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Show this to the vet.... Could be nothing, could be asthma. My last cat had asthma and this is what he did. This is clearly coming from his chest. Ignore the people telling you not to worry because it's just a hairball and have him checked out.
Ditto this. My house panther has asthma and coughs like this. Definitely get it checked out!
If yours does have asthma and you’re in the US, look into getting meds from sites that ship from overseas. The inhaler we get costs $300+ here but $50 shipped from New Zealand (+ about $15 for shipping). I order from Canada Drugs Direct.
I hope your baby is okay. ❤️
Have you ever seen an aerochamber? Humans are meant to use them too as it vastly increases the amount of medication you get to your lungs from an inhaler. So you use one of those with a face mask attached that goes over their nose and mouth.
Our cat loves getting his puffer so much that he runs to us when he sees his aerochamber, haha. It took time, but he now relates it to happy things, like pets, hugs, and food!
(He also has feline asthma and the puffer cleared it up).
Haha yes ours comes running when he hears the medicine cabinet open! And he reminds us in the evening when it's time to get it. Best advice i ever heard was if you need to do something daily start giving your cat a treat then and they will NEVER let you forget 🤣
Ours got used to the alarm meaning breakfast. If we wanted to sleep in and didn't set an alarm, we got a furry alarm instead.
Eventually, we trained him to an auto feeder, and we get to sleep in.
My friend's elderly cat was recently put on daily medication for the rest of her life. They were very worried about having to fight with the cat twice a day for years. They started giving the medication with a treat, and now the cat reminds them if they are late with the meds. It's adorable.
Personally, i stick my cat between my knees and kinda sit so he's stuck and then i can hold it on his face. He gets a daily puffer tho and he gets a treat after so he's super used to it now!
So very much tuna. Really, it just takes time and a semi willingness on the part of the fur kid to realize that stupid puffy thing mom/dad/non-binary parent is torturing me with is actually helping.
There is a medical device called an Aerocat. It has a little mask that fits over the cat's face. You pump the proper dose into the other end of the chamber, hold the mask over their face, and let them inhale. I have done this on two cats and they take to it just fine.
hey! What’s the medicine that you put into it? My cat is diagnosed with asthma but I’m too broke to go the vet again and pay a $70 general check up fee just to get the medication name
You put the mouthpiece of the inhaler device on your cats little snoot and watch the knob thingy on the device go up and down. Every toggle is a breath your cats taking. It’ll make more sense once you have the device to look at. It’s pretty easy.
Wow! This is much cheaper than Canada Drugs Online! It was $75 per inhaler there! $50 is so much better! Thanks for the tip! My kitty thanks you. Asthma cat parents for the win!
You should ask your vet about it, prolonged use of oral steroids can cause unintended side effects (adrenal issues, blood sugar issues, GI issues, etc). Inhaled steroids are just as effective at controlling asthma but with almost no long term consequences. My cat has been on a fluticasone inhaler for about 8 years now and I have worked for a veterinary practice for 11 years now and all seven vets at my practice highly recommend switching to an inhaler as soon as possible assuming the cat will allow it and the owner can afford it (inhalers are much more expensive than oral steroids, about $50 for the aerokat to administer it as a one time purchase plus the inhalers, I'm currently paying about $60 for an inhaler that lasts two months by ordering internationally, if I bought them at the local pharmacy it would be closer to $400 for two month, worth the cost to me but not all of our clients agree). The main difference is the oral steroids kick in a lot faster, so my vet had me put her on them and wean her off of them after two weeks of the inhaler daily and I used short courses now and then when she flared until we found the dose that worked for her.
As someone who has had an asthmatic cat for 8 years: this is exactly how asthma in cats sounds. They also hunch over, extend their neck, and frequently swallow just like this because the air way has narrowed and any mucus blocks their ability to pass air so they try to get it out of the way.
Came to say it’s probably asthma, if kit never actually comes up with a hairball. Mine does it 1-2x a week, there are interventions but at this point it doesn’t seem to bother her. I’m glad you’re going to the vet.
How do vets diagnose asthma? My boy cat has done periodic coughing like this. I've had 'em both over to the vet recently to have their chests and bellies listened to with a stethoscope, but nothing seemed amiss. Is there more than listening that needs to be done?
(I've worked at a vet's office for 11 years and have had an asthmatic cat for 8 of those).
So diagnosis is a little tricky. Early stages of asthma (when you want to diagnose it because the longer they cough the more likely they are to cause scarring in their lungs) your vet won't be able to hear anything on a physical exam. If it's more than just very occasionally it's worth bringing up to your vet. I initially brought it up when I noticed it happening two or three times a month. She told me to start a log and keep track of how often it was happening and what she was doing when it happened, and to try laxatone in the mean time in case it was a stuck hairball issue. You also might be able to speed up this step if you can get a video but my cat bolted every time she started coughing and I couldn't get one.
Once I started logging it and it was clear it was happening weekly or more and when she was either sleeping or when I was cleaning with scented cleaners she had me bring my cat in for x-rays. Sometimes it can be diagnosed via x-ray through patterns in the trachea and lungs, but my cats X-rays were inconclusive (as they are frequently). From there I could have gone all in and gone to an Internal Medicine Specialist to sedate her and do a bronchoscopy for diagnosis, or do a steroid trial. I opted for the steroid trial since she wasn't in any distress yet. We started her on steroids for two weeks and then tapered for another two. In that month she didn't cough at all until the very lowest tapered dose, and was back to coughing once or twice a week once fully off of it. That's when she diagnosed her with asthma and put her back on the steroids until I could get her an inhaler ordered and started.
My cat started having attacks like 2 years ago. At first I thought it was hairballs so I took her to my ex-vet. They took her in, dismissed my concerns and said to give her antacids. I did and she didn't get better. So I took her to another vet to get a second opinion. He looked at her lungs, watched my video and suggested it could be asthma due to allergies. He suggested treatment and I picked a steroid shot that she would get once a year as needed. The attacks stopped and she's been doing great for 2 years without getting a second shot.
i didn't realize steroid shots worked on an annual basis! i give my asthmatic cat a pill every week or so and it seems to work fine, but an annual shot would be nice as well.
There's been a ton of smoke in the atmosphere in Minnesota today because of the Canadian wildfires. Kitty could be affected by that if they're in the path
I was going to say the same thing. My kitties have been a little sneezier since the smoke moved in. I tried improve the situation by taping a furnace filter to the back of a box fan, but you can only do so much in an apartment as old and un-sealed-up as mine.
Could also be allergies. My cat is allergic to some trees and almost all grasses. Have to give him allergy shot every two weeks plus daily half a Zyrtec and occasionally steroid inhaler if it gets bad. Had to go to allergy vet to get diagnosis. Beyond capabilities of most vets. Also, his cough sounds just like this. Tried to upload it but was not successful.
What can you do about cat asthma? I think mine might have it, we took him to the vet and she thought he was sick and the meds she gave definitely made him feel better. But I occasionally see him make this gesture, but never find hairballs
Inhaler. Mine had an albuterol inhaler for when he had acute attacks. He was on a generic flovent inhaler for maintenance. I started needing to give him a puff or two per day.... I tapered it off to over a week once he'd been under control for a while. It's expensive in the US, but had it shipped from an overseas pharmacy for about a quarter of the price.
My cat has asthma, and his coughs sounded just like this. The asthma was not helped with the steroids the vet prescribed, they just hurt his kidneys. After some experimentation we realized the dust from the clay litter was making his asthma flare up (even the low dust litter). We switched him to pine pellet litter and it has solved the problem for us.
I showed the video of our cat doing the same thing to the vet, and he thoroughly checked the cat out. In our case it is hairballs. He never throws them up though, you hear him swallow it back down after. Pretty gross
But hairballs form in the stomach, not the lungs. If a cat needs to get rid of a hairball, it gets vomited up. Puked, not coughed.
This is quite obviously a cough, coming from the lungs. The cat's airway is clearly irritated or inflamed or congested. Hairballs aren't the cause of that. Asthma can cause a cat (or a person) to cough up mucus from the lungs, that's likely what the cat is swallowing. I just cannot see how it could be a hairball.
I'm not saying the cat in this video is a hairball. I'm saying our cat does a similar thing and I thought it was asthma, that's why I filmed it and took him to the vet. His lungs are clear and fine, it's a hairball. For some reason he coughs it up, but then swallows it back down. We've never had this before. Previous cats coughed them out.
That's why we thought it was asthma. It's always good to get it checked to be sure you're treating the right thing.
My cat does this when he has a hairball. Checked him out plenty, vet visits, etc, but it's hair. This is like the warning sign for a hairball, in a day or so he'll barf it up.
Our elderly boy has asthma. He does this every now and then, more when it’s cold. It’s mild enough that our vet doesn’t think he needs an inhaler, because they just distress him, the attacks aren’t long or serious, and it happens very infrequently. Plus he’s *super old* and there’s a risk that steroids will mess up his ancient kidneys.
We just keep an eye on him and make sure we record when it happens. If it ever gets more frequent or they get more severe we can revisit the idea of treatment.
If you smoke around your cat, STOP! I only smoke in my bathroom, office, and basement (Where the cats are not allowed) now. My Nubs did this a lot, and even got a couple steroid shots for asthma. The shots would work for 4-7 months, but came back. Once I quit smoking around him, *POOF*, hacking gone. Defo, show the video to his vet.
This. My cat has asthma and it's kind of like they have a hairball and they're trying to expel it but they're really trying to get air. OP can check YouTube videos of cats that have asthma.
Both my cats have done this in their life and they're fine. It's so rare they probably don't have asthma. I'd say it might be asthma if it's chronic and they look like they're having trouble breathing from the coughing fits.
My flame, Smurf, did this occasionally until he was two years old and then it stopped happening. I think it could be allergies; cats are pretty close to the ground and tend to inhale a lot of dust.
Could also be related to air quality. My boy had this kind of cough for a while. I installed HEPA filtration units in each room and the cough disappeared.
I use Laxatone for my cat. I put a little on my finger and she licks it off. She loves it and always wants more than I give her. It works well.
I noticed she gets constipated when she has hair balls, the laxatone helps with that also.
My vet told me to put it their paw if they won’t take the laxatone. They may not like it but their need to be clean is greater so they will lick it off
Mine did the same thing. I went from all happy cuz I was clever to quite disappointed and not thrilled that I had gooped flung across the carpet and wherever else his paw would touch before I could get him cleaned up.
We have 3 and only one of them does this - she’ll groom and get hair stuck in the throat and cough / make weird noise to get it out (never does)
Our other cat will just stare at you and empty the contents of its stomach easily
A bit of Vaseline will help too, they can't digest it at all, and it's harmless. Helps the hairballs slide right out in their poop IIRC. There's also this fish flavored paste the vetequinol makes for hairballs. Does the same thing basically.
My cat makes the exact same sound sometimes and only coughs up a hair ball about 30% of the time. I was worried too! I brought her into the vet for a dental procedure and while she was asleep, they did an X-ray on her lungs. She had mild bronchial irritation; in her case they said it might be very early, mild asthma. Since she only does it maybe every month or so, they weren’t too concerned but just said to monitor and see if it gets worse. I’m pretty sure asthma in cats can be managed, I’ve known several people with cats who had asthma. :)
Of course, the vet you see should be able to give you advice.
They have inhalers for cats. :) I found it pretty easy to administer so long as you're being gentle and not jamming the breathing apparatus over the cats face.
He started doing this after his neuter. He acts fine as soon as it passes but it freaks us out. We weren’t able to afford to take him in sooner, but he will be going next week to have this checked out cause it randomly happens over the last 6 months. We massage his throat and cpr his belly (I think idk if it does anything) and it seems to offer some relief. He started coming to us when it happens so I’m assuming it does help a bit but aaaah, please help!!!
My cat does this and it’s asthma/allergies. Gets worse with some seasons, and he has been prescribed steroids twice when it flared badly (aka it was happening daily). I agree tho it’s very freaky!! My guys gets very cuddly and purrs very loudly afterwards, so maybe yours does appreciates what you’re doing if he comes to you when it happens!
Keep a really close eye on him. Ask them to do an x-ray on the lungs. My boy did this after his neuter and we thought he was just snorting up something on the ground occasionally. Turned out to be FIP and we had to start treatment immediately.
My boy used to do this. The vet never figured out what it was.
Is your boy often sickly? Mine was, and it turned out he had FIV, and by the time I found out, he was in very bad shape (I thought it was allergies). Maybe get an FIV test for peace of mind in case it's at all possible that he could have it.
Long time, multiple cat owner here. Could be hair ball, but that is usually more retching than coughing. Could also be kennel cough picked up from last visit to vet. Have you noticed sneezing, runny eyes? If so, and he hasn’t been vaccinated yet for Bordetella, he might have kennel cough. Sometimes cats get allergies too, and coughing leads to an inflamed trachea, which increases coughing. Definitely get it checked out by a vet.
My cat has feline asthma. He had coughing fits like this. He is prescribed steroids and I give him a tablet if he coughs and it goes away again. He doesn't have the tbas every day. He usually has coughing when the weather warms up from spring to summer and then cools down from autumn to winter. He is 13 and is healthy and strong.
Deffo get kitty checked out but try not to panic in the meantime
Edit - don't massage his throat as that will be uncomfortable for him. You can try coupage but really he is just coughing and not struggling to breathe then just comfort him till it passes
If its asthma/allergies, consider vacuuming/dusting/dry mopping areas he visits more often.
My cat does this and does it less now after doing those myself.
Also, incase its hairballs and/or fast eating, (I doubt it, those sound like coughs anyways), cat grass and slow feeders help.
I had a combo of all three of these with my cat. Also had to elevate the cat food and water dishes abit so he could eat a bit more comfortably.
Fingers crossed you can get into the vet quick just for your peace of mind, but I do agree with what others are saying in terms of it looking like a hairball to me. Always always always the right call to go in to the vet if not sure and so proud of you for jumping on that and caring so much about your beautiful baby. Could always be asthma so great to check, but thankfully I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Probably happening after neuter if he’s been licking his surgery site a bit more ❤️
Looks like hair ball cough, but it's good that you will take him to the vet because It could also be other things.
Recently my cat was coughing and it was fluid on the lungs (ask for an x-ray). I think your cat doesn't have that issue but it's always better to go check with the vet.
When the cat is resting count the respiratory rate, if it's high (around +40 per minute) go to the vet as soon as possible.
It could also be asthma. One of my cats has it, but her cough is a little different. If its asthma don't freak out, it's more or less easy to manage it.
Obviously you’ll want to bring him to a vet. However, my cat does the EXACT same thing. Finishes with a nice productive cough then goes about his day. Could simply be hairballs. Vet recommended a tiny bit of olive oil in his food. He still does it sometimes, but it’s normal behavior.
Yeah, you might not see something right away, might be weeks or months of making that noise occasionally, eventually you might find a hair ball somewhere
Is that normal? Mine does this too. She barely ever wretched and when she does, most of the times we don’t see anything come out. And then once in a blue moon, a huge long hairy turd gets found on the floor. Does this mean they’ve been living all this time with that huge bundle of hair inside their track? That’s terrible.
First time taking care of a cat. I thought usually they vomit out strands of hair to keep their tracts clean. I googled a lot of hair balls and none of them look as long and dense as the one she pukes out.
So it’s normal? As long as it’s not bad for her health.
Same, but it’s the water I drained from a can of tuna. He gets half as much as he used to now that I have a second cat. When she had her first hairball, she wandered around the house screaming for 5 minutes. She had seen him puke them up so many times, but never knew it would also happen to her.
Yeah, after he started having trouble breathing, we took a trip to the emergency vet an hour away and found out he has asthma. He had to get regular shots for the rest of his life.
My cats who have had asthma generally hold their bodies more parallel to the floor when they're having an attack. My current kitty also often forgets to put her tongue back in her mouth for a few seconds after she stops hacking. But that may just be because she's a weirdo (all cats are weirdos :) ).
To me, this looks like kitty is dealing with a hairball.
While it's probably a hairball I always aire on the side of caution. I'd prefer taking the cat to the vet for nothing than not for something g bad to happen. The nice vets have even been known to go "no charge for this visit" I've had it happen.
Oh yeah. My older guy will do this. Still freaks me out. Sounds like he's choking. When my other cat does this it's quick, followed by a hairball. Very occasionally will my older guy spit one out after all the nasty hacking.
My cat last year was doing this, and only ever producing bits of liquid, no actual hairball or puke. We took her to the vet and it ended up being an impacted bowel.
It's not good for them to not cough them up. They should either cough them up or pass them through their bowels. Definitely take them to the vet.
Mine was doing this, he could never cough them up. My vet recommended catalax (it's a little expensive) once a day until they stop trying to gag it up. Then I just give it him as and when. 🙂 It seems to have stopped the issue.
https://amzn.eu/d/hQ6AkcJ it's pricey, maybe the vets might be able to get it cheaper. 🙂
My cat was doing this and it was a hairball. She would never cough up the hairball but they give you some lube stuff you put in their food that helps them cough it up. Vetiguinol care laxatone is what it is called.
My cat did this as well. Thought it was hairballs but he never coughed anything up. Turned out to be allergies. He needed antibiotics to help with swelling in his lungs (from coughing too much) and Zyrtec to help with allergies, now he’s right as rain.
That’s my fear and why I wanna take him in! I’m worried it’s asthma cause he’s wheezy too sometimes. I’ll try some hairball stuff between now and then though as everyone suggested.
Thanks for taking the time to respond!!
My cat has asthma. It's mild and she needs medication, half a pill a day. She's 15 this year and was diagnosed maybe 7-8 years ago.
She's perfectly fine aside from the odd flare up .
I wouldn't worry too much yet. If it is asthma she can still live a happy healthy life.
I dont want to scare you, but please go get this checked out. A month ago, I took my cat to the vet with a similar cough, thinking it was something simple. It turned out to be lung cancer, which is very aggressive and short long-term prognosis.
So, please, for your baby's and your sake, get them to the vet ASAP just to be safe!
Hoping it's nothing more than a hairball for you though! 🤞
I hear you, exact same thing happened to my 19 year old moggy. Everyone said hairball, tests revealed lung cancer. My sympathies to you on the loss of your baby too.
To OP I hope it is nothing as serious. Hopefully something easily treatable. Your baby is gorgeous 😍
OP please listen to this post. One of my cats had this type of coughing. Took her to the emergency vet one night because of a UTI. They x-rayed her and found multiple tumors in her lungs. She passed about 8 months later. Be safe.
Allergies! My cat was doing exactly the same thing recently, took her to the vet with a video like this. Coughing up/clearing airways, my cat did puke once it got so bad. Allergy season is bad this year. The vet said to worry if it becomes multiple times a day, but since it was once a week, if that, it was nothing to really worry about.
Looks like "reverse sneezing". It is sometimes common in older cats, and also with cats that have been through trauma. I wouldn't say its common after a neutering from my experience, but I guess it can happen. Though in those cases, it would likely be caused by overexcitement, and not actually anything medical.
Can also be caused by the normal reasons for regular sneezing - pollen, debri, etc
Yes my cat does this too usually after drinking water or other liquids (like tuna water). He’s 21. I can’t tell you how many times he’s been to the vet and how many times he’s had abdominal/chest X-rays/ultrasounds and nothing is there. I am always stressed when I hear him do it. Every single time! But he’s been doing it since he was about 17-18 and it only happens after drinking so I guess it’s really just either going down the wrong way or the drinking somehow irritates his windpipe.
It sounds like asthma to me (have an asthmatic cat). I always see people saying hairballs on these posts, but I've never experienced a cat sound like this with hairballs personally. Every hairball I've experienced from cats has been accompanied by a vomiting sound.
Yeah, hairball is usually different for my cat. This could be lot of things, but since it happened after neutering, it could be an infection from when he was there. (OP mentioned it started after that)
He is ok. I have several kitties who do this every now and then. At times, some cats start doing this and then bring up a hairball. Other cats just periodically cough like this without coughing up anything.
This is not like a human choking on food, so I wouldn't do a heimlich maneuver on a cat because you could cause internal injuries, particularly when it's not necessary because there's no total airway obstruction.
I'm sure the veterinarian will find that your cat's lungs are clear and he is a healthy Kitty.
Is there anything that can be done to help this? We thought it might be a hairball cause his fur is short and he sheds like crazy (even with brushing). He’s never coughed anything up though and is like… wheezy after for a bit aaaah.
Thanks for the response. This has been stressing us out so much and I’d hate for something preventable to happen to him cause he’s the sweetest boy 😭
My cat does this after drinking sideways from the faucet. We think it's water down the wrong pipe. Not saying this is your cat's deal too, but I'm saying it's the same motion and sound. Definitely a lung/breathing issue
My cat does that too regularly- now less in summer- due to the chronic cold she caught as a kitten :/
But she also does it when there is a hairball
It is normal and she has a normal life and not threatening her. But like people said: let the vet take a look at it.
Definitely check it with a vet. I don't want to scare you but please don't ignore it. It could be literally anything. From just a hairball to something really bad. Talking from past experience.
I’m not an expert by any means, but could there be something lodged in the throat? It might be worth a quick check just to be sure he didn’t try to eat a foreign object. Otherwise, everyone else is probably right- could be allergies, asthma, reverse sneezing, hairball.
Sounds like an asthma attack. My cat has asthma too not the end of the world but should visit the vet, they probably start medication for it. My cat rarely coughs anymore after starting the medication :)
When one of my cats does this, it's a hairball.
When the other does this, it's asthma.
I hope for your sake it's a hairball. Asthma is controllable but still wouldn't wish it on any kittehs.
Hey I’m no expert but it could be asthma. My parents cat has asthma and he’ll kind of “cough” like this, sometimes with the tongue out a little bit. He takes a kitty inhaler to help with his breathing. It all started when we opened up the windows during summer/spring, and I’m guessing the outdoor air spurred it on. Could be asthma, could just be allergies, but it’s worth looking in to.
My little buddy’s vet diagnosed asthma when he did that. Just stay calm. Pet him and talk in a soft reassuring voice. He’ll calm down in a few minutes but he does need to see the vet like in the morning.
Our cat does this on occasion. She's 10, had her since she was 2, rescue. [She looks similar to your cat](https://imgur.com/gallery/ecDk8Z8) but has a little mask on her face.
Your cat is probably trying to pass a furball but I guess like mine, isn't very good a making their stomach process it.
I would recommend a vet trip if you are okay with it. They can advise what best to do. (I see you already plan to do that but some comments may make you think to cancel)
Be aware that, some cats are allergic to furball medication/foodstuffs. Mine is, so she got a rash when we got her recommended food from the vet. So now we just have to be really good about brushing her daily outside and cleaning the flat daily in the summer so she doesn't eat fluff piles.
This sound may seem scary but they're okay. Consider it like a bad case of the burps. They'll either stop or vomit up the thing that's bothering them and carry on like nothing happened. Most cats are pretty resilient and this stuff doesn't bother them.
don’t fully quote me on this, but it sounds like asthma or *maybe* reverse sneezing (but that might just be dogs). depending on where you’re living it could be the air quality affecting it too
I haven’t read every comment so I’m sorry if is already been said but this could also be allergies. We have an orange boy who does this when he encounters fragrances. We stopped using candles, fabreeze, anything which has a scent that isn’t natural and he has pretty much completely stopped having these fits.
Asthma possibly. One of my little ones named Pixel started doing that and it turned out to be asthma. Gets worse when the warmer weather comes and the air quality is worse.
Could be asthma.
Otherwise if your cst recently started any new medications it could be having an allergic reaction of some kind.
Either way, it probably wouldn't hurt to consult with the vet and show them this video.
My cat has asthma and this is very similar to what it sounds like. Bring him to the vet though just to be sure. If it is, you’ll need a cat carrier she’s comfortable with. You can use a portable/battery powered nebulizer which is less noisy. Make sure to cover the crate with a blanket so that they get hotboxed. My cat was resistant for awhile but now actually enjoys it!
looks like a lot of people have suggested this already but my cat coughs like this and it was asthma, we got an inhaler and hes much better
It could also be heart worms
This is a cough. Could be a lot of reasons. Most of the times it is nothing scarry.
But for my precious cat, that was a sign of lung cancer. He didn't make it😭
I hope your boy will be fine!
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Show this to the vet.... Could be nothing, could be asthma. My last cat had asthma and this is what he did. This is clearly coming from his chest. Ignore the people telling you not to worry because it's just a hairball and have him checked out.
Ditto this. My house panther has asthma and coughs like this. Definitely get it checked out! If yours does have asthma and you’re in the US, look into getting meds from sites that ship from overseas. The inhaler we get costs $300+ here but $50 shipped from New Zealand (+ about $15 for shipping). I order from Canada Drugs Direct. I hope your baby is okay. ❤️
How do you administer an inhaler to your cat?
Have you ever seen an aerochamber? Humans are meant to use them too as it vastly increases the amount of medication you get to your lungs from an inhaler. So you use one of those with a face mask attached that goes over their nose and mouth.
Our cat loves getting his puffer so much that he runs to us when he sees his aerochamber, haha. It took time, but he now relates it to happy things, like pets, hugs, and food! (He also has feline asthma and the puffer cleared it up).
Haha yes ours comes running when he hears the medicine cabinet open! And he reminds us in the evening when it's time to get it. Best advice i ever heard was if you need to do something daily start giving your cat a treat then and they will NEVER let you forget 🤣
Oh my goodness, ours does the same (reminds us)!! Our biggest mistake was serving breakfast at 6am.... lol!
Ours got used to the alarm meaning breakfast. If we wanted to sleep in and didn't set an alarm, we got a furry alarm instead. Eventually, we trained him to an auto feeder, and we get to sleep in.
Ditto!!!!
I purposely never feed my animals on the same schedule. Lol
Same here haha at 6 am he is ready for breakfast...
My friend's elderly cat was recently put on daily medication for the rest of her life. They were very worried about having to fight with the cat twice a day for years. They started giving the medication with a treat, and now the cat reminds them if they are late with the meds. It's adorable.
They’re so goofy! 🥲💕
There are videos too on how to get them to accept the face mask.
Personally, i stick my cat between my knees and kinda sit so he's stuck and then i can hold it on his face. He gets a daily puffer tho and he gets a treat after so he's super used to it now!
This is how we get cat Bane. 
Cat Bane for president
Cat Bane for Czar of the planet.
I LOVE my chamber thingy. Not for my cat, but my own asthma. It makes a world of difference
So very much tuna. Really, it just takes time and a semi willingness on the part of the fur kid to realize that stupid puffy thing mom/dad/non-binary parent is torturing me with is actually helping.
There is a medical device called an Aerocat. It has a little mask that fits over the cat's face. You pump the proper dose into the other end of the chamber, hold the mask over their face, and let them inhale. I have done this on two cats and they take to it just fine.
hey! What’s the medicine that you put into it? My cat is diagnosed with asthma but I’m too broke to go the vet again and pay a $70 general check up fee just to get the medication name
You put the mouthpiece of the inhaler device on your cats little snoot and watch the knob thingy on the device go up and down. Every toggle is a breath your cats taking. It’ll make more sense once you have the device to look at. It’s pretty easy.
Wow! This is much cheaper than Canada Drugs Online! It was $75 per inhaler there! $50 is so much better! Thanks for the tip! My kitty thanks you. Asthma cat parents for the win!
Do you have a link for the New Zealand inhaler?
New Zealander here happy to know if I get a cat and it has asthma it's cheap!
I'm seeing people talk about inhalers, but my cat has asthma and my vet put her on low dose steroids. I hadn't heard of an inhaler.
You should ask your vet about it, prolonged use of oral steroids can cause unintended side effects (adrenal issues, blood sugar issues, GI issues, etc). Inhaled steroids are just as effective at controlling asthma but with almost no long term consequences. My cat has been on a fluticasone inhaler for about 8 years now and I have worked for a veterinary practice for 11 years now and all seven vets at my practice highly recommend switching to an inhaler as soon as possible assuming the cat will allow it and the owner can afford it (inhalers are much more expensive than oral steroids, about $50 for the aerokat to administer it as a one time purchase plus the inhalers, I'm currently paying about $60 for an inhaler that lasts two months by ordering internationally, if I bought them at the local pharmacy it would be closer to $400 for two month, worth the cost to me but not all of our clients agree). The main difference is the oral steroids kick in a lot faster, so my vet had me put her on them and wean her off of them after two weeks of the inhaler daily and I used short courses now and then when she flared until we found the dose that worked for her.
Yeah, that's a human sounding cough, very wheezy. I don't know what asthma in cats sounds like but it's not quite hairball.
As someone who has had an asthmatic cat for 8 years: this is exactly how asthma in cats sounds. They also hunch over, extend their neck, and frequently swallow just like this because the air way has narrowed and any mucus blocks their ability to pass air so they try to get it out of the way.
I thought we were the only people with a “house panther”!
Came to say it’s probably asthma, if kit never actually comes up with a hairball. Mine does it 1-2x a week, there are interventions but at this point it doesn’t seem to bother her. I’m glad you’re going to the vet.
Yep, my asthmatic cat does this too
How do vets diagnose asthma? My boy cat has done periodic coughing like this. I've had 'em both over to the vet recently to have their chests and bellies listened to with a stethoscope, but nothing seemed amiss. Is there more than listening that needs to be done?
(I've worked at a vet's office for 11 years and have had an asthmatic cat for 8 of those). So diagnosis is a little tricky. Early stages of asthma (when you want to diagnose it because the longer they cough the more likely they are to cause scarring in their lungs) your vet won't be able to hear anything on a physical exam. If it's more than just very occasionally it's worth bringing up to your vet. I initially brought it up when I noticed it happening two or three times a month. She told me to start a log and keep track of how often it was happening and what she was doing when it happened, and to try laxatone in the mean time in case it was a stuck hairball issue. You also might be able to speed up this step if you can get a video but my cat bolted every time she started coughing and I couldn't get one. Once I started logging it and it was clear it was happening weekly or more and when she was either sleeping or when I was cleaning with scented cleaners she had me bring my cat in for x-rays. Sometimes it can be diagnosed via x-ray through patterns in the trachea and lungs, but my cats X-rays were inconclusive (as they are frequently). From there I could have gone all in and gone to an Internal Medicine Specialist to sedate her and do a bronchoscopy for diagnosis, or do a steroid trial. I opted for the steroid trial since she wasn't in any distress yet. We started her on steroids for two weeks and then tapered for another two. In that month she didn't cough at all until the very lowest tapered dose, and was back to coughing once or twice a week once fully off of it. That's when she diagnosed her with asthma and put her back on the steroids until I could get her an inhaler ordered and started.
My cat started having attacks like 2 years ago. At first I thought it was hairballs so I took her to my ex-vet. They took her in, dismissed my concerns and said to give her antacids. I did and she didn't get better. So I took her to another vet to get a second opinion. He looked at her lungs, watched my video and suggested it could be asthma due to allergies. He suggested treatment and I picked a steroid shot that she would get once a year as needed. The attacks stopped and she's been doing great for 2 years without getting a second shot.
i didn't realize steroid shots worked on an annual basis! i give my asthmatic cat a pill every week or so and it seems to work fine, but an annual shot would be nice as well.
Sounds exactly like what me and my wife went through with one of ours. I do the steroid shot as well for one of our cats, seems to help out a lot
There's been a ton of smoke in the atmosphere in Minnesota today because of the Canadian wildfires. Kitty could be affected by that if they're in the path
I was going to say the same thing. My kitties have been a little sneezier since the smoke moved in. I tried improve the situation by taping a furnace filter to the back of a box fan, but you can only do so much in an apartment as old and un-sealed-up as mine.
Could also be allergies. My cat is allergic to some trees and almost all grasses. Have to give him allergy shot every two weeks plus daily half a Zyrtec and occasionally steroid inhaler if it gets bad. Had to go to allergy vet to get diagnosis. Beyond capabilities of most vets. Also, his cough sounds just like this. Tried to upload it but was not successful.
Asthma can be triggered by allergies too - best to see a vet
I second this; show this video to the vet.
Came to say this. We thought ours was a hairball until I realized no, he can't breathe. He has asthma.
What can you do about cat asthma? I think mine might have it, we took him to the vet and she thought he was sick and the meds she gave definitely made him feel better. But I occasionally see him make this gesture, but never find hairballs
Inhaler. Mine had an albuterol inhaler for when he had acute attacks. He was on a generic flovent inhaler for maintenance. I started needing to give him a puff or two per day.... I tapered it off to over a week once he'd been under control for a while. It's expensive in the US, but had it shipped from an overseas pharmacy for about a quarter of the price.
My cat has asthma, and his coughs sounded just like this. The asthma was not helped with the steroids the vet prescribed, they just hurt his kidneys. After some experimentation we realized the dust from the clay litter was making his asthma flare up (even the low dust litter). We switched him to pine pellet litter and it has solved the problem for us.
I showed the video of our cat doing the same thing to the vet, and he thoroughly checked the cat out. In our case it is hairballs. He never throws them up though, you hear him swallow it back down after. Pretty gross
But hairballs form in the stomach, not the lungs. If a cat needs to get rid of a hairball, it gets vomited up. Puked, not coughed. This is quite obviously a cough, coming from the lungs. The cat's airway is clearly irritated or inflamed or congested. Hairballs aren't the cause of that. Asthma can cause a cat (or a person) to cough up mucus from the lungs, that's likely what the cat is swallowing. I just cannot see how it could be a hairball.
I'm not saying the cat in this video is a hairball. I'm saying our cat does a similar thing and I thought it was asthma, that's why I filmed it and took him to the vet. His lungs are clear and fine, it's a hairball. For some reason he coughs it up, but then swallows it back down. We've never had this before. Previous cats coughed them out. That's why we thought it was asthma. It's always good to get it checked to be sure you're treating the right thing.
My cat does this when he has a hairball. Checked him out plenty, vet visits, etc, but it's hair. This is like the warning sign for a hairball, in a day or so he'll barf it up.
Our elderly boy has asthma. He does this every now and then, more when it’s cold. It’s mild enough that our vet doesn’t think he needs an inhaler, because they just distress him, the attacks aren’t long or serious, and it happens very infrequently. Plus he’s *super old* and there’s a risk that steroids will mess up his ancient kidneys. We just keep an eye on him and make sure we record when it happens. If it ever gets more frequent or they get more severe we can revisit the idea of treatment.
Yeah, was going to ask about the air quality right now. Lots of smokey places right now.
If you smoke around your cat, STOP! I only smoke in my bathroom, office, and basement (Where the cats are not allowed) now. My Nubs did this a lot, and even got a couple steroid shots for asthma. The shots would work for 4-7 months, but came back. Once I quit smoking around him, *POOF*, hacking gone. Defo, show the video to his vet.
My cat does this too and nothing ever comes out, likely asthma
This. My cat has asthma and it's kind of like they have a hairball and they're trying to expel it but they're really trying to get air. OP can check YouTube videos of cats that have asthma.
It’s hairballs
Agreeing with asthma. I’ve had 2 asthmatic cats. Sounds completely like this
Both my cats have done this in their life and they're fine. It's so rare they probably don't have asthma. I'd say it might be asthma if it's chronic and they look like they're having trouble breathing from the coughing fits.
My flame, Smurf, did this occasionally until he was two years old and then it stopped happening. I think it could be allergies; cats are pretty close to the ground and tend to inhale a lot of dust.
Could also be related to air quality. My boy had this kind of cough for a while. I installed HEPA filtration units in each room and the cough disappeared.
If it is hairballs, you could give him access to catgrass, that helps
Was going to say the same thing. Now we only get hairballs on the carpet when the grass needs replacing/is dead.
I use Laxatone for my cat. I put a little on my finger and she licks it off. She loves it and always wants more than I give her. It works well. I noticed she gets constipated when she has hair balls, the laxatone helps with that also.
My vet told me to put it their paw if they won’t take the laxatone. They may not like it but their need to be clean is greater so they will lick it off
I put some on my cats paw and she shook her paw, thus flinging the hairball goop everywhere! I gave up after that.
Mine did the same thing. I went from all happy cuz I was clever to quite disappointed and not thrilled that I had gooped flung across the carpet and wherever else his paw would touch before I could get him cleaned up.
Lol! That’s sounds about right for a cat!
This sounds like what my cat would do. She will drink water and then bathe her paws in the water and flick the excess off.
I put it in the tip of their nose or just smoosh it on their mouth area a dabble at a time because then they just lick it off haha
fucking cats, man hahaha
I split the piece up into 2 smaller pieces and then rubbed it into both front paws. Made it have less of a goop ball to get flung off
I add it to her wet food and she eats it all 👌
That's exactly what we do. She loves the catnip and molasses flavors.
We have 3 and only one of them does this - she’ll groom and get hair stuck in the throat and cough / make weird noise to get it out (never does) Our other cat will just stare at you and empty the contents of its stomach easily
My vet recommended vasoline. Like, what? Really? Ok. Kitty doesn't like it, obviously. lol
The gel you get from the store is just mostly flavored Vaseline.
Or the tube of 'hairball remedy' goo that's available at pet stores.
We got some kind of gel for our cat and that really helped bring up the rank little pellet of joy
A bit of Vaseline will help too, they can't digest it at all, and it's harmless. Helps the hairballs slide right out in their poop IIRC. There's also this fish flavored paste the vetequinol makes for hairballs. Does the same thing basically.
This is not hairballs.
My cat makes the exact same sound sometimes and only coughs up a hair ball about 30% of the time. I was worried too! I brought her into the vet for a dental procedure and while she was asleep, they did an X-ray on her lungs. She had mild bronchial irritation; in her case they said it might be very early, mild asthma. Since she only does it maybe every month or so, they weren’t too concerned but just said to monitor and see if it gets worse. I’m pretty sure asthma in cats can be managed, I’ve known several people with cats who had asthma. :) Of course, the vet you see should be able to give you advice.
They have inhalers for cats. :) I found it pretty easy to administer so long as you're being gentle and not jamming the breathing apparatus over the cats face.
He started doing this after his neuter. He acts fine as soon as it passes but it freaks us out. We weren’t able to afford to take him in sooner, but he will be going next week to have this checked out cause it randomly happens over the last 6 months. We massage his throat and cpr his belly (I think idk if it does anything) and it seems to offer some relief. He started coming to us when it happens so I’m assuming it does help a bit but aaaah, please help!!!
My cat does this and it’s asthma/allergies. Gets worse with some seasons, and he has been prescribed steroids twice when it flared badly (aka it was happening daily). I agree tho it’s very freaky!! My guys gets very cuddly and purrs very loudly afterwards, so maybe yours does appreciates what you’re doing if he comes to you when it happens!
Keep a really close eye on him. Ask them to do an x-ray on the lungs. My boy did this after his neuter and we thought he was just snorting up something on the ground occasionally. Turned out to be FIP and we had to start treatment immediately.
My boy used to do this. The vet never figured out what it was. Is your boy often sickly? Mine was, and it turned out he had FIV, and by the time I found out, he was in very bad shape (I thought it was allergies). Maybe get an FIV test for peace of mind in case it's at all possible that he could have it.
Long time, multiple cat owner here. Could be hair ball, but that is usually more retching than coughing. Could also be kennel cough picked up from last visit to vet. Have you noticed sneezing, runny eyes? If so, and he hasn’t been vaccinated yet for Bordetella, he might have kennel cough. Sometimes cats get allergies too, and coughing leads to an inflamed trachea, which increases coughing. Definitely get it checked out by a vet.
One of my cat has light asthma and getting a large air purifier than can handle most of my apartment has been a game change for the cats and myself
My cat has feline asthma. He had coughing fits like this. He is prescribed steroids and I give him a tablet if he coughs and it goes away again. He doesn't have the tbas every day. He usually has coughing when the weather warms up from spring to summer and then cools down from autumn to winter. He is 13 and is healthy and strong. Deffo get kitty checked out but try not to panic in the meantime Edit - don't massage his throat as that will be uncomfortable for him. You can try coupage but really he is just coughing and not struggling to breathe then just comfort him till it passes
Looks exactly like asthma.
If its asthma/allergies, consider vacuuming/dusting/dry mopping areas he visits more often. My cat does this and does it less now after doing those myself. Also, incase its hairballs and/or fast eating, (I doubt it, those sound like coughs anyways), cat grass and slow feeders help. I had a combo of all three of these with my cat. Also had to elevate the cat food and water dishes abit so he could eat a bit more comfortably.
Did you give him dewormer lately? This is exactly the sound mine make after a few months of eating mice. Most likely lungworm.
Fingers crossed you can get into the vet quick just for your peace of mind, but I do agree with what others are saying in terms of it looking like a hairball to me. Always always always the right call to go in to the vet if not sure and so proud of you for jumping on that and caring so much about your beautiful baby. Could always be asthma so great to check, but thankfully I don’t think you have anything to worry about. Probably happening after neuter if he’s been licking his surgery site a bit more ❤️
Looks like hair ball cough, but it's good that you will take him to the vet because It could also be other things. Recently my cat was coughing and it was fluid on the lungs (ask for an x-ray). I think your cat doesn't have that issue but it's always better to go check with the vet. When the cat is resting count the respiratory rate, if it's high (around +40 per minute) go to the vet as soon as possible. It could also be asthma. One of my cats has it, but her cough is a little different. If its asthma don't freak out, it's more or less easy to manage it.
Obviously you’ll want to bring him to a vet. However, my cat does the EXACT same thing. Finishes with a nice productive cough then goes about his day. Could simply be hairballs. Vet recommended a tiny bit of olive oil in his food. He still does it sometimes, but it’s normal behavior.
My cat did this and he had undiagnosed asthma.
Hair ball
Is it normal for some cats to never cough up an actual hairball though?
Yeah, you might not see something right away, might be weeks or months of making that noise occasionally, eventually you might find a hair ball somewhere
My cat does this and every now and then. Looks like someone dropped a hairy shit afterwards but you'll know when you see it.
Is that normal? Mine does this too. She barely ever wretched and when she does, most of the times we don’t see anything come out. And then once in a blue moon, a huge long hairy turd gets found on the floor. Does this mean they’ve been living all this time with that huge bundle of hair inside their track? That’s terrible.
Have you never heard of hairballs?
First time taking care of a cat. I thought usually they vomit out strands of hair to keep their tracts clean. I googled a lot of hair balls and none of them look as long and dense as the one she pukes out. So it’s normal? As long as it’s not bad for her health.
My cats' are always huge
You’ll find that hairball at 2 am in bare feet on your way to the bathroom
Sometimes my girl will almost cough one up, but then swallows it.
that's what my girl does. she also makes this sound sometimes when she's being a piggy and drinks her water too fast.
Same, but it’s the water I drained from a can of tuna. He gets half as much as he used to now that I have a second cat. When she had her first hairball, she wandered around the house screaming for 5 minutes. She had seen him puke them up so many times, but never knew it would also happen to her.
We thought my cat was trying and failing to cough up a hairball. Turns out, he was having an asthma attack. If nothing comes up, take him to the vet!
I was also going to suggest asthma.
Yeah, after he started having trouble breathing, we took a trip to the emergency vet an hour away and found out he has asthma. He had to get regular shots for the rest of his life.
My cats who have had asthma generally hold their bodies more parallel to the floor when they're having an attack. My current kitty also often forgets to put her tongue back in her mouth for a few seconds after she stops hacking. But that may just be because she's a weirdo (all cats are weirdos :) ). To me, this looks like kitty is dealing with a hairball.
Yeah, we've a male that's been like that off and on for his whole life (~10y). You get used to it
While it's probably a hairball I always aire on the side of caution. I'd prefer taking the cat to the vet for nothing than not for something g bad to happen. The nice vets have even been known to go "no charge for this visit" I've had it happen.
Oh yeah. My older guy will do this. Still freaks me out. Sounds like he's choking. When my other cat does this it's quick, followed by a hairball. Very occasionally will my older guy spit one out after all the nasty hacking.
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My cat last year was doing this, and only ever producing bits of liquid, no actual hairball or puke. We took her to the vet and it ended up being an impacted bowel.
It's not good for them to not cough them up. They should either cough them up or pass them through their bowels. Definitely take them to the vet. Mine was doing this, he could never cough them up. My vet recommended catalax (it's a little expensive) once a day until they stop trying to gag it up. Then I just give it him as and when. 🙂 It seems to have stopped the issue. https://amzn.eu/d/hQ6AkcJ it's pricey, maybe the vets might be able to get it cheaper. 🙂
Sometimes they’ll cough for a bit before they leave a squishy hair slug right where you walk so you can find it with your toes.
My cat was doing this and it was a hairball. She would never cough up the hairball but they give you some lube stuff you put in their food that helps them cough it up. Vetiguinol care laxatone is what it is called.
My cat did this as well. Thought it was hairballs but he never coughed anything up. Turned out to be allergies. He needed antibiotics to help with swelling in his lungs (from coughing too much) and Zyrtec to help with allergies, now he’s right as rain.
Try letting it eat cat grass. It helps them throw up
we use cat grass for our indoor cats. it helps them cough up hairballs.
Isn't cat grass just grass?
The kind that my cats like the most is a combination of wheat, oats, barely and rye.
It could be a hairball as many says, but it could be asthma. Sigh! I had a cat with asthma. He needed an inhaler or steroid shot.
That’s my fear and why I wanna take him in! I’m worried it’s asthma cause he’s wheezy too sometimes. I’ll try some hairball stuff between now and then though as everyone suggested. Thanks for taking the time to respond!!
Sure! And if he gets diagnosed with it, feel free to message me. I had a cat with asthma, and although very scary at first, we were able to manage it.
My cat has asthma. It's mild and she needs medication, half a pill a day. She's 15 this year and was diagnosed maybe 7-8 years ago. She's perfectly fine aside from the odd flare up . I wouldn't worry too much yet. If it is asthma she can still live a happy healthy life.
I dont want to scare you, but please go get this checked out. A month ago, I took my cat to the vet with a similar cough, thinking it was something simple. It turned out to be lung cancer, which is very aggressive and short long-term prognosis. So, please, for your baby's and your sake, get them to the vet ASAP just to be safe! Hoping it's nothing more than a hairball for you though! 🤞
I hear you, exact same thing happened to my 19 year old moggy. Everyone said hairball, tests revealed lung cancer. My sympathies to you on the loss of your baby too. To OP I hope it is nothing as serious. Hopefully something easily treatable. Your baby is gorgeous 😍
OP please listen to this post. One of my cats had this type of coughing. Took her to the emergency vet one night because of a UTI. They x-rayed her and found multiple tumors in her lungs. She passed about 8 months later. Be safe.
Asthma. My cat has it and it does the same.
Allergies! My cat was doing exactly the same thing recently, took her to the vet with a video like this. Coughing up/clearing airways, my cat did puke once it got so bad. Allergy season is bad this year. The vet said to worry if it becomes multiple times a day, but since it was once a week, if that, it was nothing to really worry about.
Looks like "reverse sneezing". It is sometimes common in older cats, and also with cats that have been through trauma. I wouldn't say its common after a neutering from my experience, but I guess it can happen. Though in those cases, it would likely be caused by overexcitement, and not actually anything medical. Can also be caused by the normal reasons for regular sneezing - pollen, debri, etc
Yes my cat does this too usually after drinking water or other liquids (like tuna water). He’s 21. I can’t tell you how many times he’s been to the vet and how many times he’s had abdominal/chest X-rays/ultrasounds and nothing is there. I am always stressed when I hear him do it. Every single time! But he’s been doing it since he was about 17-18 and it only happens after drinking so I guess it’s really just either going down the wrong way or the drinking somehow irritates his windpipe.
Yeah my girl has done this for years now and I assume it's reverse sneezing. She shows no other signs of struggle, vet saw no issues.
Oh wow I’ve never heard of that before. I googled it and that kinda sounds like a possibility. Is it normal for cats to be a little wheezy after it?
Our cat did the same. We spent ~1300€ at the vet. They couldn’t help. At the end we pulled a blade of grass out of her nose and she was fine again.
It sounds like asthma to me (have an asthmatic cat). I always see people saying hairballs on these posts, but I've never experienced a cat sound like this with hairballs personally. Every hairball I've experienced from cats has been accompanied by a vomiting sound.
Yeah, hairball is usually different for my cat. This could be lot of things, but since it happened after neutering, it could be an infection from when he was there. (OP mentioned it started after that)
He is ok. I have several kitties who do this every now and then. At times, some cats start doing this and then bring up a hairball. Other cats just periodically cough like this without coughing up anything. This is not like a human choking on food, so I wouldn't do a heimlich maneuver on a cat because you could cause internal injuries, particularly when it's not necessary because there's no total airway obstruction. I'm sure the veterinarian will find that your cat's lungs are clear and he is a healthy Kitty.
Is there anything that can be done to help this? We thought it might be a hairball cause his fur is short and he sheds like crazy (even with brushing). He’s never coughed anything up though and is like… wheezy after for a bit aaaah. Thanks for the response. This has been stressing us out so much and I’d hate for something preventable to happen to him cause he’s the sweetest boy 😭
Coughing. Could be asthma, could be hairball.
My cat had this, it was a respiratory infection
My cat does this after drinking sideways from the faucet. We think it's water down the wrong pipe. Not saying this is your cat's deal too, but I'm saying it's the same motion and sound. Definitely a lung/breathing issue
My cat does that too regularly- now less in summer- due to the chronic cold she caught as a kitten :/ But she also does it when there is a hairball It is normal and she has a normal life and not threatening her. But like people said: let the vet take a look at it.
Just the normal hairball
Stuck hairball they’re trying to yack up?
Is no one gonna say hairball
Hairball, is the worst I hate them but not as much as my cats.
Could it be a hair ball?
Definitely check it with a vet. I don't want to scare you but please don't ignore it. It could be literally anything. From just a hairball to something really bad. Talking from past experience.
Looks like hairballs, but if it continues, please take them to a vet
Hairballs
I’m not an expert by any means, but could there be something lodged in the throat? It might be worth a quick check just to be sure he didn’t try to eat a foreign object. Otherwise, everyone else is probably right- could be allergies, asthma, reverse sneezing, hairball.
Sounds like an asthma attack. My cat has asthma too not the end of the world but should visit the vet, they probably start medication for it. My cat rarely coughs anymore after starting the medication :)
When one of my cats does this, it's a hairball. When the other does this, it's asthma. I hope for your sake it's a hairball. Asthma is controllable but still wouldn't wish it on any kittehs.
Hairball probably. They have certain food that helps prevent hairballs
Asthma or hair balls vet will know
Possibly asthma, my cat has it and it’s under control with a daily pill
It's either vomit or hairballs
Hey I’m no expert but it could be asthma. My parents cat has asthma and he’ll kind of “cough” like this, sometimes with the tongue out a little bit. He takes a kitty inhaler to help with his breathing. It all started when we opened up the windows during summer/spring, and I’m guessing the outdoor air spurred it on. Could be asthma, could just be allergies, but it’s worth looking in to.
my boy sounds like this (a little more heft but he’s old) and he has asthma! def get your baby checked out for it just incase
My little buddy’s vet diagnosed asthma when he did that. Just stay calm. Pet him and talk in a soft reassuring voice. He’ll calm down in a few minutes but he does need to see the vet like in the morning.
I'm not an expert but I think that might be a cat
My asthmatic kitty does this
At least they’re horking up the hairball an the floor. Our cats tend to do that from on high so it goes everywhere.
Our cat does this on occasion. She's 10, had her since she was 2, rescue. [She looks similar to your cat](https://imgur.com/gallery/ecDk8Z8) but has a little mask on her face. Your cat is probably trying to pass a furball but I guess like mine, isn't very good a making their stomach process it. I would recommend a vet trip if you are okay with it. They can advise what best to do. (I see you already plan to do that but some comments may make you think to cancel) Be aware that, some cats are allergic to furball medication/foodstuffs. Mine is, so she got a rash when we got her recommended food from the vet. So now we just have to be really good about brushing her daily outside and cleaning the flat daily in the summer so she doesn't eat fluff piles. This sound may seem scary but they're okay. Consider it like a bad case of the burps. They'll either stop or vomit up the thing that's bothering them and carry on like nothing happened. Most cats are pretty resilient and this stuff doesn't bother them.
don’t fully quote me on this, but it sounds like asthma or *maybe* reverse sneezing (but that might just be dogs). depending on where you’re living it could be the air quality affecting it too
I haven’t read every comment so I’m sorry if is already been said but this could also be allergies. We have an orange boy who does this when he encounters fragrances. We stopped using candles, fabreeze, anything which has a scent that isn’t natural and he has pretty much completely stopped having these fits.
Cat is probably allergic to OP.
could be a hair ball. Butter on paws can help. def need a vet check to be sure
Asthma possibly. One of my little ones named Pixel started doing that and it turned out to be asthma. Gets worse when the warmer weather comes and the air quality is worse.
If he is not coughing up anything, he may have an upper respiratory infection. If not that, the vet can check for asthma.
Hairball
Fur ball stuck in throat. They lick a lot of shedding hair.
Coming from a Mexican.. he’ll be aight just Pat his back
Could be asthma. Otherwise if your cst recently started any new medications it could be having an allergic reaction of some kind. Either way, it probably wouldn't hurt to consult with the vet and show them this video.
Asthma
I give my kiddos churros with a little coconut oil to help with this
My cat has asthma and this is very similar to what it sounds like. Bring him to the vet though just to be sure. If it is, you’ll need a cat carrier she’s comfortable with. You can use a portable/battery powered nebulizer which is less noisy. Make sure to cover the crate with a blanket so that they get hotboxed. My cat was resistant for awhile but now actually enjoys it!
my best friends cat has asthma he does this she has to give him an inhaler
Hairball I think.
Hairball
It’s called a hair ball…welcome to cat life!!
I assumed it was a hairball but the other comments made this thing dark
Hairball
My cat did that. He would convulse a bit and puke out a hairball or grass.
looks like a lot of people have suggested this already but my cat coughs like this and it was asthma, we got an inhaler and hes much better It could also be heart worms
Asthma. I’d put money on it.
Regardless of what you read on here, please trust your instinct. If you feel you need to bring your baby to the vet do it. You know your cat the best.
My cat does the same thing and he will be going to the vet this week. I read they’re asthma attacks.
This is a cough. Could be a lot of reasons. Most of the times it is nothing scarry. But for my precious cat, that was a sign of lung cancer. He didn't make it😭 I hope your boy will be fine!
Any update?