Cat Gagging Periodically, Not Throwing Up

reba

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Hello. I've taken my cat to the vet, but I just am searching to see if anyone has seen anything similar. My cat has been gagging and either producing a small amount of bile or nothing at all. It's not a cough. I would put it similar to a hairball problem. He is eating and peeing and pooping. He is off a bit. The vet gave him something for nausea and pepcid. It has not stopped, though hours can go by with nothing. It's almost as though there is something stuck/scratchy in his throat. Any thoughts/suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
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reba

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Actually I just found this about feline asthma and this looks like his symptoms. Feline Asthma

I changed to this lightweight litter about a month ago. Perhaps that is the problem.
 

silent meowlook

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Depending on his age, he may have developed feline asthma. The next step would be thoracic radiographs to rule it out or in.
 

Caspers Human

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Does he get down, low, on the ground and stick his neck out while making a "honking" noise while he coughs?

That's often some type of respiratory spasm, similar to when a human gets a snoot full of dust or pollen or something. It could also be caused by some kind of allergy or asthma.

If it happens only once in a while, provided it lasts for less than a minute, it's usually nothing to worry about. It will usually pass on its own. Just let your cat cough and get rid of whatever it is that's irritating him.

If it happens often...every day or more than once per day, it's a problem to see a vet about.

If it lasts for more than a minute or if it "doubles up" (happens two or more times in a row) then it's an emergency and your cat needs medical attention ASAP.

Our cat, Casper, used to have this problem but, in the last couple of years, it has tapered off. I can't remember the last time I saw Casper have a problem like this. It used to worry us but, after we talked to our vet who gave us the same advice I mentioned, above.

Our vet said that it's probably because of an allergy or because Casper got a snoot full of dust or something. She basically told us to keep an eye on him, comfort him afterward and call if it gets worse. She even said that it might go away on its own. Thankfully, it seems to have gone away.

We're betting that it was probably because of some kind of allergy. We adopted Casper from a rescue group that's located about 100 miles away. We are guessing that the place he used to live has a different allergen profile (pollen and plants) than where he lives, now. It is our assumption that, in the time he has lived here, his immune system has had a chance to adjust to the local allergen profile.

You mentioned that you are using a new brand of cat litter. I think that's a good place to start.
You can also look around your house and "play detective." Look for plants, sources of dust and other things around the house that could trigger coughing fits or allergies.

Go around and clean up all the sources of dust and things that could irritate your cat's respiratory tract or cause allergies.

While you're at it, it wouldn't hurt to give the carpets and upholstery a good vacuuming.

Assuming that your cat's problem is similar to Casper's, just keep an eye on him and call the vet if there are problems.

Sending get well vibes! :vibes:
 

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Hi. All good information/advice above. I will tell you that Feeby has done the same thing, and I do believe it is related to hairballs. It is almost like she 'dislodges' the hairball, and then it passes through her system on its own. But it is not a daily thing, or even a once-a-week thing, although it can be daily for a few days until she manages to 'dislodge' it. However, all of that has changed since she is getting daily brushings. Not to say she won't occasionally still cough up some hair, but the 'hacking' thing she was doing is all but gone.

For the heck of it, try giving your cat a dab of butter from your finger or on his paw to lick off for several days in a row and see if the 'coughing' stops. If not butter or margarine, you can add a few drops of olive oil to his food. These are lubricants that can help to pass hair. Also, add a daily brushing to his regimen. I am not saying it will solve the problem, but it can't hurt to try.
 
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reba

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Does he get down, low, on the ground and stick his neck out while making a "honking" noise while he coughs?

That’s exactly what he does. But he’s been doing that periodically for years. I always thought it was hair balls.

Now he has one hacking cough every few hours or so. Several of these he coughs up what must be phlegm (I thought it was from his stomach, I bet it’s from his lungs.)

I went and got some dust free litter. The vet can’t take xrays until late Monday as they don’t have the staff to do it on Saturday. He’s sleeping peacefully most of the time until I hear him cough.
 

Caspers Human

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Sounds like it could be hairballs. It could be allergies or asthma, too.

Since it happens more than once per day, you are right to call a vet. :)

I'm not confident that X-rays will tell you much but, hey, I'm not a vet.
If your vet thinks an X-ray is called for then, okay. This is what vets go to school for. Right? ;)

If it's hairballs, I like the butter idea. People have been using that remedy for ages.
If it's allergies, maybe your vet can prescribe something.
If it's asthma, your vet will have to advise you.

BTW: Did you know that cats can use an asthma inhaler almost the same as people do?
If this is the case with your cat, the remedy might be as simple as that.

I don't want to tell too much because I don't know if this is true and I don't like the idea of people squirting asthma meds up their cat's noses before they get instructions from their vet.

(Not you. I'm talking about other people who Google things and try the first thing they read on the Internet before talking to a vet.)
 

Caspers Human

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Good to know! :)

If it is asthma, look around the house and do some detective work to see if you can find any triggers then clean, vacuum or do whatever you can to eliminate them.

If your vet and radiologist do confirm the diagnoses, they should be able to fix you up with the right meds.

I'm not quite ready to say, "No problem... Right as rain," just yet but this should be a treatable problem if there are no other complications.
 
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reba

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OH I forgot to close the circle here. He still has an occasional (what looks like to me) asthma attack, but now it’s once every few weeks. He was playing really hard when he had stop because of an attack. I got rid of all the area rugs in the house and cleaned and bought some really good air purifiers. That seemed to solve most of the problem. The vet had him on antibiotics for a week as well. He seemed to think it was viral, but I don’t. I think it was because of all the allergens in the house and that he does have a very mild asthma. Oh, forgot to mention the litter I changed to was Cloud Control by Arm and Hammer 100% dust free. Weighs an absolute ton, but we do what we gotta do.
 
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