Hairball? Or asthma? Or allergies?

  My 4yr old cat has always snored, and quite loudly. His nostrils are kind of black inside (the vet just asked "has he always been like this? and didn't seem too concerned,)

  Now his breathing seems louder. Last night he ws making some wierd snorring sounds, but he was awake. I think because of what I read online, I need to get him some 'hairball remedy". I never thought hairballs could make cats make those sounds though.

  He is acting fine now, but I am concerned. Anyone else had this kind of experience?

http://www.vetinfo.com/cat-snoring-normal.html

The color inside his nose is probably just skin pigmentation, which would be why the vet asked if it was always like that, or if it changed. :nod: Does he have nasal discharge? Is he coughing?

When was he at the vet? His lungs were clear?

The snoring is probably unrelated to hairballs, but it can't hurt to try. :dk: What I'm wondering if it's gotten worse because of seasonal allergies.

Thank-you for the reply. Yes, his nose looks the same. I've always noticed he dosen't have a very good sense of smell. He is just getting more raspy when he is at rest. He was making some awful sounds last night. Almost barking? He dosen't seem upset though. I have always told my hubby that I think he has asthma. Maybe allergies would explain it. He has all of his shots, but he does go outside, and here in my town..spring surley has sprung.

Oh. and the vet has said his lungs are clear, but admittedly I havent had him at the vet for over a year,

Well, you might want to take him back. Are there slugs where you are? If he's eaten any, he may have lung worm. It can be fixed up quickly with a shot, but that definitely makes for raspy breathing and a barking kind of cough. It's not common (how many cats are eating slugs?), but our Flowerbelle was literally drowning in them when she was rescued.

But it'd be nice to know if he has (or if you can rule out!) asthma, seasonal allergies, have his heart checked (sometimes breathing problems and coughs are indications of heart disease. He's young, but that's typically genetic, so age isn't necessarily a factor), etc. :nod:

Food allergies should be considered if this is not a sudden onset and the symptoms have been showing up over several years.  There is a huge discussion about food allergies due to the way commercial pet food manufactures use substandard ingredients along with ingredients that are normal allergens such as corn and wheat.  I used a veterinary naturopath who recommended transitioning my asthmatic feline to a raw diet.  I also supplemented with pet probiotics and enzymes during transition.  All dry food was eliminated (she called them doomsday kibble) and transitioned to canned cat food that is grain and corn free and now I have her on Rad Cat raw.  The ultimate transition will be raw meaty bones such as frozen whole prey.

The results so far about a year into the transitioning is a cat who's matted fur is now soft and silky.  Kitty is more active than before.  She goes outside multiple times where before she rarely left her bed.  Her coughing spells (whether asthma or allergy) has reduced frequency.  She is no longer taking prednisolone steroids for breathing which is fantastic because pred over time will make her diabetic and I do have her on herbal supplements to support opening of the bronchial airways.

If your vet cannot find any substantial organic problem with your feline that would cause the symptoms, consider asking about food allergens.

No Slugs, we live in th Okanagan...wich is the warmest part of BC Canada. He eats Go! food it is grain free. Although kitten eats Iams premium brand kitten food, and Marmalade likes to snack I gave him petromalt hairball remedy last night and this morning . He hucked an ugly thing this morning. It wasn't a normal hairball. It was full of really big grass/? I am going to keep giving him the hairball stuff daily. Do you know if cats can be shaved easily? I'm thinking that he might do with a haircut. He is sooo furry. He get matted and dosen't particuarly like being brushed. He dosen't do well with heat and I saw on some site that shaving at least the belly will give him some relief.

I appreciate the help. He has had a few bad bouts with hairballs. We had him on some allergy food from the vet once...because of chewing his self. Hummm now I might be thinking something else...he has some fur missing as though he has pulled it out or bitten it??? hummm

Seems your kitty has some sort of obstruction or intestinal irritation which they instinctively eat grasses to induce vomit.  Food allergies will also irritate the intestinal lining and may cause your pet to eat grass.  Pulling fur may also be due to a skin rash or allergy both may be caused by environmental exposure to pollen or certain proteins in the food.

An x-ray would eliminate intestinal obstruction.  Good luck shaving your cat, most do not like the sound or the process but like hair it will grow back in time.  All cats tend to shed more this time of year when we go from spring to summer.  My longhair loves the brush that has hundreds of small wires attached to the head but hates the comb because it pulls on live hair as well as dead.  If his hair is matted allot then you need to try and brush that out gently and look down to the skin for rash and discoloration.  This also forces you to determine if the cat does or does not have a flea infection which will also cause it to lick and pull on its hair.

My kitty had similar issues and we got him x-rayed to check his chest. It turned out that he had asthma and his bronchials were abnormally small. We've got two different inhalers for him - he gets 7 puffs throughout the day. It hasn't necessarily fixed the problem but the vet has said his wheezing stopped and we haven't seen him cough in quite awhile.

I was able to shave my cat (to eliminate stress for my 18 year old boy!) and he was fine. We plopped some food down in front of him to help. He did hate getting the matts off him (he can't reach to groom his lower back) and I imagine it's painful. We gradually try to go through those and sometimes take scissors to the ones that are easier to cut.

Yup. sounds like my Marmalade...Big Furry Rag doll hairy thing...we love him so much,,,but he just is soooo darn hairy!!! xoxo love you kitty!!

I surely would check with the vet.  My cat has been diagnosed with asthma.  She was making strange sounds that I thought were hairball-related.  But they got more intense and then it was like a coughing attack.  She was breathing ok but the vet took a chest x-ray and then did a heart test.  She is on two asthma pills now and is doing fine.  Strongly suggest getting the check-up because it can be very treatable.  But her sister went undiagnosed and passed away way too early.  Not meaning to scare you - but just want to say it should be addressed.  Good luck.