He added that smoke from fireplaces and wood-burning stoves also can affect cats’ comfort level and health, and he suggests that homeowners frequently change their air filters.
“One of my pet peeves is people who are not careful about changing the air filters on their furnace,” Dr. Keesling said.
Drew Weigner, DVM, Diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners, and founder of The Cat Doctor in Atlanta, GA, the first feline-only practice in the United States, said cats with heart conditions or conjunctive eye problems can be affected by second-hand smoke, as well as those with existing respiratory problems like asthma.
“Cats with these conditions already have a more difficult time breathing,” Dr. Weigner said. “If they are subjected to smoke, they can develop more symptoms, making it more difficult to treat and control.”
Dr. Weigner also said that while it hasn’t been proven, it wouldn’t surprise him if cats were allergic to smoke.
Lisa E. Moore, DVM, assistant professor at Kansas State University Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, agreed that cats with asthma or other respiratory problems would be adversely-affected by exposure to second-hand smoke.
“Cats with respiratory problems or asthma would get much worse around smoke,” Dr. Moore said.
