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My cat had a "coughing" attack today and has had 4 other attacks previously. I wrote them off as hairball hacking but as I was googling today, I'm coming across lots of videos of cats having asthma attacks and I'm freaking myself out. I also read an old thread posted here and someone mention it's hard to tell whether it's a hairball or asthma. Yet reading the symptoms of an asthma attack vs. a hairball, the signs seem pretty clear (lowered body position with neck extended).
The first time, I was petting his neck and he suddenly started "coughing". His head was low and neck extended. I anticipated a hairball. Nothing came out. A few days before this coughing, I found that he had vomited but it was mostly just liquid and it was dried up by the time I noticed. The same thing happened a week or so later. I thought maybe he licked up the hairball or something.
I wasn't there to witness his next coughing fit. My mom watched him cough and then vomit liquid. She didn't mention it to me until a few days later. This was when I thought it odd and started googling. I decided to wait to see if a hairball would surface.
Then he vomited (I don't quite remember the timing of this). It was the only time he really vomited and, again, I was away for the day so I left him some dry food. He very graciously left a pile of kibble vomit topped with hair on a dustpan. Haha! (I stopped feeding him dry after that.)
The third coughing attack happened when I was just waking up and he was roaming around and waiting for his breakfast. He coughed in the same position as the first time I saw him do it: head low and neck extended. Nothing came out.
The fourth time, I was petting his neck again and he started coughing. He coughed twice but his head wasn't down low.
Now, today, a month or so later, he was sleeping on his pillow and he started coughing. Unfortunately, I wasn't there again but my mom witnessed it and called for me to come downstairs. She said he coughed in his sleeping position about 4-5 times.
We did do something different today though: he followed me outside into the garden for the first time and explored in the soil and rolled around in the grass. So him having allergies has also crossed my mind.
However, what's going through my mind the most was what the lady at the shelter said offhandedly before I adopted him. She said (to herself), "Let me check if he's still got his cold" and she looked at his face and nose. I didn't think anything about it after that.
So I'm wondering if it's also possible it might be some residual cough from his cold... 3 months ago.
I do plan to take him to the vet as soon as I can. What tests should I ask for? I'm reading that a chest x-ray is the best solution. Are there other tests that I should ask the vet to do? And what should I expect financially?
Thanks for reading my long post. It's 3 AM and all those videos and symptom lists are scaring me. I'm feeling a bit guilty I didn't take this seriously a month ago too. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions
The first time, I was petting his neck and he suddenly started "coughing". His head was low and neck extended. I anticipated a hairball. Nothing came out. A few days before this coughing, I found that he had vomited but it was mostly just liquid and it was dried up by the time I noticed. The same thing happened a week or so later. I thought maybe he licked up the hairball or something.
I wasn't there to witness his next coughing fit. My mom watched him cough and then vomit liquid. She didn't mention it to me until a few days later. This was when I thought it odd and started googling. I decided to wait to see if a hairball would surface.
Then he vomited (I don't quite remember the timing of this). It was the only time he really vomited and, again, I was away for the day so I left him some dry food. He very graciously left a pile of kibble vomit topped with hair on a dustpan. Haha! (I stopped feeding him dry after that.)
The third coughing attack happened when I was just waking up and he was roaming around and waiting for his breakfast. He coughed in the same position as the first time I saw him do it: head low and neck extended. Nothing came out.
The fourth time, I was petting his neck again and he started coughing. He coughed twice but his head wasn't down low.
Now, today, a month or so later, he was sleeping on his pillow and he started coughing. Unfortunately, I wasn't there again but my mom witnessed it and called for me to come downstairs. She said he coughed in his sleeping position about 4-5 times.
We did do something different today though: he followed me outside into the garden for the first time and explored in the soil and rolled around in the grass. So him having allergies has also crossed my mind.
However, what's going through my mind the most was what the lady at the shelter said offhandedly before I adopted him. She said (to herself), "Let me check if he's still got his cold" and she looked at his face and nose. I didn't think anything about it after that.
So I'm wondering if it's also possible it might be some residual cough from his cold... 3 months ago.
I do plan to take him to the vet as soon as I can. What tests should I ask for? I'm reading that a chest x-ray is the best solution. Are there other tests that I should ask the vet to do? And what should I expect financially?
Thanks for reading my long post. It's 3 AM and all those videos and symptom lists are scaring me. I'm feeling a bit guilty I didn't take this seriously a month ago too. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions