Cat actually can’t stop heaving and I’m really worried

[Coolio_75]

Ever since we got my five year old cat about a year and a half ago, he has been coughing like there’s a hair ball in his throat. He would crouch down and dry heave about ten times before stopping and acting like a normal cat again. In his time with us he has never actually coughed up a hair ball. At first I never thought anything of it, and he did it infrequently, days apart. However, in the past week he has been doing it constantly. He dry heaves every time he’s touched or when he moves. When he’s not coughing up nothing he sits there and coughs very quietly, and the only way you can tell is because his stomach moves like he’s coughing. It looks like my cat is having contractions even though he’s a male. I know it could just be an actual hair ball but is this really what’s supposed to happen? We have tried giving him Vaseline multiple times and it doesn’t really do anything. I’m worried for my poor Denny.

 

[Alldara]

No this is not normal. Even on the slight chance that it is a hairball (I don't think it is), it's not normal for them to get stuck or for you to have to provide a cat with anything to cough it up
He needs to see a veterinarian.

Testing for Cough | VCA Animal Hospital

 

[Alldara]

Petroleum jelly (Vaseline) was previously used as a common fix for hairballs in cats and many things in humans.

However we now know that it is linked to cancers. Please consider using coconut oil or (non flavoured) olive oil instead.
The Dirty Dozen: Petrolatum - David Suzuki Foundation.

 

[FeebysOwner]

There are better alternatives to Vaseline, although I gave it to my first cat, who had very thick long hair, to help prevent hairballs. He loved it. Not so much with my other cats. I've since used a wide array of preventative items but think a dab of butter/margarine or a couple drops of olive oil are probably the most natural ways to try to combat hairballs.

My current cat would cough like what you are describing, and I always suspected that when she did so, she 'dislodged' the hair and it then passed on through her system. However, most times, a day or so later she would actually cough up a hairball. And she never did this day after day after day, nor did she cough like that multiple times a day.

Having said that, I think the frequency of Denny's coughing needs to be further investigated before assuming it is hairball related.

 

[Margot Lane]

Agree with the others: hie thee to a vet.

 

[Coolio_75]

Ever since we got my five year old cat about a year and a half ago, he has been coughing like there’s a hair ball in his throat. He would crouch down and dry heave about ten times before stopping and acting like a normal cat again. In his time with us he has never actually coughed up a hair ball. At first I never thought anything of it, and he did it infrequently, days apart. However, in the past week he has been doing it constantly. He dry heaves every time he’s touched or when he moves. When he’s not coughing up nothing he sits there and coughs very quietly, and the only way you can tell is because his stomach moves like he’s coughing. It looks like my cat is having contractions even though he’s a male. I know it could just be an actual hair ball but is this really what’s supposed to happen? We have tried giving him Vaseline multiple times and it doesn’t really do anything. I’m worried for my poor Denny.

UPDATE: So we took him to the vet as many suggested, and they say he has kitty asthma! I looked up a video of a cat coughing with asthma and it's pretty much an exact match. They gave him some medication for it, and Denny is relatively okay now, I'm going to get him an air purifier later. Thank you all so much for your replies, and also I will stop giving him vaseline and try something else.