lack of appetite

Question
My husband and I are remodeling and have insulation lying around. We are trying to keep Kitty away from it because if she breathes in too much her breathing becomes affected. She has lost her appetite and she takes real quick, shallow breaths. This has happened twice before but she gets better. She is declawed and stays inside. What, if anything, can I give to her to make her feel better?

Answer
Apologies for the delayed response.  Since this has happened before (I am guessing before the remodeling?) it seems likely that her recent episode is related to the others than to the insulation.

Does she ever cough?  Cats can like people get asthma, which often but not always will be represented by coughing in addition to trouble breathing.  I would recommend having her seen by your veterinarian.  It is possible that the insulation though not the cause could set off her asthma if she does indeed have this condition.  If she is found to have it they can help to figure a treatment plan which uses involves steroid therapy.

Other causes of trouble breathing include viral respiratory infection, heart disease, cancer, physical trauma and other metabolic diseases.  They will be able to examine her and see if there is evidence of any such problems.

Best of luck to you and your feline friend.