HELP! Cat gasping / coughing / gagging?

[jen]

Asthma. I betcha. Keep us posted what the vet says. I had an asthmatic cat who couldn't be given steriods for it bc she was in diabetic remission and so we got the inhaler. She hated it but it helped.

 

[Meowmee]

It could be a number of things, asthma, heart disease, uri, furballs and more, no way to know yet for sure, that is good you are taking in her to dvm. Merlin was doing a nose noise thing when I first trapped him again, I mentioned it to dvm who both seemed to have little interest in figuring it out. He just said it was his sinuses prolly. Eventually it stopped so I think being inside healed it. Hope she gets better soon

 

[frazzfox]

At the vet’s now, waiting for a walk-in appt — they told us to come in immediately. I’ll update as soon as we know what’s going on.

 

[frazzfox]

Post-vet update: the vet watched the video and listened to Kila’s chest. She said she seemed fine, chest sounds were normal, gums normal. Wasn’t sure about the noise in the video but said it could have been a reverse sneeze or an allergen that irritated her.

She offered to do an x Ray and I accepted for peace of mind. The x Ray showed a small amount of inflammation in the chest but vet said it’s not enough to cause worry, especially if she’s not panting or open mouth breathing. The x Ray also caught something strange in her belly, a light-colored spot, so she vet asked if Kila might have eaten anything out of the ordinary. I haven’t seen her eat anything but she’s home alone at times. I asked if it was something we should be worried about but she said as long as Kila’s still eating, drinking, and using the litter box okay, we shouldn’t be concerned.

Not much of a diagnosis but at least I know she’s not on her deathbed. I’m still not convinced it’s not allergy related so I may try to remove some common allergens around our apartment to see if that makes a difference.

 

[lisahe]

I'm very glad to hear you were able to bring Kila right in and get her checked out! It's great that you had the xray done: given the weird cough and the sneezing, it's good to have a baseline on her chest inflammation. And to know to keep an eye out for all those various symptoms. But that spot in the stomach, hm. Cats do have a tendency to eat things they shouldn't! Ireland has been known to eat shoelaces, rubber bands, and even small bits of my shoes (! she likes leather) so you never know what she might have gotten into.

Yes, I'd still be concerned about the allergies, too. We've done lots of cleaning since Ireland was diagnosed. We've thrown away old rugs and two ancient stuffed armchairs, done more laundering of cat bedding than ever, and started sweeping/swiffering/dusting a lot more. I'd been slowly working on decluttering before the xray but have really gotten into it now! I'd also gotten rid of highly scented cleaners and things long ago but am going to replace the remaining lighter ones with unscented, too. We've been using exhaust fans more and even opening windows a little (even thought it's winter!) every now and then to freshen the air a bit. (Here's a really interesting -- but also very detailed article -- about indoor air quality.) I've always had allergies (and this winter had been bad) and can definitely feel the difference after all the cleaning and decluttering -- I hope Ireland can, too!

I hope Kila starts to feel better soon!

 

[Meowmee]

Post-vet update: the vet watched the video and listened to Kila’s chest. She said she seemed fine, chest sounds were normal, gums normal. Wasn’t sure about the noise in the video but said it could have been a reverse sneeze or an allergen that irritated her.

She offered to do an x Ray and I accepted for peace of mind. The x Ray showed a small amount of inflammation in the chest but vet said it’s not enough to cause worry, especially if she’s not panting or open mouth breathing. The x Ray also caught something strange in her belly, a light-colored spot, so she vet asked if Kila might have eaten anything out of the ordinary. I haven’t seen her eat anything but she’s home alone at times. I asked if it was something we should be worried about but she said as long as Kila’s still eating, drinking, and using the litter box okay, we shouldn’t be concerned.

Not much of a diagnosis but at least I know she’s not on her deathbed. I’m still not convinced it’s not allergy related so I may try to remove some common allergens around our apartment to see if that makes a difference.

So glad she is ok. I would still be worried about “ inflammation in the chest” though. I found this on possible causes. Maybe take her for a second look etc to make sure. My Tess was not diagnosed with hcm until she was in complete heart failure even though I took her in 2 days before that with on and off rapid breathing and they told me I was crazy. Same for Angie when she became severely anemic, she was breathing rapidly but stopped when we got to the er dvm. Good idea to de - allergize everything as it could be that also.

Mid-Chest Inflammation in Cats

 

[frazzfox]

So glad she is ok. I would still be worried about “ inflammation in the chest” though.

I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on her and the vet said to not hesitate to call if she gets worse or if new symptoms crop up. I keep a little spreadsheet of info that I log in every day (how much she eats, if she goes to the bathroom, any odd behavior, etc.) so I'll always know if something's up. Yes I'm a bit of a helicopter cat parent.

Based on how the vet talked about the x-rays, she genuinely didn't seem concerned, which does put me at ease despite all the possibilities. She even pointed out that Kila appeared to be generally relaxed in the video I took -- not hunched over, no uncomfortable posture, etc. So that on top of regular appetite and the fact that it passed is a good sign that it's not too severe.

Kila's already acting much more like herself today after resting up. She's got some residual anxiety from the vet's trip so I'm hoping this'll be her last trip in for a while, fingers crossed. Two times in two weeks is a lot!

 

[stephanietx]

I'm so glad you were able to get her to the vet today and that the x-ray eased your mind. I think you mentioned that she is still a kitten. One thing I remember from when my Tumbles was a kitten was that would always sleep A LOT just before a growth spurt. Kittens grow in their sleep, so maybe that's the cause of the deep and extra sleeping she was doing. You're a good pet parent and very attentive. My vet always tells me to trust my gut because I know my cat best and I know what's normal and not normal for my kitties.

 

[Hannah518]

Glad she’s doing ok! Sounds like your keeping good eye on her

 

[She's a witch]

I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on her and the vet said to not hesitate to call if she gets worse or if new symptoms crop up. I keep a little spreadsheet of info that I log in every day (how much she eats, if she goes to the bathroom, any odd behavior, etc.) so I'll always know if something's up. Yes I'm a bit of a helicopter cat parent.

Based on how the vet talked about the x-rays, she genuinely didn't seem concerned, which does put me at ease despite all the possibilities. She even pointed out that Kila appeared to be generally relaxed in the video I took -- not hunched over, no uncomfortable posture, etc. So that on top of regular appetite and the fact that it passed is a good sign that it's not too severe.

Kila's already acting much more like herself today after resting up. She's got some residual anxiety from the vet's trip so I'm hoping this'll be her last trip in for a while, fingers crossed. Two times in two weeks is a lot!

Not sure if anyone had mentioned smoke as possible allergy/asthma triggers- if you like to burn candles, incense sticks or most importantly open fireplace, you may want to reconsider.
I’d also be worried about this inflammation, it’s never a good thing, so it’s great you’re keeping a close eye on her. Hopefully it’s not chronic. Was it in her respiratory airways area? Do you have a copy of an image if you decide to ask for another opinion? How old she? How long have you had her?
I have an asthmatic kitty, her lungs have always sounded perfect, and she was always relaxed when coughing, maybe apart from first few time when she wasn’t used to it. But mostly, she wouldn’t even stop playing when the attack came, maybe pause for a while, but without any visible distress. Luckily we caught the disease early.
If I were you, I’d watch for and record every cough if it repeats (hopefully not!!!) and notice the frequency. They are different opinions when to involve steroids medication, some would say no to steroids if the cough happens only every 2 weeks. Some say that any airways inflammation and cough requires it, to minimize the risk of irreversible changes in the lower respiratory track.
Best of luck and I hope she’ll never cough again!

 

[lisahe]

Not sure if anyone had mentioned smoke as possible allergy/asthma triggers- if you like to burn candles, incense sticks or most importantly open fireplace, you may want to reconsider.
I’d also be worried about this inflammation, it’s never a good thing, so it’s great you’re keeping a close eye on her. Hopefully it’s not chronic. Was it in her respiratory airways area? Do you have a copy of an image if you decide to ask for another opinion? How old she? How long have you had her?
I have an asthmatic kitty, her lungs have always sounded perfect, and she was always relaxed when coughing, maybe apart from first few time when she wasn’t used to it. But mostly, she wouldn’t even stop playing when the attack came, maybe pause for a while, but without any visible distress. Luckily we caught the disease early.
If I were you, I’d watch for and record every cough if it repeats (hopefully not!!!) and notice the frequency. They are different opinions when to involve steroids medication, some would say no to steroids if the cough happens only every 2 weeks. Some say that any airways inflammation and cough requires it, to minimize the risk of irreversible changes in the lower respiratory track.
Best of luck and I hope she’ll never cough again!

This is really good advice for a lot of reasons but particularly because it helps illustrate how differently asthma can present when it's diagnosed. Ireland's progression was different from She's a witch 's cat's progression though our cats have one really important thing in common: the lack of "visible distress." Ireland's symptoms have been almost totally invisible to us, though what she had -- the two cough attacks, some panting after hard play when she was a kitten, and occasional mouth breathing -- was enough for me to watch her breathing over the years. Asthma was always in the back of my mind, even when she was showing no symptoms at all.

FWIW, with regard to the steroids, our vet takes the approach that I bolded. Ireland has only had two (maybe three?) real cough attacks in over six years but the fact of her lungs not sounding clean and the light but noticeable inflammation on her chest xray are enough for me to prefer giving her the preventive inhaler to taking a wait-and-see approach. I don't want her to be uncomfortable or suddenly have worse symptoms. She seems to be doing really well with the inhaler: I haven't seen her this active and perky since she was a kitten, though that could be partly because she also had a bad tooth pulled recently!
I, too, record "incidents" in the Catlog; that's proven really helpful. (Though, thus far, more for our other cat's barfing than Ireland's asthma!)

I have one other question, too, since Kila was recently adopted. Did she have a respiratory infection either at a shelter or just after you brought her home?

I, too, hope there won't be more coughing!

 

[frazzfox]

Thanks for all the information and suggestions everyone.

I'm so glad you were able to get her to the vet today and that the x-ray eased your mind. I think you mentioned that she is still a kitten. One thing I remember from when my Tumbles was a kitten was that would always sleep A LOT just before a growth spurt. Kittens grow in their sleep, so maybe that's the cause of the deep and extra sleeping she was doing. You're a good pet parent and very attentive. My vet always tells me to trust my gut because I know my cat best and I know what's normal and not normal for my kitties.

She's actually not a kitten -- she's 3! But she's had a lot of changes lately. Today she seems fine, hungrier and more alert than usual even. Thanks so much for your kind words. She's had a hard life up until now and I want to do right by her.

Not sure if anyone had mentioned smoke as possible allergy/asthma triggers- if you like to burn candles, incense sticks or most importantly open fireplace, you may want to reconsider.
I’d also be worried about this inflammation, it’s never a good thing, so it’s great you’re keeping a close eye on her. Hopefully it’s not chronic. Was it in her respiratory airways area? Do you have a copy of an image if you decide to ask for another opinion? How old she? How long have you had her?

We haven't burned any kind of candles since we got her, and we don't have a fireplace. I've been trying to think of what was going on when the attack started and what could have possibly triggered it. The change in litter is the biggest standout to me, as we had just changed it less than an hour before the coughing started. She's been in there and used the box a few times since then though and no respiratory issues, but I'm still switching it for the respiratory litter ASAP.

The vet said the inflammation was around the lung cavity I believe, and she said it was minor. Unfortunately we didn't get a copy of the x-ray image but I imagine I might be able to call and get a copy if I needed to. She's 3 years old and we've only had her for 2 weeks at this point.

I have one other question, too, since Kila was recently adopted. Did she have a respiratory infection either at a shelter or just after you brought her home?

As far as I know, she did not have any kind of respiratory issue at the rescue where we got her from. Though the owner of the rescue mentioned a week or so before we were able to pick her up that some of the cats were passing "a cold" around (I'm assuming that's shorthand for a URI) so it's possible she might have had one recently. I could message the rescue owner and ask, we're on good terms.

Just as a general update -- we vacuumed and dusted the house and my partner put out his air purifier in the living room to try and improve air quality if it is asthma or allergies we're dealing with. Kila polished off her dinner and is snoozing on the couch next to him.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm so glad she has you, you-all ROCK!

 

[Meowmee]

I'm definitely going to be keeping an eye on her and the vet said to not hesitate to call if she gets worse or if new symptoms crop up. I keep a little spreadsheet of info that I log in every day (how much she eats, if she goes to the bathroom, any odd behavior, etc.) so I'll always know if something's up. Yes I'm a bit of a helicopter cat parent.

Based on how the vet talked about the x-rays, she genuinely didn't seem concerned, which does put me at ease despite all the possibilities. She even pointed out that Kila appeared to be generally relaxed in the video I took -- not hunched over, no uncomfortable posture, etc. So that on top of regular appetite and the fact that it passed is a good sign that it's not too severe.

Kila's already acting much more like herself today after resting up. She's got some residual anxiety from the vet's trip so I'm hoping this'll be her last trip in for a while, fingers crossed. Two times in two weeks is a lot!

That is great she is ok and feeling better. The x ray would have showed fluid build I think if there were any. I hope she relaxes after the dvm ordeal soon And doesn’t have to go back. You are a great cat parent to write everything down etc.

 

[frazzfox]

Morning update: Kila let out another hack / cough this morning, just one, right after she used the litter box. She seemed fine just afterwards, begging for her breakfast and eating it without incident. I noticed that she hasn’t been covering her urine when she’s gone in the box either. Maybe to avoid kicking up dust?

I know I can’t be sure of the cause but I’m heading to Petsmart on my lunch break today to get that respiratory litter. My partner works from home so he’ll be able to keep an eye on her during the day.

 

[Meowmee]

Morning update: Kila let out another hack / cough this morning, just one, right after she used the litter box. She seemed fine just afterwards, begging for her breakfast and eating it without incident. I noticed that she hasn’t been covering her urine when she’s gone in the box either. Maybe to avoid kicking up dust?

I know I can’t be sure of the cause but I’m heading to Petsmart on my lunch break today to get that respiratory litter. My partner works from home so he’ll be able to keep an eye on her during the day.

Could be asthma or allergies etc. I hope it helps her, I have never heard of that litter.

 

[di and bob]

I've got one cat that has asthma, every year or so he needs a shot of Prednisone, which helps tremendously, and they now prescribed an inhalor to use if he acts up. (Put a cardboard smaller sized box over cat with a small hole cut on one end, spray inhalor in box through the hole for cat to breathe. Works well.
The only other time I had a cat cough like that was one that had a heart condition diagnosed by the cough and an x-ray when it went on. He lived for 6 years controlled just on medications.
I pray your little one just has a stress related cold or allergies. It really could be not more than that!

 

[frazzfox]

I pray your little one just has a stress related cold or allergies. It really could be not more than that!

This is what I'm hoping as well. She's been itching and grooming a lot since we got her and she definitely doesn't have fleas (vet combed her over when we brought her in and she's been on Revolution), which is why I lean towards allergies. I noticed her nose whistles a little bit when she's sleeping and she'll sometimes go into little grooming frenzies where she licks and scratches a lot. She tends to lick/scratch more when we play with her (she'll play for a few minutes then stop to groom a certain spot, then keep going).

I was also wondering if maybe it was something in her food she was allergic to -- we transitioned her from dry food to wet when we got her (Weruva). She was on a diet of Purina One Tender Selects Chicken before this, so I'm thinking she probably doesn't have a chicken allergy. But she's been rather gassy lately and her stools have been a bit wet. Some of the Weruva foods have potato in them so we're trying ones without now to see if that makes a difference over time.

I'm trying hard not to jump to the worst possible conclusions, especially after the vet checked her over and took the x-rays and told us she was okay. I tend to be a worrier. If the cough persists after we make some environmental changes gets worse we'll definitely take her for a second opinion. If I could take her in immediately I would but we just don't have the money to go to another vet so soon unless it's an emergency. So I'm going to try tweaking some variables to see if we can get this to go away. She didn't cough for the first week and a half we had her so fingers crossed...!

 

[di and bob]

If the vet checked her over and did x-rays, that should ease your mind a bit. Heart conditions,asthma, and many other conditions show up on x-rays. If she didn't cough for the first week, then allergies are teh most likely culprit! Stress from being in a new home and new diet, etc. (even though she may not exhibit stress signs, cats are good at hiding this) may very well haev reduced her immune level and she is getting a 'kitty cold'. the more info we get, the more and more it points to this! Just enjoy your new little one and try to relax, it DOES get easier!

 

[lisahe]

But she's been rather gassy lately and her stools have been a bit wet. Some of the Weruva foods have potato in them so we're trying ones without now to see if that makes a difference over time.

Definitely try getting rid of the potato! That's what ended gassiness and vomiting for Edwina, our other cat. We have these cats on a very low-carb diet, which also seems to be a plus for keeping inflammation down. (In that interest, I've also cut out nearly all fish for Ireland.)

Morning update: Kila let out another hack / cough this morning, just one, right after she used the litter box. She seemed fine just afterwards, begging for her breakfast and eating it without incident. I noticed that she hasn’t been covering her urine when she’s gone in the box either. Maybe to avoid kicking up dust?

I know I can’t be sure of the cause but I’m heading to Petsmart on my lunch break today to get that respiratory litter. My partner works from home so he’ll be able to keep an eye on her during the day.

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear about the hack/cough! Yes, the litter box. Does Kila kick a lot in the box? Ireland does, it's ridiculous (I call it her "scissor kick," it's a very vigorous cross-paw effort that goes on for a long time) and, worst of all, she practically sticks her nose in the box when she does it. I hope the Dr. Elsey's helps Kila, too. Also: since that litter's so expensive, don't forget to flip through the coupon book on the side of the box to get $1 off. (And check out the rebate on Dr. E's site, too. I'm not sure about boxes and bags so you might have to ask about that.) And another also: one of our regional stores (Loyal Companion) sells Dr. E's for several dollars less than Petco and Petsmart so it's worth shopping around when you have the chance. (On the other end of the price spectrum, one of our independent stores was offering it for more than $20 a box!)

It's great that your partner works at home and can keep an eye on Kila. We both work at home, too, which is great for us and the cats. You're doing all the right things to track Kila's symptoms along with environmental changes: I'm convinced that tracking patterns is just as (or at least almost as!) important as vet tests. That said, we still have no solid idea about what (other than, most likely, that old Fresh Step and perhaps the combination of wildfire smoke that lingers for days and high pollen levels) sets Ireland off... and we may never find out. But even those vague observations -- combined with the vet's observations and the xrays -- can help us keep her healthy. Particularly when combined with lots of dust removal!