The Cat's Difficulty Breathing and Pleural Effusion

The Cat's Difficulty Breathing and Pleural Effusion
By Dr. Jirasin Jintanapupisit (Dr. JJ), Khwankham Animal Hospital

Pleural effusion is one of the causes of difficulty breathing in cats. This condition involves the accumulation of fluid in the chest cavity, which compresses the lungs and reduces their ability to expand properly. It is considered an emergency that requires immediate intervention!

How can you tell if your cat has pleural effusion?
If a cat has pleural effusion, it will show signs of difficulty breathing, which is often the primary concern that brings the cat to the vet. The veterinarian will diagnose the condition using diagnostic tools, such as chest X-rays and ultrasound, to detect fluid in the pleural cavity.

How do we manage pleural effusion?
Since this condition leads to difficulty breathing, which is an emergency situation, the initial step is to place the cat in an oxygen chamber to calm it down and increase the oxygen intake. This is a critical step, as attempting other procedures while the cat is still struggling to breathe could lead to fatal outcomes.

Once the cat stabilizes after resting in the oxygen chamber, further diagnostics, such as chest X-rays or ultrasound, will be conducted. If pleural effusion is confirmed, the veterinarian will drain the fluid from the chest cavity to reduce pressure, allowing the lungs to expand properly and alleviating the cat's breathing difficulties. The fluid drained may be lymph, pus, or blood, depending on the underlying cause.

Common causes of pleural effusion in cats include heart failure, infections in the pleura, FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis), tumors in the chest, and trauma causing bleeding in the chest cavity.

To determine the exact cause of pleural effusion in each cat, further diagnostic tests, such as analyzing the fluid, are required. Ongoing treatment will vary depending on the underlying cause.