Cat Coughing

[Debbie292d]

I have always had cats, and I'm 65. That's a lot of cats!

Now, there are three of them. Almost every one of them through the years, and now, has been "rescued" or adopted. I've never had one do that, so I'd suspect a respiratory infection and make a vet appointment. See if you can get any vaccinations needed in the near future now too so you can save a few bucks on not needing another appt in the next month or two for that. Our vet works with us to get the three cats and two dogs in on the same day.

On the other hand, being 13.5 isn't that old for a cat, but perhaps this one it is? We had one live to be 22.

I don't think you'd need anything beyond an antibiotic at least to help her over that cough as that's got to be wearing her out.

 

[TOMTE]

Here’s more about her:

She’s 13.5 years (approximately).
Has lost several pounds over the last few months - you can feel her ribs now.
Doesn’t eat much anymore (doesn’t help that her teeth are rotted).
Sleeps 90% of the time

Here she is right now. She almost seems like she’s nauseous. Her eyes move but she’s not responding to me. This is a new development.
View attachment 4255339

The reason I tell y’all this is because I’d like to know, what realistically do you think the vet could do for her given everything else going on? I can’t afford any treatment beyond simple medications…

At her age, a vet would likely just try to make her comfortable with pain management. Putting her under for any sort of procedure would be risky at her age.

With her teeth rotting, the coughing could be from sinus issues (infection is definitely not out of the question if her teeth are bad).

What do you feed her? Kibble is probably painful on her teeth. I started grinding up my cat's kibble and mixing it with water to make a mash for him because his teeth are also rotting. That way he doesn't have to chew, and the food digests a lot easier because it's mashed and not whole.

Do you free feed her or do you have her on a schedule? It's easier to tell how much is being eaten at each meal when you feed on a schedule (plus it gives your kitty something to look forward to 3 or 4 times a day. Might help her get a little more active, too. My boy was a lazy fatso until I started him on scheduled meals— grandma feeds him when she wakes up early in the morning, then he eats again at 10am, 2pm, 5:30pm, and 8pm, give or take a half hour or so each time. He eats more meals but a small quantity at each meal because he has a sensitive stomach, and he gets hungry faster at his old grandpa age. He's 14).

 

[TOMTE]

Also before someone thinks I’m the worst cat owner

I rescued her from the shelter 1.5 years ago. Her teeth were already rotted by then!

I wouldn't think so anyway! I've had my cat since he was a baby but due to MANY circumstances, he hasn't had the best care over the years. When I took him to the emergency vet, that was the first time he'd seen the vet since he was neutered as a kitten. We do our best, and that's all we can do. If I could go back and change the way I cared for him I would, but I can't, so I just go forward with the knowledge I have now.

 

[Evadig]

I have always had cats, and I'm 65. That's a lot of cats!

Now, there are three of them. Almost every one of them through the years, and now, has been "rescued" or adopted. I've never had one do that, so I'd suspect a respiratory infection and make a vet appointment. See if you can get any vaccinations needed in the near future now too so you can save a few bucks on not needing another appt in the next month or two for that. Our vet works with us to get the three cats and two dogs in on the same day.

On the other hand, being 13.5 isn't that old for a cat, but perhaps this one it is? We had one live to be 22.

I don't think you'd need anything beyond an antibiotic at least to help her over that cough as that's got to be wearing her out.

I could afford antibiotics, so that would be nice if it was a infection (as opposed to something else). I don't think mine is going to make it to twenty-two. She's breathing very hard right now, even though she's sleeping.

 

[Evadig]

At her age, a vet would likely just try to make her comfortable with pain management. Putting her under for any sort of procedure would be risky at her age.

With her teeth rotting, the coughing could be from sinus issues (infection is definitely not out of the question if her teeth are bad).

What do you feed her? Kibble is probably painful on her teeth. I started grinding up my cat's kibble and mixing it with water to make a mash for him because his teeth are also rotting. That way he doesn't have to chew, and the food digests a lot easier because it's mashed and not whole.

Do you free feed her or do you have her on a schedule? It's easier to tell how much is being eaten at each meal when you feed on a schedule (plus it gives your kitty something to look forward to 3 or 4 times a day. Might help her get a little more active, too. My boy was a lazy fatso until I started him on scheduled meals— grandma feeds him when she wakes up early in the morning, then he eats again at 10am, 2pm, 5:30pm, and 8pm, give or take a half hour or so each time. He eats more meals but a small quantity at each meal because he has a sensitive stomach, and he gets hungry faster at his old grandpa age. He's 14).

I used to give her both wet and dry, wet in the morning/evening and dry available at all times. But she doesn't eat the dry anymore, so I've been giving her wet food several times a day.

She's eating about 5 oz a day now.

She used to weight 13 pounds - was overweight. Now she's about 7 pounds, if that.

 

[Evadig]

There's a traveling vet in my area. I'm going to see if they are accepting new patients. Then I don't have to drive her an hour away to my regular vet. They do in-home euthanasia, too, if it comes to that.

 

[TOMTE]

I used to give her both wet and dry, wet in the morning/evening and dry available at all times. But she doesn't eat the dry anymore, so I've been giving her wet food several times a day.

She's eating about 5 oz a day now.

She used to weight 13 pounds - was overweight. Now she's about 7 pounds, if that.

Do you know how much she weighs? (edit: just saw you mentioned her weight)

Look for the kcal amount on her food. An older cat, especially one that's losing weight, needs a lot more kcals throughout the day than a healthy, young cat.

For example, my 14 year old cat weighs ~12-14lbs. He needs about 300-350kcal worth of food a day to maintain his body condition.

Also necessary to your cat's health is a proper amount of taurine in the diet. On average, a cat needs about 250-500mg of taurine per day (but it depends on age, diet, activity level, etc.— some need more, some much less). Check food labels for taurine amount.

 

[Evadig]

Do you know how much she weighs? (edit: just saw you mentioned her weight)

Look for the kcal amount on her food. An older cat, especially one that's losing weight, needs a lot more kcals throughout the day than a healthy, young cat.

For example, my 14 year old cat weighs ~12-14lbs. He needs about 300-350kcal worth of food a day to maintain his body condition.

Also necessary to your cat's health is a proper amount of taurine in the diet. On average, a cat needs about 250-500mg of taurine per day (but it depends on age, diet, activity level, etc.— some need more, some much less). Check food labels for taurine amount.

So I give her the Purina Fancy Feast for Senior Cats…would this look about right? It doesn’t say the mg of the taurine, only the percentage:

 

[AinaWGSD]

I'm so sorry your kitty isn't feeling well. At her age there are so many potential things this could be. She probably has several issues going on.

Coughing and wheezing and breathing heavily while sleeping is concerning. It could be a respiratory infection, but it could also be heart failure or cancer. Rotten teeth are an avenue for bacteria to infect the heart which can cause respiratory symptoms. One of my old cats had a bit of chronic sneezing/coughing and had symptoms similar to yours. Xrays confirmed either cancer or a severe fungal infection and we chose to let her go.

At her age, with that weight loss, she likely has kidney disease/failure and/or hyperthyroidism. Both are very common in older cats. I'm currently dealing with one cat in kidney failure (10yo) and one cat with hyperthyroidism (4yo). It's been a rough month here.

No matter what she has going on, it really sounds like she needs to go to the vet. They can give you an estimate before running any diagnostic tests and may be able to set up a payment plan if needed.

 

[Debbie292d]

I could afford antibiotics, so that would be nice if it was a infection (as opposed to something else). I don't think mine is going to make it to twenty-two. She's breathing very hard right now, even though she's sleeping.

I just had a thought. Call the Humane Society or wherever you got her from, and let them know this issue she's having, and explain you're on limited resources, and see if THEIR vet would look at her. Maybe they'd help you with her just a little?