Cat coughing? Any ideas what this may be?

[JC1990]

Hello

I was hoping someone here may have an idea what this might be (video in link below).

video-1621872906.mp4

The few vets who've examined the cat say that there isn't anything clearly wrong (heart scans have come back clear before).They've also said it doesn't seem to be asthma.

These little bouts of wheezing/coughing usually last around 10-15 seconds or so and vary widely in occurance, there could be 3 in a week and then none for 2 weeks etc.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[maggie101]

My cat does that. Feeding her at night with a food timer has helped and lots of brushing and laxitone 2-3x a day.

 

[maggie101]

She was doing it every day. Coughing or throwing up. How often does this happen?
The coughing or throwing up can hurt their esophagus if done too often

 

[stephanietx]

Did the vet do an x-ray of her chest? That looks like what my asthmatic kitty does when she's having an asthma attack.

 

[maggie101]

I reread. 3 weeks then stops 2 weeks. So it may be fur balls,still that's too often

 

[JC1990]

The times vary greatly, there isn't really any consistency to it at all. He's never produced a hairball either.

The vet has cleared him of asthma in the past as he's had a chest x-ray.

Thank you both for your replies!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. That sounds and looks like it is related to hairballs. Feeby does this, and yet rarely throws up a hairball. For lack of a better way to explain it, I think she is somehow 'dislodging' the hairball so that it then passes on through her digestive system. On a really rare occasion she does end up throwing up a hairball. If I see her doing this, I usually will give her a dab of margarine/butter for a couple of days. You can place a dab of it on a paw or your finger for your cat to lick it off.

Feeby also gets daily hairball treats as well. If she were not, I might consider giving her the margarine/butter a couple of times a week on a routine basis.

 

[JC1990]

Thank you for your response, if it is a hairball issue, would I see any in their litter tray to confirm it's being digested properly?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Thank you for your response, if it is a hairball issue, would I see any in their litter tray to confirm it's being digested properly?

Tbh, in most cases, I think that would require you to thoroughly look through the poop to find it. I don't see it in Feeby's stool just by looking at it when I scoop out the litter box. Unless it is a serious amount, you would almost have to place the poop in a baggie and then smash it up to see any hair that might be in it.