Why does my cat cough like he has a fur ball, but he never coughs anything up?

Question

He's almost a year old and sometimes makes a coughing or gagging sound, as if he had a fur ball, but he has very short hair and I have tried giving him a little malt and it doesn't help the coughing at all. He doesn't do it all the time, just once in a while, but it seems very uncomfortable for him. Could it be heartworm?

Answer 1

I had two indoor cats who lived to be 18 with no health problems, and currently an indoor/outdoor who is healthy...so I was really surprised when my vet asked me about coughing/sneezing in my kitty--I'd never heard any of them coughing (and sneezing only if they'd just sniffed something dusty)! Apparently this can be a cat disease that your vet will know how to treat. I know it's expensive to go to the vet, but your kitty will appreciate your love and care.   : )

Answer 2

well i took mine to the vet when this started happening and they said he has asthma...he now has to take meds for the rest of his life. if he doesnt get treatment for this, his heart could go out cuz he is having a hard time breathing....so you should take him in for a visit

Answer 3

take him to a vet

Answer 4

Take him to your vet and find out.  It could be worse than a hair ball and could be contagious.

Answer 5

The same thing happend to except i have a dog. i took my dog to the vet and they said my dog had strep throat. the veternarian said its been going around and infecting alot of animals. so i think u should go to the vet.

Answer 6

You are describing my cat, Buddy.  He has asthma.  He needs to be treated with oral steroids.  On occasion, if he has a bad enough fit, he needs to get a shot of steroids.

When he first started coughing, we wrongly assumed it was hairballs.  He ended up coughing so hard that he triggered his gag reflex and aspirated vomit into his lungs -- and started a case of pneumonia, which fortunately, we caught early.  

Please get your cat looked at.  This is potentially very serious.

Answer 7

My cat does that all the time (he's short haired too) and it generally means he has a hair ball, but he can't get it up.  The malt (I'm assuming you mean malt flavored hairball stuff, correct?) is a very good idea.

Cats pass hairballs by either throwing them up, or expelling them when they p**p.  Hair length doesn't matter, I find that shorter haired cats will shed more easily, so don't think just because he's a short hair, that saves him from hairballs.  

My cat looks like he's having the worst time in the world when it happens.  He gags and starts to shake like he's about to have a seizure.  He rarely spits up a hairball though.  Usually his leave by the back way.  If he starts doing it frequently (more than once every other day or so) I feed him hairball medicine three times a day then keep careful watch on the litter box, to see if he's "passing" hair.  

To prevent hairballs, brush your cat every day.  If your cat enjoys some of those hairball medicines (like the malt one) give that to him once a week or so.  

Make sure your cat is eating and drinking as usual to.  If your cat has a good appetite, then chances are it is just a hairball.  If the cat doesn't want to eat or drink, or eats and drinks far less than normal, then you could have a more serious problem . Even if it is hairballs, it could be hairballs that your cat just cannot pass.  If that is the case (the cat not eating and drinking at their usual rate) please call the vet ASAP.