feline asthama

Question
hello,
i suspect my male cat is suffering from feline asthama. he is coughing and not responding to any other common cough medicines the Vet has prescribed. unfortunately, In my country, there are no treatment options available. there are no X rays and other systems for diagnosis. I just wonder, how long can cats survive without the treatment? is there any way of imoporting your medicines? can there be any other reason of coughing in cats other than asthama.
please please please help me. i am litrally in tears over it all.  

Answer
There are other things like heart failure and heart worms that can cause chronic coughing.  But ask your vet if he carries prednisone.  This is a very common anti-inflammatory steroid that is the primary treatment for asthma in cats.  If that's available over there, then I would think it would be worth giving a shot.

Cats with chronic asthma can survive with the condition, though it is uncomfortable and may alter their quality of life.  If the cat has acute asthma attacks, then they will threaten his life.

I'm not sure about importing the medications that we use here.  That would depend on your government, I think.  But I would ask the vet about it.  He should know whether it's legal to bring prescription drugs into your country.