Cough in a Cat: Causes, Methods of Treatment, Complications

Cough in a Cat – Many owners may notice that their cat is coughing. There may be many reasons for this, so it is very important to understand what provokes it. In the beginning it is worth finding out what the cough mechanism is. Cough is an important reflex mechanism, the essence of which is that the air is exhaled sharply through the oral cavity.

In the normal case, it is a protective mechanism if foreign objects, liquid, and irritating substances such as smoke enter the airways. Also, coughing helps to eliminate the products of inflammation that accumulate in the airways during various diseases.

Cough is considered to be a rather specific and convenient sign for a specialist, since its presence is a clear indication of respiratory, cardiac or vascular diseases.

Cat Cough Features

Coughing in cats occurs somewhat less frequently than coughing in dogs. It often happens that the same disease can provoke a cough in dogs, and a cat can only have shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. For example, these are heart failure, inflammatory processes, diseases of the pleura and lungs. Yes, and these symptoms can be very problematic to recognize.

Khe-khe!

The problem is that, as a rule, cats do their best to avoid the action of factors that can provoke coughing: they move less, show no emotion, play quite a bit, try to be in places with good ventilation.

Possible reasons

However, in cats it is possible to identify the disease in which it is the cough that acts as the main symptom. This is bronchial asthma. It is caused by an allergic reaction to dust and harmful microparticles contained in it.

There are other pathological conditions that may cause a cough in cats. Among them are the following:

• blocked respiratory tract;
• oncological diseases of the thoracic organs;
• cardiovascular failure;
• respiratory infections that are complicated by pneumonia;
• accumulation in the chest of air and fluid;
• diaphragmatic hernia, in which certain organs of the chest cavity enter the chest.

However, this is not a complete list. In general, a cough can be the cause of about fifty diseases.

It is worth more detail to consider the case of infection with worms. Cats can be exposed to this at any age, even those who have never left the house. Typically, domestic cats infect helminths that parasitize the gastrointestinal tract.

If you do not carry out the necessary measures, the number of these parasites will increase very quickly, especially in weak, old and young cats. They are able to penetrate from the intestines of the cat into the stomach, and from there to get into the environment along with the products of vomiting. Then cough occurs in case of receptor irritation in the process of vomiting.

Feline parasites are a possible cause of coughing.

Thus, we can conclude that cough often does not become the main symptom of the disease, and may occur already at its terminal stage.

Therefore, if you notice shortness of breath in a cat, difficulty in breathing and worsening of its general condition, as well as a lack of appetite, it is better to immediately contact a specialist. And if the cat suffers from coughing, then all the more you should not delay with such a visit, since the reason must be established as soon as possible.

What to do?

In addition to the visit to the specialist, it is very important to provide the animal with sufficient fresh air and calm. In certain cases, a humidifier can be significantly improved, which should be located indoors. If not, then a wet towel can be put on the battery.

Do not give cats any drugs. In this case, you can ease the course of the disease, however, significantly complicate its diagnosis. Also, improper use of drugs can only aggravate the situation.

A specialist who has been contacted by the owners of a coughing cat should have a qualitative history, asking the necessary questions about the conditions in which the cat is kept and what care it receives. Then he should examine the animal and examine its upper respiratory tract, listen to the bronchi, lungs and trachea, and if necessary, take an x-ray and take a blood test.

If individual pathologies are suspected, x-ray contrast studies of the esophagus, pharynx, trachea, lungs, and blood tests for the presence of viral infections may be indicated. In some cases, consultation of narrow specialists is required, such as a surgeon, oncologist, cardiologist, allergist.

Thus, the diagnosis of diseases that provoke a cough in an animal is not an easy and time-consuming task. For this reason, the specialist may prescribe a symptomatic treatment to the cat that will help alleviate her condition, before identifying and correcting the main cause of the cough.

Your Coughing Cat May Have Asthma: Natural Answers

It is important to remember that coughing in itself is not a disease, it is only a symptom. That is why the owners who really want to help their pets should make every effort to determine the real cause. This will help to correct the disease and with it such an unpleasant symptom as coughing.