Coughing/gagging cat for +1week now

Hello everyone

My male cat, Dennis, is 1 year 7 months old and is a siamese mix. He has been out of sorts for over a week now.  First he developed a mild UTI and I took him to the vet who prescribed metacam (anti-inflammatory) we used this and the UTI has gone now.  However not last Thursday, but the Thursday before, Dennis caught a robin and chomped it up (unsure if he actually ate any but there was blood!) he was absolutely fine and full of beans until Saturday night.  He then was coughing/gagging and was sick twice (very unlike him).  Since then he hasn't been sick but he is coughing alot and has been a bit out of sorts. He is still eating and playing and not overly lethargic.

I have ended up taking him to the vet three times last week, they have checked his throat as much as possible and cannot see anything lodged in there and took his temperature which was normal each time.  On the last trip the vet said that there isn't much more they can do unless they do a full examination under general anasthetic. 

We are currently on 1 week course of antibiotics (only one day in) and I am really hoping this clears it up because I don't want to put him through a big procedure if its unnecessary and there is no guarantee that would fix the problem in any case !

Does anyone have any ideas? Could it be a fur ball? How long can they last - its about a week now since he has been coughing and while its not getting worse its doesn't seem to be clearing up quickly.  I thought perhaps his throat got scratched by a bird bone or something and its giving him discomfort but I thought that would have begun to heal by now.  I hope there is nothing down there and given he is eating, assume he isn't in too much pain, just irritated/uncomfortable. 

I have just read about vaseline being mega effective for hairballs, however it also stops absorbtion of meds? I don't want to stop the antibiotics working, but also keen to give the vaseline a go incase it is just a hairball.  He is very hairy and has been grooming alot recently as I think his winter fur is coming in.

I doubt this is bird related. To much time from the bird till the start of coughing. He could be asthmatic. Have they done a chest radiograph. That is where I would start. I would hold off on the vasoline.

They haven't done a radiograph yet.  The vet listened to his chest on each occasion and said the lungs sounded clear.  Sorry to be dim, is the radiograph the same as an x-ray? That was on the list if they put him under general anasthetic (examination down his throat, xray and swabs taken to send to lab).  I am loathe to put him through all that though if I can avoid it, especially since he is eating ok and still energetic and playful.  

Would asthma suddenly just appear like this and not be related to him exercising? We play with "Da Bird" and it didn't enduce a coughing fit?

Hi

You aren't being dim. The radiograph is the same thing as the xray. It should be done with the cat awake and not asleep as the anesthesia and the oxygen will alter the results of the xray.

Asthma can come on suddenly and for a number of reasons. I am not saying that is what it is though. I was just curious as to if they had already ruled it out with an xray.

Quiet said:

 
I doubt this is bird related. To much time from the bird till the start of coughing. He could be asthmatic. Have they done a chest radiograph. That is where I would start. I would hold off on the vasoline.

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I had the same reaction as Quiet, particularly since one of our cats had coughing fits not long after we adopted her last December: the first time I thought it might be related to her post-shelter respiratory infection, the second it seemed like she was trying to cough up a hairball but she never did. This happened two or three times, never for very long. After the second time, I Googled terms like "hacking cough" and ended up watching the video on this site, with Fritz the Brave, about feline asthma. Fritz's coughing was a lot like Ireland's.

Like Quiet, I don't want to say Dennis has asthma, particularly given that multiple things could cause coughing and he's had some other health issues... but, FWIW, in our case, the good news is that we switched kitty litters -- this was in January -- and Ireland hasn't coughed since. We switched from Fresh Step, which is very dusty and perfumed, to Dr. Elsey's Respiratory Relief, which has minimal dust. It's expensive but seems to work well for the cats... and it keeps the house considerably less dusty.

Good luck, @willowlondon -- I hope you're able to resolve Dennis's coughing, no matter what is causing it.

Thanks ever so much for your help Quiet & Lisa!  I am pleased to report that when I got back from work yesterday Dennis was much more his normal self and coughing a lot less. I am so pleased! Whilst the improvement was after only 2 doses of antibiotics and therefore may have just been clearing up naturally I will finish the course prescribed to be safe.  Even though it is taking me about 20 mins to get the 1.5 pills to be swallowed! He delights in spitting them out at every opportunity!

I will bare in mind the asthamtic possibility though if it comes back.  I am soooo pleased he is getting better!

We ended up taking dennis back to a different vet for a second opinion and showing them a video of him coughing. The vet said it was a reverse sneeze and took his temperature again as well as checking his nostrils. Turns out the left one was blocked. Dennis went in for an op and they extracted a piece of grass about 2.5 inches long!!!!! Poor little thing! He is recovering well and full of beans.
If you have a coughing / sneezing cat that doesn't respond to anti biotics or lysine its definitely worth considering the possibility of grass up the nose!

I'm glad to hear you found the cause of Dennis's cough, willowlondon -- what a freak thing to have so many problems from a piece of grass!