Scuff will likely need to have chest x-rays to get to the bottom of his problem. I hope that all goes well!

He may have an upper respiratory infection, which is quite common in cats. It is hard to say for sure without examining him myself. You can try using a humidifier to break up any mucous. As an alternative you can place him in the bathroom with the shower running for 5-10 minutes 2 x daily. However he ultimately will likely need antibiotics to clear up any bacterial infection that may be present. I would also recommend getting him on antiviral medication (I.e. lysine powder or gel from your local pet store or vet clinic) to treat for a suspected underlying viral infection. I hope your kitty feels better soon. Best wishes and take care.

You are correct that Jeje's respiratory rate is higher than normal, but it's good that he's breathing with his mouth closed. I would be very concerned if he was opening mouth breathing, as that's a sign of respiratory distress in cats. He may not be feeling well at the moment leading to the increased respiratory rate. Because I can't see him in person, I can't say for certain he will be ok, so it's certainly fine to take him into a vet now for a health check. Otherwise, you can monitor him, and if his respiratory rate is still high in the morning, I would have him seen by a vet.

It is impossible to answer this accurately without an indication as to what is causing her breathing problems - heart/lung disease, pain, infection, inflammation and swellings in the nose or throat could all be contributing and options for treatment would depend on exactly what is causing her issues. Please seek a full health check for her as soon as possible in order to identify the source of her problem and discuss management options