AeroKat*

My cat has just been diagnosed with asthma, so I ordered this device to deliver the medication. It is SO easy to use, very clean instructions, and works like a charm after getting your cat used to it. Right now, it is a lifesaver in many ways. Very good product which I highly recommend.

It’s expensive but it’s worth it. It has been a year since we’ve bought this and i’ve have no issues with the product. This has been a serious lifesaver for my cat.

This review will contain my opinion of and experience with the AeroKat device but also hopefully some tips to help you get the most out of it. One of my kitties has asthma. It was previously seasonal and I would just give her prednisolone for a few weeks each year (properly tapering the dose, of course) and she would be OK. For some reason, this year, she was not getting better, despite all of my other efforts: low-dust, unscented litter; removal of air fresheners from the rooms where she spends the most time; lysine to treat her feline herpes; a diet to get rid of some of her excess weight, etc. So, I took her to the vet and we were prescribed Flovent (I get a generic from Canada, but the inhaler looks pretty much like in the official product image and it fits perfectly into the chamber). This particular cat doesn't do well on prednisolone -- she gets an electrolyte imbalance and has some urinary tract issues when she is on it for long -- so it was important to get her off the drug. That meant using the inhaler. My vet specifically recommended this brand over any other. That may be because it's the only brand she had heard of, but I went with her professional recommendation. This comes with two masks. We are using the smaller one for my cat, but she has kind of a small head. It does a good job of covering her mouth and nose. It is some type of silicone and is easy to clean. (You should clean this item about once a week. You don't want your kitty with a sensitive respiratory system to be inhaling germs!) It is also easy to attach to the chamber part of the device. For a couple of weeks while I waited for my first inhaler to arrive, I merely did what I could to get my cat used to the device. You should know that this particular cat is VERY food-motivated. So what I would do is give her some treats to distract her while my husband prepared the AeroKat device. We would then hold it on her face, working up to 10 seconds. Then I would give her more treats while my husband put it away. (It doesn't really matter what the treats are. Just use something your cat already likes anyway.) I really did find that this device required two people. My husband sort of straddles the cat while on his knees and holds her head in place, while I hold the AeroKat up to her face and press the inhaler. I think it would be difficult for either of us to do this alone. (We have another cat who requires a lot of eye drops and we developed a procedure for giving him his eye drops that we have adapted to use with this aerosol chamber.) On the other hand, this cat is feisty and active and we have both been bitten and scratched a few times, but mostly now that she is used to the procedure, it goes smoothly. We have found that it is helpful to do the inhaler FIRST, before any other treatments. (This particular cat gets the inhaler twice a day. She is also getting a potassium gel right now to help improve her electrolyte situation, and some days she is still getting prednisolone, since we are tapering her back off that now that we have the inhaler.) When we would try to do the inhaler after the gel and/or pills, she would fight us more. So, inhaler first. There is a projection near the end of the tube where you attach the mask, where there is a little green silicone flap or membrane. When the cat is breathing into the device, this will move. Our goal is to have her wear the mask and breathe for 10 seconds, but we are usually happy if she takes at least a couple of breaths after the inhaler has been discharged. Watching this flap is super helpful (if the flap is not moving, the inhaler contents may not be getting to the cat's lungs, so this is important). Anyway, with proper preparation and training/bribing of the cat, this is easy to use. It is also easy to clean and it fits our inhaler perfectly. It is made of durable materials. And it is enabling me to get this cat off prednisolone, which seems particularly damaging to her system.

Easy to use, easy to clean. We have been able to use it on our cat with ease. The flap is easy to count when using properly. Great device to help sick cats.

My cat takes this well and is comfortable and easy to use. Works well and a good fit.

Having discovered that my cat's asthma has taken a turn for the worse, I was advised to put him on Flovent twice a day. After searching the web for cats and asthma, I found out about this product. Shipment was quick, the product seems to be exactly what is needed to use an inhaler with a cat. Now comes the problem - the cat. We practiced for many days with just the mask until he would let me keep it on his face for over 10 breaths. There was no medicine involved (that is a whole other story). There is a little 'flapper' you can see move so that you can count the breaths. While waiting for the Flovent to arrive, we had to make a quick trip to the vet after a day of serious 'wretching'. I brought the Aerokat with me in case the vet decided a rescue inhalant was required (Albuterol), which it was. This was our first experience with mask and medicine. The cat was so traumatized by the visit to the vet that he sat there and breathed in exactly as directed. I was proud of us both! The vet wrote a prescription for the Albuterol and I got it filled on the way home. We were to use the inhaler every 30 minutes if the symptoms hadn't stopped. By the time we got home, they started again, so I tried to put the mask to his face and that was that. Apparently not having strangers around and being at home removed the trauma and there must have been some memory of inhaling the stuff. He went nuts. Both my husband and I tried 4 times, together and singly, before giving up. Agitiating the cat further was not helping. The albuterol he did get seemed to make an already irritated throat worse. The day after, the cat ate and drank very little. I upped his prednisone dosage by half a pill and his coughing has slowed down, but we definitely want to try the Flovent and lower the pill dosage. However, training for the mask must start all over and the treat for putting up with it has been upped to something really good. We have a long way to go before attempting to actually use an inhaler again. It may be my guy is just more stubborn that those I have read about. There seem to be many success stories about cats using this device - check out YouTube. If you are reading this review, I assume you have an asthmatic cat. Be sure and check out a Yahoo group specifically for cats on inhaled medication (FAIM, for short) - [...]. There are lots of good hints and folks are quick to answer your questions. Update (11/23/12); We had our first 'puffing' session with the Flovent last night and he did amazingly well. I can't imagine any easier way to use an inhaler with a cat than the Aerokat. I had been putting the mask on without the unit and rewarding him with a treat if he even let it stay 1 second. When he got to the point where I could keep it there for 10 seconds, I started over with the entire unit. The longer it stayed on without him turning his head away hard enough for the mask not to be replaced into position, the more treats he got. Last night I loaded the unit and used the burrito method - I sat down, placed him with his back to me between my legs, held his head gently with my left hand and used my right one to place the mask and push the inhaler. He's not happy about it, but is cooperating and getting 4 treats for his effort. The group to check out is felineasthma_inhaledmeds on Yahoo. There is tons of information and people on board to answer your questions and provide help. I can't praise them enough. Update (12/31/12): After 5+ weeks using the Aerokat, Boots has been weaned off the prednisone and accepts his puffing sessions with grace. If I shake the treats bag, he will sometimes come to me on his own. The only thing he really doesn't care for is the after-session wipe down with a damp cloth. This is a great device, although expensive. In the long run, the cost will amortize out to next to nothing, but the hit to the pocket book in the beginning is a shocker. My advice to all is patience, patience, patience and treats, treats, treats! Update (1/21/16): After 3+ years, the unit is still in great shape. It can actually be washed on the inside to remove buildup, use a cotton tip to clear out the flapper area (very gently) to better see it. I did get a backup unit from a member of FAIM because I had read these had a 2 year lifespan - who came up with that number?. The mask with it is of noticeably inferior quality - the silicone/rubber is much thinner, so the masks may not last as long. However, the thicker mask with the unit I bought in 2012 is just as good as on day one. So, day be day, the cost for the unit amortizes out to less and less per day, but that still doesn't undo the sticker shock! For a unit that gets used for 3 puffs, twice a day, every day, even the back end insertion piece is holding up just fine. Note to newbies - asthma is not curable, so don't stop administering inhaled medication just because kitty is no longer coughing. That means it is under control. If coughing is continuing, you need a higher dose. You can do back to back with 110/125 mcg, but be sure to re-shake in between. 8/17/18: FAIM has moved to groups.io. Look for FelineAsthmaInhaledMedication.

If your pet needs an inhaled medication.... this is amazing. Multiple size face masks for different sized pets. The little flapper that lets you see their breaths clearly so that you can count to make sure they get the full dose.... GENIUS. My cat does not love it. We do love it. Treats after the treatment seem to be working for forgiveness.

This is an excellent product. Only, my cat is very skittish and we just started him on a puffer. That being said, he was scared of it and he took off. I decided to get him adjusted to only the puffer with treats first, for a few months. We are in the second month; and he now tolerates the puffer, with occasional attempts of darting off. In the beginning, I place him between my legs while kneeling on the floor, so he can't go anywhere with a pile of treats. He likes me to press my hands firmly on his sides, to feel secure. When, he tries to dart I hold him and point his face at the treats, until he settles down and can eat them. I then, give him more treats and use the puffer. Again, he will try to dart, but I try to hold him, without bruising or harming him, until he gets his senses back and realizes there are treats, then eats them. Now days, I catch him relaxing in a chair, and can walk over to him, with treats, as, I give him his puffer. Over time, I am hoping to get him accustom to the AeroKat Feline Aerosol Chamber for Cats, in a few months. As, my Vet recommended, the AeroKat Feline Aerosol Chamber; as, the best way to be sure the cat gets the full dose. As, of now, he gets a dose dispersed in his face. With the AeroKat Feline Aerosol Chamber, one can actually see the medicine taken in; as, the cat breathes through the AeroKat Feline Aerosol Chamber; then, one is confident that the cat is well medicated. I gave AeroKat Feline Aerosol Chamber 4 stars, because I believe it to be a good product; and it does work very well. It is unfair to deduct more stars because my cat is extremely skittish; since, we found him emaciated as a kitten, on his own starving.