My cat has asthma, and I am supposed to take him to a specialist but...?

I have lots of problems in doing this. I took him to the vet yesterday because he had an asthma attack the night before. He was attacking the vet (hes pretty mean) so the vet could not examine him, and he didn't want to tranquilize him because he was concerned about respiratory arrest/failure if he did so. Now he wants me to take him to a specialist but here are my issues:
1) He can't be properly diagnosed/treated unless I bring him to the specialist WHILE he's having symptoms, and the closest specialist is 40 mins away.
2) He's very aggressive even when he is having an attack, and the last thing they would want to do is tranquilize an asthmatic cat.
3) It's veeeeeery expensive to take him to the specialist and I don't know what treatments or testing are actually necessary, I really cannot afford too much but I will do what I have to in order to save my kitty.

So it seems from what I have read online that the treatment for asthma in cats is same as for people and the same inhalers people use during an attack cats also use. Is this true? Would it be a bad idea to give my kitty an OTC asthma inhaler when he's having an attack- Primetene Mist ok? I don't know what to do. Any help is appreciated.

I changed their litter to Swheat scoop last week because I found out clay litter is bad for my bunny.

Personally, I wouldn't use Primatine, as there is talk of taking it off the market (if not already) for human use. A friend who is an Asthmatic won't use it as a rescue inhaler. Look for other meds that can be used for a cat.

When my cat had his first (and only) incredibly severe Asthma attack that lasted almost two hours. I immediately went on the internet, found a few possible home remedies, and I shot a little diluted H2O2 into him...it was Saturday night (actually Sunday morning) and the emergency vet was an almost 2 hour drive......I think he got more in his stomach than lungs, but it relieved him within ten minutes. He came out of the attack, and when I took him to the vet on Monday, he got his one and only steroid shot. Fortunately, he hasn't had an episode since.

If you are interested in doing more research of Hydrogen Peroxide as an aid to asthma, just do a search on it. There are a few home treatments suitable for cats, so do a little research.

Cats can suffer from indoor air more than we humans can, particularly if they don't go out. Carpets, dust mites, dander on the fur, toxins exuded by carpets/furniture/paint/household cleansers all build up in a cat's tiny lungs and can cause distress in the bronchial tubes.

Good luck, and happy research.

For the safety of your cat, I would contact your vet and ask him. You can't believe everything you read online.

First off I am not a vet, but I have had experience with my kitty having had upper respitory issues. I am not sure if it was an asthma attack. but I have seen her look like she would have a wheezing coughing attack.. When she does get emotional she has these wheezing coughing attacks but she used to get it a lot of the time after using her litter. So I did some research on kitty litter and I did not like what I found look at the below website that has a letter regarding scoopaway kitty litters...
I strongly suggest for you to change your litter....to a natural one. Purchase some Natures Miracle kitty litter and Swheat Scoop Natural litter and interchange the two.. In other words, change her kitty litter, she may be having upper respitory problems from her litter. Make sure you if you do change her litter do it gradually or you may have more problems .. Put the new stuff first and then the old stuff on the top for about a week gradually changing completely to Sweatscoop and then later add Natures miracle kitty..so then you eventually you will have a mixture of the two... One is made with wheat and the other is corn... The reason why i use both is because Sweat scoop away is all natural so it tends to stick to bottom when it gets wet more often where the Miracle kitty litter is makes clumps which is good but it has a stronger scent. Sweat does not have a smell. So I mix them.
It was a blessing... Because I was taking every other week to get an antibiotic for an upper respitory infection.... and she RARELY has an attack..
Take care of kitty he sounds just like my kitty SHE is also Terror in the Vets office. She won't let her touch her at all.. He sounds like he has some emotional issues too..I don't think he needs a specialist....

Good luck...
Change his litter I guarantee it will solve some of his problems..