Cat Coughing

[Evadig]

Any idea why? She has random coughing fits like this throughout the day. Been going on for a couple months now. She’s wheezing right now, and swallowing like she has phlegm.

 

[GreenJay]

Any idea why? She has random coughing fits like this throughout the day. Been going on for a couple months now. She’s wheezing right now, and swallowing like she has phlegm.

Hairballs? One of my cats would do several wheezy coughs before hacking up a hairball . She looks like she has a pretty dense coat, even though it's not long. Try some hairball meds?
Pretty girl!

 

[Evadig]

Hairballs? One of my cats would do several wheezy coughs before hacking up a hairball . She looks like she has a pretty dense coat, even though it's not long. Try some hairball meds?
Pretty girl!

I thought about that at first, but she’s never yet coughed up a hairball in the two months she’s had this cough.

How long would it take your cat to cough up the hairball?

I will try some medication, but I have doubts on her taking it .

 

[TOMTE]

Vet, if you can. It could be nothing or it could be something that could get much worse. Only a vet can tell you what's wrong, we can only guess.

My cat has been coughing for a couple years now. He also gets nosebleeds, and I think they're connected. It's like he coughs when the blood starts trickling down his sinuses and throat. I took him to an emergency vet but unfortunately didn't have the money for tests so all they could do was give him the typical once-over. They found he has a heart murmur, which could be causing the nosebleeds, but without testing they can't know for sure.

Coughing can be due to hairballs, allergies, dry air, or an underlying illness.

Are you familiar with the cat pain scale/feline grimace scale? How to evaluate their pain level based on body language and facial expression? It's important to learn it so you can assess how your kitty is feeling. A kitty in pain really should see a vet ASAP.

 

[Artchickenlover21]

I second taking her to a vet. Another factor that can cause coughing is a moldy or dusty environment.

 

[GreenJay]

I thought about that at first, but she’s never yet coughed up a hairball in the two months she’s had this cough.

How long would it take your cat to cough up the hairball?

I will try some medication, but I have doubts on her taking it .

Most times just she'd wheeze and hack then swallow hard a couple of times instead of hacking one up, like trying to dislodge hairs from her throat. If she puked one up, it usually came up pretty quick. Most of the hairball meds are essentially petroleum jelly that's flavored, smear a dab on the paw, they'll lick the mess off.

And as the others said, maybe environment or allergy, she decided she's allergic to your dog? Potpourri or automatic air fresheners?
If she acts like she is not feeling well, definitely a vet trip.

 

[Evadig]

Are you familiar with the cat pain scale/feline grimace scale? How to evaluate their pain level based on body language and facial expression? It's important to learn it so you can assess how your kitty is feeling. A kitty in pain really should see a vet ASAP.

I’m not. Thanks for sharing the link!

 

[TOMTE]

I’m not. Thanks for sharing the link!

No problem! Learning animal body language is a game changer when it comes to assessing their health and comfort.

 

[Evadig]

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.

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…

 

[Evadig]

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!