Hi guys, wanted to get other people's experiences of this, especially British Shorthair owners.

My British Blue is about a year old now, and after running around like crazy - or generally working herself up (going to the vet for example) she will start wheezing. Apart from the noise she seems completely fine, and she will continue running around and playing. There is no panting or gagging, just a nasal wheeze. This will stop when her breathing returns to normal.

Apart from this, her health is in perfect condition, she eats and drinks with no problem and she shows no sign of being in discomfort.

I have taken her to the vet a few times, he put her on antibiotics first in case it was an upper respiratory infection, but this had no effect. He took three swab tests, one from each eye and one from the back of her throat - and he reckons she's a carrier for Herpes, Chlamydia and another I forget.

He reckons a Polyp might exist in her airway somewhere, but he cannot say for sure without putting her under and having a look. I'm reluctant to go down this route unless absolutely necessary, especially as he said it's a characteristic of the breed that their nasal passages are more 'squished' than other breeds. I just wonder if others have experienced this?

I have a black smoke bsh and hes nearlly two ive had no issues with breathing even with there face shape being a little flatter than other breeds i was going to suggest having his nose checked out in case of polyp also but noticed as i read on you have mentioned it also. Is it ever since you have had him or a new thing. Does he go out or is he a house cat, Only reason i ask as if he goes out could pollen be effecting him ? sorry cant help more. good luck.

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Poppy wheezes and it turns out she is asthmatic, or whatever the cat-equivalent is called. This was diagnosed after several visits to the vet, and started when she was about a year old. I now give her Ventipulmin (sp? can't read vet's handwriting!) which is really a horse medication, but a pinch of it in her food every morning helps stop the wheezing and dries up the phlegm. It might be something worth asking your vet about.

Nasal polyps are VERY common in humans with asthma. If she has bronchospasm from asthma she may possibly have nasal polyps too (not sure if they are common in asthmatic cats as I am not a vet). I can understand your reluctance to investigate further if it is not causing paticular problems.

My BSH boy can get wheezy and short of breath after a game of "da bird" but it soon passes.

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Sorry for slow response, had problems accessing internet.

I'm leaning towards not doing anything - as I said I'd rather not have the op done unless absolutely necessary, especially as we don't even know that's the cause.

What worries me is if it could get worse as she gets older though...

Max my 1 year old moggie has feline asthma, he is very chesty and coughs on exertion. Unfortunately he also has an enlarged heart which doesn't help things.

Does your cat cough at all?

No she never coughs, she sneezes occasionally but that's it.

My BSH sneezes from time to time and sometimes while sleeping breathes very hard. I´m taking her to the vet tomorrow and will mention it.

First of all have you wormed her? I only ask this as sometimes a lung worm can course them to have symptoms of asthma. If you have wormed her get your vet to check to see if your cat has Asthma if she does its not the end of the world. if its not too bad then it can be controlled by steroid tablets, if they don't work she may benefit from an inhaler. I had a foster ragdoll that had Asthma amounts other conditions and he soon learned to tolerate the inhaler you can read his story here Socrate's Appeal , feel free to pm me if it does turn out to be asthma and you need some advise

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How did it go at the vets?