Advances in the understanding of pathogenesis, and diagnostics and therapeutics for feline allergic asthma

Asthma is a common inflammatory disease of the lower airways and is believed to be of allergic etiology in cats. As little progress has been made in establishing rigorous criteria to differentiate it from other inflammatory lower airway diseases such as chronic bronchitis, descriptions of ‘asthma’ in the literature have often been inaccurate, grouping this syndrome with other feline airway diseases. With the development of more sensitive and specific diagnostics, it will become easier to distinguish asthma as a disease entity. Pulmonary function testing with bronchoprovocation/bronchodilator responsiveness trials and biomarkers hold particular promise. Discrimination is of critical importance as targeted therapies for the allergic inflammatory cascade are developed and become available for therapeutic trials in pet cats.