Hairball Coughing and Congestion

My cat is now a year old and he's having difficulties with what I assume is a hairball. He's been dry heaving every now and then for the last few days but nothing ever comes of it. It's awful watching him in discomfort. Today I noticed he's sounding a bit congested and he's sneezed a few times. When he purrs it sounds weird, like if someone was trying to start a car. I've been giving him malt medicine to manage his hairball but I haven't seen much improvement and I'm already at the point where I'll have to wait a week before I give him more medication.

My question is this: is congestion and sneezing a normal part of having a hairball, or am I misinterpreting what could potentially be a cold?

Thanks!

i don't think it is a hairball, the symptoms of hairballs are to some extent more severe than sneezing and congestion:

symptoms of hairballs: 

• Ongoing vomiting, gagging, retching, or hacking without producing a hairball.
• Lack of appetite.
• Lethargy.
• Constipation.
• Diarrhea.

it might be just a cold. 

there are some 'home remedies' to help the cats pass out the hairballs like having them eat a bit of butter, or coco nut oil, or a bit vegetable oil (mixed with the food), these help lubricate the intestines and the hairball would slide out. and of course brushing regularly. 

hope it helped.

Do be careful with the hairball medicine too much of it can coat their intestines so they can't absorb nutrients.  It doesn't sound like typical hairballs, I have a cat who pukes them up every other day (working on getting that fixed).  I would recommend a vet visit, it sounds like your kitty could have a respiratory issue going on.  My boy Munchie has Feline Asthma and he sounds like he is dry heaving sometimes when he is having an asthma attack.

if i fit i sit said:

 

• Ongoing vomiting, gagging, retching, or hacking without producing a hairball.

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^ This is exactly what it seems like. It's bouts of dry heaving/hacking where he's contracting his stomach as though he is trying to push out a hairball but never successfully does so. It only comes in small bouts two or three times a day. He isn't sneezing as much so I'm thinking that was unrelated. He does sound a little congested still, not as bad as before where his purring was choppy. He's lying beside me right now and his breathing sounds a little stuffy now and again. I guess I'm not used to cats making such loud noises when they have a hairball; all our cats from before just had that kind of gulping gagging noise but Gimi sounds wheezy.

I've booked a vet appointment for him yesterday, but they couldn't get us in until next Thursday. I'll be trying for a cancellation tomorrow because sometimes they have openings on the weekend. If not we'd maybe have to take him to an emergency clinic (I don't feel comfortable waiting a whole week to address this problem). I'll try giving him some butter - at least he likes it lol - but I can't give him any more of the malt medicine until sometime next week as the instructions state. I hope he can work it out of his system. I'm not sure if it is a cold or anything, he's an indoor cat and our foster cat hasn't had cold symptoms since last month. It could be asthma, is that something they can develop at random?

A full-blown asthma attack may at first resemble a cat trying to cough up a hairball, or possibly choking on food. However, the body posture is somewhat different. With asthma, the cat's body will be hunched lower to the ground and his neck and head will be extended out and down in an effort to clear the airway of mucous. The "gagging" may also be accompanied by a typical coughing sound, and possibly sneezing. The cat may or may not expel foamy mucous.

also says the cat has wheezing and it increases after an excercise 

it is a good thing you scheduled an earlier appointment, i hope it is just a hairball and not asthma..

I hope it's not asthma. : (

I haven't seen anything come out of him yet, no nasal discharge or bile. He's had this happen in the winter too, where it looked like he was going to have a hairball but nothing ever happened. I really hope the poor guy can get some relief. He hasn't had a fit since yesterday, but still a little wheezy now and then. 

I'll keep everyone posted!

Thanks for the help.

i hope it is just a tiny cold.

yes tell us the updates

We took him to an emergency clinic today and the veterinarian was very good. She checked everything out and said she couldn't find anything wrong with him. As she put it, our cat is perfectly healthy. He isn't wheezing when he breathes, he has no fever or discharge. His lungs sound nice and clean as does his heart. She feels it's more than likely a small cold and will pass in time. I asked her about asthma and she said although possible he wasn't exhibiting anything she could detect that would indicate that. However, she said if he does have these bouts more frequently and for far longer then we will consider having x-rays done. I hope she's right and it is just a simple cold! He's not had a coughing fit yet today, so I'm hoping he's getting better.

glad it is only a cold and i hope the vet is right.