Cat Coughing Only Between 2-6am

[CCLady]

Hi, this is my first post here. I have a 15 1/2 year old cat whose only health issue to date (that I know of) is kidney disease. She gets subcutaneous fluids, 200ml, every other day for the past 1 1/2 years. She is 14.5 pounds. She is the biggest eater in the house, she is very active, she plays and catches stuffed mice and brings them to me in bed with a very boisterous meow bragging about her catch.

About three weeks ago she developed a short but disturbing cough during the night. It is very similar to an asthma cough. It only lasts about 15 seconds and then she is fine again. She just lays on her side when coughing because she has been asleep when waking up to cough. She doesn't get up in that crouch position like my other cat did that had asthma. She only does it one time, but its quite a disturbing thing to see and hear. She does it every single morning between 2 and 6am only. I took her to the vet two weeks ago and according to the vet she has LUNG CANCER!! BUT I'M NOT BUYING IT JUST YET! She does have quite a few light spots in her lung xray, but other than that she has absolutely no symptoms of cancer. The vet said it could possibly be scar tissue from a prior lung infection (I've only had her the past 6 years and she was indoor/outdoor prior to me adopting her) I haven't taken her for further (extremely expensive) testing only because she has no other symptoms than this one incident of coughing in the morning. The vet also said that coughing is not always a symptom of lung cancer and if cancer does cause coughing then why would it only be once a day during this very limited time frame. We treated her for 7 days with Veraflox just in case it was a bacterial infection, but all it did was give her diarrhea. Perhaps it is lung cancer and just has this odd one time early morning cough, but I refuse to accept this diagnosis at this point due to her not having a single other symptom. She appears extremely healthy otherwise! I have also received several very serious and WRONG diagnosis from this vet in the past, but they are the closest to me and often my only choice sometimes due to my work schedule. Any ideas on what this could be? Thanks in advance! Robyn and Sammie.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Perhaps this is when she is in the deepest sleep and there is a disturbance to her breathing pattern during that time, which causes her to wake up and cough?
Are you around her during the day to see if she does it then when she goes into a deep sleep? If you are not at home during the day, it might be happening then as well.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... I took her to the vet two weeks ago and according to the vet she has LUNG CANCER!! BUT I'M NOT BUYING IT JUST YET! She does have quite a few light spots in her lung xray, but other than that she has absolutely no symptoms of cancer. The vet said it could possibly be scar tissue from a prior lung infection ...

Were the xrays read by a professional, dedicated radiologist -- or only by the vet you saw?

 

[FelisCatus]

[...]About three weeks ago she developed a short but disturbing cough during the night. It is very similar to an asthma cough. It only lasts about 15 seconds and then she is fine again. She just lays on her side when coughing because she has been asleep when waking up to cough. She doesn't get up in that crouch position like my other cat did that had asthma. She only does it one time, but its quite a disturbing thing to see and hear. She does it every single morning between 2 and 6am only. I took her to the vet two weeks ago and according to the vet she has LUNG CANCER!! BUT I'M NOT BUYING IT JUST YET! She does have quite a few light spots in her lung xray, but other than that she has absolutely no symptoms of cancer. The vet said it could possibly be scar tissue from a prior lung infection (I've only had her the past 6 years and she was indoor/outdoor prior to me adopting her) I haven't taken her for further (extremely expensive) testing only because she has no other symptoms than this one incident of coughing in the morning. The vet also said that coughing is not always a symptom of lung cancer and if cancer does cause coughing then why would it only be once a day during this very limited time frame. We treated her for 7 days with Veraflox just in case it was a bacterial infection, but all it did was give her diarrhea. Perhaps it is lung cancer and just has this odd one time early morning cough, but I refuse to accept this diagnosis at this point due to her not having a single other symptom. She appears extremely healthy otherwise! I have also received several very serious and WRONG diagnosis from this vet in the past, but they are the closest to me and often my only choice sometimes due to my work schedule. Any ideas on what this could be? Thanks in advance! Robyn and Sammie.

I had just put one of my cats to sleep a few days ago (she had mammary cancer that metastasized into her lungs).... this sounds exactly what she went through. She would cough for only 10-15 seconds once a day every day for 1-2 weeks but only around 6-9pm.

I would highly recommend following up with the lung cancer route...... but since you mentioned they gave you bad advice before... try a different vet. Do you have a cat only vet clinic nearby? If you post your city then I can look it up for you online.

 

[FeebysOwner]

try a different vet. Do you have a cat only vet clinic nearby?

Or, a vet university?

 

[FelisCatus]

Or, a vet university?

Yes, that is a great alternative.

 

[CCLady]

Oh wow! Thanks for the super fast responses! I'm saddened right away by FelisCatus response confirming the possibility of lung cancer, but this is exactly why I asked this question on this forum. If it is cancer, I know the end is near regardless and in consideration of her kidney disease, any treatments for cancer would likely be very taxing on her kidneys. I'm reluctant to take her to the cancer specialist because I don't want to put her through lung aspirations, CT scans etc, etc, only to have to poke pills in her for the few months we likely have left. She is VERY hard to give meds too as well. Dont get me wrong, I have ran cat health issues to the fullest extent in the past regardless of cost and I still lost the cat soon after. I know you can make assumptions, but I try to remember its quality of life and not as much quantity when your pet is this age.

In response to Feebys Owner, she does snore a lot when sleeping, so I thought maybe her mouth/throat were just drying out from snoring and that was causing her to choke. i was home with her 24/7 for the past 5 weeks due to the federal government furloug, so I was able to watch her like a hawk for the first two weeks of the cough. I never once caught her coughing any other times.

I do have two very nice specialty veterinary hopsitals in my general area, about 25 miles away, but its like $1000 just to walk in their doors it seems and that's just the diagnosis part and not including any treatments.

This is super painful for me as I'm sure all of you know. I'm not taking any of this lightly or anything. I'm just trying to be realistic. I greatly appreciate your quick input. I hope to hear more of your thoughts on this.

Robyn

 

[CCLady]

p.s. only the vet viewed the xrays at this point.

 

[FelisCatus]

Oh wow! Thanks for the super fast responses! I'm saddened right away by FelisCatus response confirming the possibility of lung cancer, but this is exactly why I asked this question on this forum. If it is cancer, I know the end is near regardless and in consideration of her kidney disease, any treatments for cancer would likely be very taxing on her kidneys. I'm reluctant to take her to the cancer specialist because I don't want to put her through lung aspirations, CT scans etc, etc, only to have to poke pills in her for the few months we likely have left. She is VERY hard to give meds too as well. Dont get me wrong, I have ran cat health issues to the fullest extent in the past regardless of cost and I still lost the cat soon after. I know you can make assumptions, but I try to remember its quality of life and not as much quantity when your pet is this age.

In response to Feebys Owner, she does snore a lot when sleeping, so I thought maybe her mouth/throat were just drying out from snoring and that was causing her to choke. i was home with her 24/7 for the past 5 weeks due to the federal government furloug, so I was able to watch her like a hawk for the first two weeks of the cough. I never once caught her coughing any other times.

I do have two very nice specialty veterinary hopsitals in my general area, about 25 miles away, but its like $1000 just to walk in their doors it seems and that's just the diagnosis part and not including any treatments.

This is super painful for me as I'm sure all of you know. I'm not taking any of this lightly or anything. I'm just trying to be realistic. I greatly appreciate your quick input. I hope to hear more of your thoughts on this.

Robyn

Do you have a copy of the x-rays (not the x-rays themselves) but if you email/call the clinic they can email you a digital copy.

If they use an older x-ray machine that is not digital, ask a vet tech there to take a picture of it with their phone camera and email it to you.

If you share it here I would be able to look at it and tell you how far along it is based on the x-rays I saw of my cat .

I could also provide my opinions on what else it might be. Up to you.

 

[CCLady]

I do have the xrays on a CD, but I guess that's what you mean by "not the xrays themselves." I tried to click on the exe file it gave me a bunch of errors and I couldn't open the xray file without the special viewer. I will call them now to see if they can send me something other than what they gave me on the cd.

Sure, if you think it might be something other than cancer, I would love to hear. I'm still in a bit of denial mode on the cancer!!!

 

[FelisCatus]

I do have the xrays on a CD, but I guess that's what you mean by "not the xrays themselves." I tried to click on the exe file it gave me a bunch of errors and I couldn't open the xray file without the special viewer. I will call them now to see if they can send me something other than what they gave me on the cd.

Sure, if you think it might be something other than cancer, I would love to hear. I'm still in a bit of denial mode on the cancer!!!

LOL I had the exact same problem when they gave me the CD... I was like wth? So I called them and they sent it via email instead.... not sure why they didn’t just do that.

 

[Kflowers]

There are other illnesses that cause scars on the lungs. Pneumonia for one. Definitely, get a second opinion on the x-rays. Call the other clinics and see what the price is for looking at the x-rays so that you can decide whether or not to bring the cat in.

 

[CCLady]

Great idea Kflowers! I for sure didn't think of that.

 

[FelisCatus]

There are other illnesses that cause scars on the lungs. Pneumonia for one. Definitely, get a second opinion on the x-rays. Call the other clinics and see what the price is for looking at the x-rays so that you can decide whether or not to bring the cat in.

Yeah I thought it might be pneumonia.

Once we see those pics we can compare to images we find online.

 

[white shadow]

.
Hi CCLady and welcome to the forum !

The first oddity I noticed with your opening post was the amount of SQ fluids and their frequency. Current recommendations are for no more than 100ml and that max amount, daily, with that regimen subject to exception. Increasing amounts of fluid can result in fluid retention, and that itself can cause coughing (and other issues). Some reliable references for you:

• Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Subcutaneous Fluids
• Tanya's Comprehensive Guide to Feline Chronic Kidney Disease - Symptoms of Fluid Imbalances and Urinary Issues

For starters, then, I would be reducing the amount of fluid and increasing the frequency to daily.

Radiographs or x-rays are pictures in time, so remember that it would be important to have additional pictures at subsequent points of time for comparison purposes in any diagnostic process. And, in my own opinion, having anyone other than a professional radiologist and Veterinary Oncologist prognosticate about Sammie's condition would be simply absurd. It's one thing for us here to share personal or learned experiences..... quite a different thing for anybody to 'play amateur veterinarian', as much as any of us might feel a need or driven to help.

Veterinarians will have access to specialists for consultation purposes (as well as referrals). I would be asking that my Veterinarian engage with his/her oncologist of choice for an opinion - and, depending on the age/view of the existing x-ray, you might need to get some others. Having that opinion, you could then decide on next steps. (These are likely to be done by email, and you should ask to see - and get a copy of - the specialist's response.)


Now, there is something that I'm certain everyone reading this thread is waiting for......a picture! So, could you dig out that ol' camera pleeeeese
.

 

[CCLady]

Hi White Shadow, thanks so much for the very informed response. I appreciate your insight. I too have questioned the amount of fluids from the very beginning and I was told repeatedly that it was because she was so big. She was 18 pounds for years!! So, I failed to mention that she had a 6 week bought of Diabetes (due to me feeding her dry food for the past 6 years) so I got her on an all wet food diet back in November and I did insulin twice a day for 6 weeks, then she went into remission, thank goodness!!! But then this cough developed a couple of weeks later!..my point is she is down to 14 pounds now.

I again asked the vet about the amount as I too thought that might be the cause of the cough (great thought by the way! I only very recently thought of this) So I did back her down to 150ml every other day for the past four sessions, so 8 days. The cough did not improve, so perhaps she does need to be at 100 every day. I just so hated to have to put her through that every day. She is pretty good, but its a challenge. I will try that for the next week to see if that eliminates the cough. Wouldn't that be such an easy fix to this anguish!

I'm also happy to hear your opinion on the xrays as well. This is why I'm still in denial mode! Like I said from the beginning, I have gotten some pretty bad wrong diagnosis from this vet over the years, but overall I've been quite happy with the care I get there. My plan though for the near future is to get her out to "South Paws Veterinary Specialist Hospital" I've just been having a hard time facing the possible cancer diagnosis. I just can't seem to make myself have to hear it if the cancer is confirmed! I keep focusing on her big appetite, her playfulness, and her doing everything exactly as she always has. Her breath rate consistently between 20-28 breaths per minute. Once I get up the courage to take her out there, I'm just going to do everything from the start, new xrays and bloodwork etc.

Thanks again to EVERYONE who has responded. I have a bit more clear picture of the path forward. I will keep you all posted especially if the fluid adjustment fixes the cough!

 

[CCLady]

p.s. I will post a pic tonight. She is a beauty.

 

[FelisCatus]

Hi White Shadow, thanks so much for the very informed response. I appreciate your insight. I too have questioned the amount of fluids from the very beginning and I was told repeatedly that it was because she was so big. She was 18 pounds for years!! So, I failed to mention that she had a 6 week bought of Diabetes (due to me feeding her dry food for the past 6 years) so I got her on an all wet food diet back in November and I did insulin twice a day for 6 weeks, then she went into remission, thank goodness!!! But then this cough developed a couple of weeks later!..my point is she is down to 14 pounds now.

I again asked the vet about the amount as I too thought that might be the cause of the cough (great thought by the way! I only very recently thought of this) So I did back her down to 150ml every other day for the past four sessions, so 8 days. The cough did not improve, so perhaps she does need to be at 100 every day. I just so hated to have to put her through that every day. She is pretty good, but its a challenge. I will try that for the next week to see if that eliminates the cough. Wouldn't that be such an easy fix to this anguish!

I'm also happy to hear your opinion on the xrays as well. This is why I'm still in denial mode! Like I said from the beginning, I have gotten some pretty bad wrong diagnosis from this vet over the years, but overall I've been quite happy with the care I get there. My plan though for the near future is to get her out to "South Paws Veterinary Specialist Hospital" I've just been having a hard time facing the possible cancer diagnosis. I just can't seem to make myself have to hear it if the cancer is confirmed! I keep focusing on her big appetite, her playfulness, and her doing everything exactly as she always has. Her breath rate consistently between 20-28 breaths per minute. Once I get up the courage to take her out there, I'm just going to do everything from the start, new xrays and bloodwork etc.

Thanks again to EVERYONE who has responded. I have a bit more clear picture of the path forward. I will keep you all posted especially if the fluid adjustment fixes the cough!

Thanks for the update.

Although you are in denial that it may or may not be cancer, the sooner you go the higher chance you have of actually fighting it (and winning). I caught my sweet angels too late and it had already spread...

 

[CCLady]

I think in my mind that if it is cancer, and she is already coughing from it that it is too late to treat her. I know its horrible to assume that without a professional opinion though. I also have to consider that I can't give her pills, and even if they give me a liquid medication, that is extremely hard to give her as well and she chokes on the meds too. Ugh!! She was 10 when I adopted her. I do need to get her in though to see the specialist. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if it was something not so severe and treatable. I've just been really having some mental health issues of my own that are also knocking me back quite a bit...and impacting my ability to push on and get her to a specialist.

 

[FelisCatus]

I think in my mind that if it is cancer, and she is already coughing from it that it is too late to treat her. I know its horrible to assume that without a professional opinion though. I also have to consider that I can't give her pills, and even if they give me a liquid medication, that is extremely hard to give her as well and she chokes on the meds too. Ugh!! She was 10 when I adopted her. I do need to get her in though to see the specialist. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if it was something not so severe and treatable. I've just been really having some mental health issues of my own that are also knocking me back quite a bit...and impacting my ability to push on and get her to a specialist.

You’re not in this alone, we’re here to help. If you need me to help make calls or anything let me know.

Your kitty cat is relying on you and can’t take her health into her own hands.