Mary Allen
When your cat coughs, it’s a big shock. It is usually quite easy to tell whether she is actually ill or whether the urge to cough is harmless. Find out here when the coughing cat needs to go to the vet:
Like humans, cats cough for a variety of reasons that have triggered a stimulus in their airways. Sometimes these causes disappear just as quickly as they appeared. But occasionally the cough is also a real symptom of illness.
Cat Coughs Because of Foreign Objects
If foreign objects get into the respiratory tract, the cat coughs and wheezes to get rid of the unpleasant stimulus trigger. The irritation can be caused, for example, by pieces of grass, inhaled liquids, hairballs, or dust fluff.
The velvet paw often tries to spit out the foreign body not only by coughing but also by gagging, shaking its head, rattling, and increased salivation. With luck, this will work and the cat will calm down again.
Recognize If the Kitty is Sick
However, if the house tiger coughs for a longer period of time or seems generally battered, apathetic or listless, it is advisable to go to the vet. Foreign objects, if not removed, can continue to migrate or become lodged in the airways. Inflammation is also rarely possible.
In general, coughing in cats is of concern if it is prolonged or becomes chronic. Even if the kitty seems ill or changed overall, and if the cough is accompanied by sputum, there is usually an illness behind it.
As a precaution, do not wait too long to have the cause clarified by the veterinarian. You can help the doctor make the right diagnosis quickly by observing your cat closely and describing the cough as accurately as possible.
Help the Vet With the Diagnosis
For example, the veterinarian needs to know how the cat coughs in order to identify the disease behind it. A dry, isolated cough, which in the worst case even degenerates into an asthma attack, indicates a serious disease of the lower respiratory tract.
A “barking” cough, called a productive cough, sounds worse but is often easier to treat. This is usually an acute infection and not an allergy or asthma.
Also, describe to the doctor exactly when and how often your cat coughs. If the cough only occurs in certain situations, an allergy may be behind it. If the cat has only been coughing for a short time, an acute illness is likely.
If there is a suspicion that your cat might have inhaled a foreign body, the veterinarian can provide clarity with an X-ray examination. It also helps the doctor with the diagnosis if you tell him whether the cough has changed in the meantime.
Cat Cough: What Diseases Can Be Behind It?
Some causes of cat cough are more common in young cats, while others tend to be more common in older animals. Therefore, the age of your cat can also help the veterinarian with the diagnosis. If your young cat is coughing, it may be due to the following diseases:
- Cat flu (other symptoms: sneezing, eye discharge, difficulty swallowing, apathy, loss of appetite)
- Lungworm (dry, loud cough with little sputum)
- Common cold (like cat flu symptoms but less severe)
- Foreign bodies (further signs: gagging, rattling, increased salivation, shaking of the head)
To prevent cat flu, you should definitely have your young cat vaccinated if this has not already been done by the breeder, previous owner, or animal shelter. Go to the vet as soon as possible if your young cat coughs so that the cause can be eliminated or the symptoms alleviated.
If older cats cough, it is usually due to these underlying diseases:
- Feline asthma (chronic allergic bronchitis with panting, shortness of breath, and paroxysmal dry cough. Affected cats often cough at night or after waking up)
- Pneumonia (symptoms are similar to those of asthma, but overall the cat appears very ill, worn out, and exhausted)
- Purulent inflammation of pleurisy (pyothorax, can later be accompanied by fever, blood poisoning, and severe shortness of breath)
- Tumors and cancer (however, cough is a rare symptom, signs such as weight loss, physical weakness and rapid exhaustion are more common)
The cough is often not the focus of these diseases or only becomes noticeable when the disease is already advanced. If your older cat coughs when purring, for example, this can be the first sign of the beginning of metastasis in the respiratory tract.
Therefore, have your cat checked regularly by the vet so that possible tumors or chronic diseases are detected early. This increases the chances of recovery or prevents the symptoms from getting worse.
Emergency! If Your Cat is Short of Breath, Go to the Vet Immediately
Should the cat suffer from acute shortness of breath in addition to the cough or even a blue tongue, this is an absolute emergency! Go to the vet immediately or call the veterinary emergency services.
Treating the Cause: Will the Cat Recover?
When an infection occurs, mucus builds up in the airways, causing the cat to cough. The infection can usually be treated well with medication and once the mucus has been loosened and coughed up, the cat recovers quite quickly.
If a foreign body is the cause of the coughing fit, the doctor can put the kitty under anesthesia and operate out the foreign body. It is important that the operation is carried out quickly so that the foreign body does not irritate the airways for an unnecessarily long time.
The vet can treat lungworms with anthelmintics and tumors can be surgically removed if detected early. Chemotherapy can also have a supportive effect against tumors.
Only if the cough is chronic, the chances are not so good that your cat will fully recover. If an allergy is a cause, you can try to identify the triggers and avoid them if possible. In addition, you can give your cat relief with medications that keep the airways open. Anti-inflammatory drugs also help.