My cat coughs and gags?

I don't want to say she does it frequently - about once a week. She starts wheezing randomly, and at first I used to take her to the bathroom in case she threw up, but after several episodes nothing's come up. Is she possibly swallowing her hairballs? My other cat used to do the same thing, but he's always thrown up after. I guess my question is: is it possible for her to swallow hairballs? And is it dangerous? And if so, how can I get her to stop?

It's pretty normal for cats to swallow hair and if everything is working right and it's not a huge amount of hair it should pass on through.  If it is a hairball issue there are some things you can do to help.  Daily brushing to cut down on the amount of hair that she is swallowing.  Free feeding also contributes to hairball problems.  When cats get set meals their stomachs empty they get hungry and the stronger spasms from hunger completely empties the stomach of the undigestable things that are still in the stomach like hair.  With free feeding the hair remains in the stomach and builds up.  It is possible for a large amount of hair to cause a blockage.

You might want to seriously consider a trip to the vet to make sure that this is a hairball problem.

It sounds like hairballs. Some cats pass them more easily than others. The food that sometimes gets vomited up is food that cannot make it into the stomach because of blockage from the hairball. That's why the vomit is often a cylinder shape, like the esophagus. Sometimes the hairball comes out the other end, eventually. Then some cats have problems moving the hairball either direction and that's when you need a remedy. This is where gets tricky. A lot of the ones sold in the store are absolutely useless. I've had success with Laxatone, which is a petroleum based product. There are many who say petroleum based is bad for your cat, and then again, just as many who use plain petroleum jelly with good results. Many people on this site swear by powdered egg yolk albumin (albumen?) which you can order online. I guess it comes down to personal choice. There have been many discussions here about which remedies work best, so the search tool on the site will lead you to lots of info to help you make the best choice for you your kitty

It could be hairballs, but if nothing is coming up, I would take her to the vet for a check up. Coughing can be a sign of a heart problem.