Background: 

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an inflammatory airways diseased mainly caused by tobacco smoke inhalation.

Objectives: 

The aim of this study was to investigate cat as an animal model for cigarette smoke-induced COPD and the efficacy of tiotropium for its treatment.

Methods: 

Fifteen healthy adult male cats were randomly categorized into 3 groups: I) control group, II) cigarette smoke-induced COPD and III) cigarette smoke-induced COPD and treatment with tiotropium. The protocol of induction of COPD with cigarette runs for 4 days burning 190 cigarettes. A clinical score was recorded for animals in each group as follow: four symptoms including spontaneous cough, dyspnoea, sputum and nasal discharge were graded for severity using a 0–3 scale (0= none; 1=mild; 2=moderate; 3=severe). In all experimental groups, clinical signs were scored by continuous observation.

Results: 

The COPD group showed significantly higher score for all of clinical symptoms compare with control group. Cigarette smoke induced COPD cats did not show any clinical signs after treatment with tiotropium except mild nasal discharge.

Conclusions: 

Cat is one of the good animal models for clinical signs of COPD. Treatment with tiotropium could effectively reduce score for clinical signs in this animal model of COPD.