Cat Desmond is coughing - advice please

[JuliaP]

Hello everyone,

So we got a woodburner about 6 months ago. My cat Desmond started coughing fairly often shortly after we got it. I'm almost certain it was from the woodburner, sawdust on the floor near it, and the dry air. But then we stopped using the woodburner for the season, yet the cough persisted, although not as often. I took him to the vet and they took an x-ray and luckily no huge underlying problem was found. Just some irritation in the lungs. So doc gave me a liquid steroid prescription for the cough. I've gotten more wary of medications though. I started thinking "let's give the cough some more time to get better and maybe I'll use the med if it doesn't go away." Well it seemed to get a lot better. He eventually only started coughing once or twice a day (at least when I've been around). However, these coughing spells are pretty big. He'll cough for about 30-45 seconds. It's a dry, hard, whooping cough and he swallows very hard after. Almost like he's trying to keep puke down (but he's not; these are dry coughs, as I mentioned).

So I'm like, ok, now it's time to do something. The woodburner is done for the season. The 2 other cats are not coughing. There is an issue for Desmond. So, my question is, do any of you have any tried-and-true natural remedies for a cough like this? I figure I'll give that a try before I resort to the liquid steroid.

Also, there was a big chunk of puked up fur on the floor the other day. I'm not sure which cat did it, but it was probably him (this is uncommon). Desmond has been normal otherwise and eating fine. Sunday he was a little off; just not quite himself. But that didn't last long.

Thanks for any info! Really hope to find a natural remedy for this.

 

[LTS3]

It could be asthma. Does your cat crouch low to the floor and stretch the neck out while coughing? I would ask the vet about that possibility of asthma. There are tests a vet can do to determine asthma such as a tracheal wash or x rays of the lungs. Treatment for asthma varies depending on severity but inhaled medicines and steroids are common. Keeping the home as dust and irritant free can help, much like it does for Human asthmatics and allergy sufferers. There is no natural remedy to treat asthma or general coughing due to inhaled irritants.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I suggest you use the steroid that the vet prescribed and see what happens. A short-term steroid generally won't be an issue. If you are worried about the dosage, you can ask to administer it in the lowest dose possible that would be helpful. You can always take your cat back to the vet afterward - whether or not the steroid helped - and ask for a follow up x-ray to see what the irritation looks like, and then ask the vet to help devise a plan for other possible testing/treatments, as applicable.

 

[Robyn5678]

Sounds like asthma. But that should have been seen by the vet on the X-ray. I have 2 cats with asthma.

 

[JuliaP]

It could be asthma. Does your cat crouch low to the floor and stretch the neck out while coughing? I would ask the vet about that possibility of asthma. There are tests a vet can do to determine asthma such as a tracheal wash or x rays of the lungs. Treatment for asthma varies depending on severity but inhaled medicines and steroids are common. Keeping the home as dust and irritant free can help, much like it does for Human asthmatics and allergy sufferers. There is no natural remedy to treat asthma or general coughing due to inhaled irritants.

Yes, he crouches low and stretches his neck out. The vet didn't seem to think it was asthma because it was an issue that arose suddenly and seemed to have an initial cause (woodburner). I thought asthma was more of a lifelong thing. Maybe I'm wrong. Also, vet did do an x-ray and didn't flat out say Desmond has asthma, by looking at the x-ray.

 

[Robyn5678]

Yes, he crouches low and stretches his neck out. The vet didn't seem to think it was asthma because it was an issue that arose suddenly and seemed to have an initial cause (woodburner). I thought asthma was more of a lifelong thing. Maybe I'm wrong. Also, vet did do an x-ray and didn't flat out say Desmond has asthma, by looking at the x-ray.

Not necessarily. A cat could have an asthma attack and not have one again for a while. I had one cat that had 10-15 a day when her meds stopped working but her sister only had a few a year.

On the X-ray, my dr always said asthma looks like little donuts on the lungs. My cat was misdiagnosed at first with an upper resp infection.

 

[Robyn5678]

Also one of my cats was diagnosed around 1 year old when I lived in Texas and her sister not until she was 4 when I moved to Connecticut. Change of season definitely is a trigger for mine

 

[LTS3]

Asthma attacks can start at any time. My cat has asthma and only occasionally coughs when he inhales an irritant of some kind. He takes pred for the asthma and for his IBD. Seasonal allergies may trigger asthma attacks in some cats. You may need to reconsider using the wood burning stove if that is what is triggering your cat's coughing.

 

[JuliaP]

One thing I forgot to mention: most of the time, Desmond's cough gets triggered when he makes any sudden movements. Like he'll go to jump onto my lap and all the sudden does a series of quick little coughs. Sometimes it ends there and sometimes it turns into the big wheezing cough.

 

[Robyn5678]

One thing I forgot to mention: most of the time, Desmond's cough gets triggered when he makes any sudden movements. Like he'll go to jump onto my lap and all the sudden does a series of quick little coughs. Sometimes it ends there and sometimes it turns into the big wheezing cough.

I still say it could be asthma. My cat starts an asthma attack sometimes when she’s hissing and growling at my new kittens. Do you have a follow up at the vet? Did she do anything when you were there? Mine gets prednisone injections.