Dr Anuska was my last hope after my 7-year-old feral rescue DSH cat suddenly started having bad coughing fits in winter 2013. After the fits, her breathing would be rapid and laboured and she would be stressed out and exhausted. Sometimes she would have a fit every 20 minutes – it was heart-breaking. I was afraid I was going to lose her…
She was examined by a vet and X-Rays were done, which were inconclusive, I was told. A heart murmur was identified.
I was advised that my options were as follows:
Try to give her quality of life by putting her on cortisone and cough meds for the rest of her life
OR
Submit her to open-chest surgery performed by a veterinary specialist which may or may not reveal the problem. (Open-chest surgery for a cat diagnosed with a heart condition?)
Obviously for me, none of the two were an option!
I had a telephonic consultation with Dr Anuska and she went into great detail not only about Luna’s physical condition and symptoms, but her personality, history, habits – a proper holistic consultation.
Later when she came to Johannesburg, she examined Luna and did not find a heart murmur – however I believe these can come and go in cats.
Luna’s affliction appeared to be asthma and I was advised to remove all possible irritants such as the micro-particle silicone kitty litter I was using, that creates a lot of dust.
Dr Anuska prescribed lung drainage homeopathic drops, specially concocted for Luna and various other support meds, all homeopathic. Within days there was a marked changed and Luna’s coughing fits were fewer.
She has now been on the meds for 2 years and there are times I believe she is cured because I simply don’t hear or see her having a coughing fit.
But asthma in incurable in cats as it in in humans and can only be managed.
These days Luna seems to cough a bit in winter, especially when it’s really cold and she is extremely susceptible to cold.( This is a cat that sleeps under a heavy duvet in summer and sits on top of bar heaters in winter). However the fits are very short and nowhere near as debilitating as before. In winter the air is drier and dustier so it makes sense.
From what seemed a life-threatening condition, to once-in-a-while coughing is nothing short of a miracle for me. Especially in light of having been faced with letting her be cut in half for exploratory purposes!
I am indebted to Dr Anuska for saving Luna’s life. Because that’s what she did.
