Kitten Wheezing

Hello, my kitten is 5 months old and today for the 1st time he started coughing, but it wasn't really a cough almost like a wheezing in his lungs it kinda sounded like a squealing sound. He has received all his shots, 4-in-1, leukemia, & deworm. He is an indoor only Domestic Short/Medium Hair. He's very playful. I'm concerned about this, any ideas?

Oh and he had fleas, I was determined to get rid of them using just Dawn dish detergent & I had been washing him with that often but that didn't get rid of all of them so I gave in and bought him a Hartz flea collar which he's been wearing several weeks now. Could the chemicals in that be causing this after several weeks of wearing it? Also, I bought him the soft claws nail caps and he's been biting at them and afraid he may have ingested a few.

Throw away the collar...or, at least, put it in your vaccum cleaner bag.

Check out the web site Hartz Kills.

Go to your vet (or online, or Costco) and get Advantage, Revolution, or one of the other name-brand spot-on flea treatments. It will make your life much easier.

The coughing COULD be a hairball, or it could be a cold (does the kitten go outside?), or it could be such nasty things as lungworms, etc. Do some research on the treatments above; some of them will kill worms, too.

What is the kitten's posture while it's coughing? Crouched down, head low and neck stretched out?

The claw covers will pass through the digestive tract with no trouble.

Thanks for the reply. He is an indoor only kitten. He was laying down when he was doing this.

Any recommendation on getting the chemicals off him? I read on the flea collar that getting it wet will not diminish the flea killing effects so that must mean it stays on his coat even when wet. I just bathed him with Dawn dish detergent, any other tips?

A Dawn wash isn't going to kill all the fleas. Some but not all. The wheezing could be an allergic reaction to the flea collar. It could also be a cold. Midnight wheezed when he had a cold. You should really take him to the vet, and have him checked out. For fleas I always use Revolution on my cats. So far it's worked great.

I don't have much help, but would honestly love to see you ditch the flea collar, especially the brand you're using, and get him to the vet to get proper flea treatments (and to make sure he's not sick, etc). I use Revolution for my kitty. It's a once a month treatment, and treats & prevents more than just fleas.

https://www.revolution4cats.com/default.aspx

First off get rid of the flea collar. It might not be causing the wheezing but who knows when it comes to OTC stuff like that. If you need flea meds, try to get them from your vet. Dawn is good and helps repel fleas but it's not going to kill them all, if any, Still, it does a pretty good job. I'd probably call the vet about the wheezing although he does not sound sick from the info you have posted. Best of luck and do let us know what you find out.

The classic "hairball cough" is crouching down, neck stretched out, and possibly weaving the head back and forth.

It looks like you took off the collar. Wait for a couple of weeks, then apply Frontline, Advantage, or Revolution. Put it on the back of the kitten's head. Apply it at least twice, one month apart. You'll find they will kill the fleas in your house, too.

Putting the collar in your vacuum cleaner bag will kill the fleas you vacuum up, and it won't do the vacuum any damage, like it might to the cat.

Fleas do carry a number of parasites, most notably tapeworms, so watch for signs of them and treat them if necessary.

A thorough vet checkup wouldn't be a bad idea, if you can do that.

If the cough continues get him into your vets. It could also be Asthma the way you describe it as a wheezing sounds, makes me think asthma. If he seems like he is not breathing good, shallow frequent breaths then get him seen quick. Pay attention to the cats sides you will see them move more as he is fighting for air.
Glad you did get rid of the collar.Frontline plus is what I find is best for fleas. Stay away from any Hartz or OTC flea products

Another possibility is a heavy infestation of roundworms. The topical flea treatment Revolution kills external parasites, such as fleas and ear mites, and also roundworms. Roundworms get in the lungs and can cause coughing spells. Usually, you need to get Revolution from your vet.