If your cat has a cough, there are several potential causes. Cats do not normally cough, so when they do, it is important to understand why. A single, occasional cough may not be a cause for alarm, but regular coughing should raise concern as it can signal an infection or a serious problem with the lungs or heart.
Coughing in cats is usually a sign of an inflammatory process or irritation in the respiratory tract. If your cat begins coughing and sneezing, or develops nasal or eye discharge, the cause may be Feline Viral Rhinotracheitis, a form of herpesvirus. This virus is highly contagious between cats and can be transmitted through nose-to-nose contact or by sharing bowls. Although this virus doesn’t tend to cause serious illness in most cats, it can be deadly in kittens and, in some cases, can become chronic. Cats that develop the chronic form of the disease will continue to shed the virus throughout their life, potentially infecting other cats they come into contact with.
Potential Causes of Coughing in Cats
The retching that accompanies a cat trying to expel a hairball is often mistaken for a cough. Cats may cough when they have a hairball, as the force of expelling it can irritate their trachea. Brushing your cat frequently to remove excess hair and administering a hairball remedy can help control and prevent this problem. In severe cases, surgical intervention may be required to remove a hairball that cannot be expelled naturally.
Internal parasite infections can also cause coughing, especially in kittens. Ingesting hookworms or roundworm larvae can introduce the worms into the body. As the eggs hatch in the intestine, the larvae travel to the lungs via the bloodstream. From there, the worms crawl up the windpipe, causing gagging and coughing before returning to the intestine to grow into adults.
Another type of parasite that can cause coughing in cats is Heartworm Disease. Although more common in dogs than cats, heartworm larvae and microfilaria are transmitted through mosquito bites. The worms migrate to the heart, where they mature and destroy heart muscle. Heartworms also cause an inflammatory response in the lungs, which, combined with heart damage, results in a moist, chronic cough. Unfortunately, once a cough is present, heartworm disease is quite advanced. While heartworm disease can be treated, the process is dangerous and costly, and the damage done to the heart and lungs before treatment is irreversible. If you live in an area where heartworm disease is prevalent, your veterinarian may recommend a monthly pill to prevent heartworm disease.
If your cat has a cough and is older, heart problems may be to blame. Coughing is one of the most consistent signs of heart disease in cats. As the heart begins to function improperly, fluid can build up around the heart and lungs, causing a cough, rapid breathing, and difficulty taking deep breaths.
Other conditions such as pneumonia, a foreign body in the airway, and tumors in the chest can also cause coughing. If your cat has a cough, it’s crucial to seek veterinary attention immediately to diagnose and treat the underlying condition.
Your veterinarian will start by taking a history of your cat’s cough: when it occurs, how often, and the type of cough (wet, dry, or if anything is coughed up). A comprehensive physical exam will include careful auscultation of your cat’s heart and lungs using a stethoscope to listen for the rate and quality of the heartbeat, check for murmurs, and assess the breath sounds, looking for crackling or wheezing.
Your vet may also recommend blood tests, such as a complete blood count (CBC) and chemistry panel. Blood chemistries evaluate various body systems and give insight into the health of your cat’s major organs, such as the kidneys and liver. The CBC checks the components of your cat’s blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets, helping to diagnose or rule out infection as a cause of the cough. If heartworm disease is suspected, a specific blood test can detect heartworms in your cat.
If parasites are a concern, your vet may recommend a fecal examination or prescribe a dewormer to treat common parasites.
Chest X-rays are an important diagnostic tool for evaluating your cat’s cough. X-rays can reveal an enlarged heart (due to heart disease or ongoing damage), and they help screen the lungs for tumors, pneumonia, or other inflammation.
If no obvious cause is found after tests, feline asthma may be the culprit. Like human asthma, it is a type of allergic bronchitis that causes coughing, wheezing, and labored breathing. Often, cats with asthma behave normally until a coughing episode occurs. An environmental allergen may trigger irritation, causing the airways to constrict and fill with mucus. Although the allergen may sometimes be identified and eliminated, the cause often remains a mystery. Treatment typically focuses on reducing the body’s inflammatory response through long-term administration of oral steroids and bronchodilators, which reverse airway constriction.
If your cat has a cough, there are many possible causes. Due to the seriousness of many of these conditions, it’s essential to seek veterinary care for diagnosis and treatment of the underlying cause.
One Response
An old cat has artivedy st my house. He stays most of the Fay but first to his own home in the evening. He has bad bouts of coughing and generally he eater heree well but seems rather quiet. He also has a look in his ruddy which I can only observe as guaranty and he seems to be slow to do things. Any suggestions on how I can approach his owners I’ve found out where he lives hopefully his owners will appreviate my concerns . I lost a cat of z22 to bone cancer. I know I. My heart he’s ill.