What is palliative care actually for cats?

Hi everyone, I am really struggling with Bella right now. She is 6 and has asthma, which is weird for her age, but she is having more frequent attacks. I want to support her comfort without just throwing more steroids at her. What does actual palliative care look like for a cat? Is it just doing less? I feel guilty asking for help when she is still technically 'young' compared to the senior threads I read.

I tried the comfort vs cure debate thread but it was mostly about when to stop chemo. Does this apply to asthma management too?

Palliative care isn't about doing less, it's about doing what reduces suffering. For an asthmatic cat, that means strict environmental control. No dust, no scented candles, no smoke. If she's having frequent attacks, you need to talk to your vet about adjusting the preventer meds, not just the rescue inhaler.

I have Whiskers, an 11-year-old gray with CKD stage 2. My vet tech hat says: if you're chasing a cure, you're losing. Focus on quality of life. Check out subtle signs of cat pain because cats hide it. Bella might be stressed from the environment, not just the lungs.

@stever66 that makes sense. I do keep the house clean but I use a humidifier. Is that okay? Also, I saw a thread about warmth hacks for senior cats and thought maybe adding a heated bed would help her breathing? Or is that too much?

Honestly, I think you're overthinking the 'senior' part. My Mochi is only 2 but I'm already planning for the long haul. I use a lot of food to keep things moving. If Bella isn't eating well because of the breathing issues, you might need to look at cat won't eat, what do I do?. High calorie, low effort food is key. I mix in some warm water to make it smell better. Does she like wet food?

yo paul, just my two cents. my Milo is healthy so im just observing. but i read that heated beds can actually be bad if they overheat the cat. cats regulate temp weird. i think the humidifier is good though. also, have you tried the supplements from that thread arthritis meds that actually work? i know its for joints but some of the anti-inflammatories might help the lungs too? or am i totally off base here?

@SamR No, do not use arthritis meds for asthma. That is a bad idea. Anti-inflammatories can mask pain but they don't fix lung inflammation and some can be hard on the kidneys if she's on other meds.

@mcruz Good point on the food. If she's struggling to breathe, eating can be tiring. Small, frequent meals are better.

@paulr18 The heated bed is fine if it has an auto-off timer. Don't let her sleep on it for hours straight. Check end of life checklist for the section on sleep environment, it's surprisingly useful even if she's not 'dying' yet. It's about comfort zones.

Thanks @stever66. I will check that checklist. I think the issue is I keep trying to 'fix' the asthma when I should just be making her life easier. I'll talk to my vet about the preventer dose. Does anyone have experience with using a fan to keep air moving without dust? I worry about the filter on the fan.