Thank you! We can use those vibes! I won't get his results until tomorrow or Saturday. My vet thinks it's unlikely it's heartworms, but his cough just comes out of nowhere. Weird. He had another spell in the middle of the night.
Bunnelina, do you have a thread about his coughing? I haven't been on TCS enough to have seen one. I'm curious what it sounds like...is it a wet sounding cough (like Helen's) or a dry, hacking cough?
Hi BrookSphynx, I don't have a thread. I hope I don't need to start one.... Possum's coughing started in October when he had calici virus. He'd have long, scary attacks, but at least we knew it was the virus. After he got better, he continued to have occasional long coughing spells into December, January, and February. These would often happen when he was sleeping; he'd wake up with a coughing spell maybe once a week. Otherwise, he seemed fine. In March, I was hopeful that they'd they'd tapered off and stopped for good. But he's had three more spells in the past week.
Yay!!! So glad to hear another negative HW result!! The waiting was awful, right?Originally Posted by Bunnelina
Hi BrookSphynx, I don't have a thread. I hope I don't need to start one.... Possum's coughing started in October when he had calici virus. He'd have long, scary attacks, but at least we knew it was the virus. After he got better, he continued to have occasional long coughing spells into December, January, and February. These would often happen when he was sleeping; he'd wake up with a coughing spell maybe once a week. Otherwise, he seemed fine. In March, I was hopeful that they'd they'd tapered off and stopped for good. But he's had three more spells in the past week.
His former coughing spells would last between 20 and 40 seconds I'd say. He would crouch on all fours, stick his neck out and cough deeply and continuously with wide eyes and a lot of effort. I'm sorry I can't really tell you if they were wet or dry. They were sort of in the middle. (So not very wet, but also not a "light" dry cough.) I could tell he was freaked out by each episode — he was only a little kitten, and they seemed to last an eternity.
His recent coughing spells have been shorter and a bit less violent, but he's a great big cat now. I asked our vet if I could be confusing them with retching (like with a hairball) and I'm still not sure. I guess they look similar.
I'm still waiting for his heartworm test results. Fingers crossed!!! And thanks very much for the vibes.
How useful to have a cat who is also an exfoliator! If she liked to lick feet, she could give pedicures!
More seriously, have you considered consulting other vets, possibly a cardiopulmonary specialist, to try to get to the bottom of this? I can only imagine how stressful it must be for you to be worrying that Helen might have another collapse. I would find it difficult to ever leave the house.
UPDATE: Possum's heartworm tests are negative. YAY!!! The vet thinks the coughing could be a lingering effect from the virus, an allergy, or post-nasal drip (he has a cold, very wet nose). I'm really relieved we stop worrying about heartworms! I hope Helen is doing well!
Great to hear Max's cough went away on it's own! How long did the coughing last before it went away?Originally Posted by MaxMommy
I went through a strange cough with my five year old kitty Max over the winter. It came on over night. We had him tested for heartworms which was negative. We also treated him for the lung worm even though the vet did not think it was lung worms. The vet did not think it was asthma either from the xray and he gave Max a shot of long acting steroid which did not improve the cough. They also from the xray ruled out heart issues and did not hear a murmur.
It was very upsetting not knowing why Max was coughing, but the good news is that it slowly went away. I am just hoping it was a kitty cold or virus and won't come back. I hope Helen's cough goes away soon and she is feeling better!
