HOWTO: Build a nebulizer chamber for your asthmatic pet

One of our cats has a periodic coughing issue similar to asthma. There are multiple medication options for treating these symptoms, including pills and mist inhalation. Now, I don’t know about YOUR cats, but MINE are none too fond of taking pills, and the ailing cat in question is a large male who has left us with battle scars from pill-related skirmishes over the years. So I voted for the inhalation method.

Our vet prescribed albuterol sulfate for use in a nebulizer. When humans require these types of treatments, the nebulizer is attached to a mask or mouthpiece which the patient uses and inhales the mist for a few minutes. Companies actually DO produce small masks for this purpose for use on a dog or cat, but once again, I laughed at the low probability of success we anticipated in holding a plastic mask on the face of a 13-year-old tomcat for five minutes straight.

Then I thought:

• Cats love to be in boxes
• Boxes can be filled with medicinal mist
• A cat in an enclosed box filled with medicinal mist will necessarily breathe it in

And thus, the cat nebulizer chamber project was born.  This project is so simple that almost anyone can complete it successfully.  If you’d like to make one yourself, here’s what you’ll need… Continue reading →