Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My 7 month old kitty, Ziggy often starts to hack and cough, as though trying to get something up...but nothing ever comes out. He seems to either bring this on himself, when he sniffs/purrs strongly (also tend to make him sneeze) or when he wakes from a deep sleep. If he's on the bed, I put him on the floor and he usually returns to normal in less than a minute. I'm thinking it is a fur ball...but I'm becoming worried that he can't eliminate one. Any suggestions?

We went through something similar with my Siamese. It ended up being Asthma. He would stretch his neck really close to the ground and cough. I thought it was a hairball but nothing was ever produced. We finally went to the vet and they took a chest x-ray to find out he has Asthma. Have you asked your vet about that possibility?

Thank you both so much for this information...I would never have made the connection. I just made an appointment for Ziggy at the Vet. Can you explain the type of treatment did your cat had?

Simon's Asthma is mild, so he's not on medicine. He's a little bit overweight, so my vet really didn't want to put him on Prednisone because too much Prednisone can push an overweight kitty into Diabetes.

We got an x-ray of his chest, blood work, and a bronchoscopy (tube put in chest to take tissue samples). All those things put together gave us a diagnosis of mild Asthma. He has a cough spell on average about once a week and there for awhile, he'd hack a couple of times a week. I guess it just goes in phases.

I think I'd get a chest x-ray first to see what they find. That was very helpful for us. Keep me updated!

Kim

taxcatkim@yahoo.com

Thanks for the information. Ziggy's visit to the vet had to postponed until next week. However, I went online and tried to educate myself on this condition. INFO OVERLOAD! I did however get the basics down. There are so many types of cat asthma. Ziggy sounds like he might have an Upper Respiratory type (URT). Especially since he had such a nasty and long lasting bout with a URI as a kitten (adopted from shelter). I read that cats can get a form of "post-nasal drip" which can irritate their bronchial area. Regardless, Ziggy definately has a few of the classic symptems: crowching down and stretching neck when coughing, and frequent sneezing. However, he's pretty slim and sprightly and does not seem to have labored breathing at all. He also has a very healthy appetite and almost sounds like he's "inhaling" his food when he eats (that could be part of the problem too). I've noticed that the sound of his purr is very pronounced and almost sounds nasally. I'm sure the vet will provide explanation and advice on treatment. I'm so glad I posted this topic and I am so grateful for the information shared!

Be sure and post back if you get a diagnosis. Your kitties are so cute and sweet! Love the pic!

Very often when cats sound like they are brining up a hairball and nothing comes up, it can be asthma or some other respiratory problem. I would take the little guy into the vet for an exam.
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