How Do You Stabilize Cats in Acute Respiratory Distress?

Elizabeth Thomovsky, DVM, MS, DACVECC, associate professor of small animal emergency and critical care at Purdue University, gives advice on how to quickly stabilize cats in acute respiratory distress.

She says do not do a lot of handling of the cat—leave them on oxygen and observe them and their respiratory pattern. By looking at their respiratory pattern, posture, and what they sound like from a distance, you can figure out whether they have upper or lower respiratory distress.