Coughing

I have a 10 yr old Himilayan and she has been coughing alot lately. She is still eating and playful, just every now and then she will cough a few times and it sounds pretty congested. She is a very loud purr'er, and has a gurgling sound to it after she coughs. She doesn't seem to be bothered by it so I'm not sure what it is. I took her to the vet, and after $160 of tests, one being heart worms, and antibiotics and ear drops, she is still coughing. She is an indoor cat, could it be allergies or a heart disease?
Any ideas?????

Thanks!

Could it be shes trying to get up hairballs?

It sounds different than a hairball type cough, more congestive and non-productive so to speak. It's more of a raspy sounding cough.

Well, coughing is pretty rare in felines. Usually the cause is Heartworms, lungworms, athsma, severe bronchitis, allergies and possible heart disease. Has the vet done any x rays yet?

He tested her for heart worms and that was negative. But he hasn't done any x-rays. I do hear her breathing loud sometimes when she sleeps. But I haven't noticed any wheezing. What tests/x-rays would you recommend?

Thanks for your replies. This is a great website!

I would want to do a chest x ray. You may even want to call around and ask the vets in the area on experience with athsma. It is not REAL common but it does happen. There was just an article in cat fancy magazine about it. I will check all my issues and see if I can find it. They may have put it online too. I am sure you can get to the bottom of this. I will check tonight and see if I can get more info for you.

Hi again, the cat fancy issue I am talking about is the March 2001. It does not appear that they put it online. I wish I could type the whole article for you. I will give you some of the stuff though.
Feline Asthma
symtoms
coughing,gagging,increased respitory rate, wheezing,lethargy and labored breathing.

triggers
pollens,molds,cleaners,perfume, cigarette smoke,fireplace smoke,litter dust,house dust,deoderants, air polution, air and carpet freshners, exercise, fluctuation in air temperature and stress.

If you can, get a copy and see about getting a back issue. Theres a wealth of good info in the article. I hope you can figure out what is going on soon!!