Welfare management of chronic respiratory conditions in cats including feline asthma, upper respiratory disease, and brachycephalic syndrome, covering diagnosis, treatment, and quality of life optimization.
Chronic respiratory conditions in cats cause welfare harm through two mechanisms: the direct physical discomfort of impaired breathing and the anxiety that accompanies respiratory difficulty. Cats with inadequately managed asthma experience recurrent episodes of dyspnea that are frightening as well as physically distressing. Brachycephalic cats with structural airway compromise experience continuous, lower-grade welfare compromise from their anatomy — the breeding-in of extreme facial flattening has created a population of cats with built-in suffering that requires ongoing management. Managing chronic respiratory welfare requires accurate diagnosis, appropriate medical therapy, environmental trigger identification and elimination, and for brachycephalic cats, honest discussion of whether surgical intervention to improve airway function is welfare-appropriate.