Kitty Cough

[csederberg]

I could use some help/advice/opinions, etc. I have two cats both around 1 year old. They both have calicivirus and I’ve learned that many vets do not have much knowledge about this virus. My son has seen two different vets regarding his cough that scares the life out of me. It happens suddenly, randomly, and will even wake him from his sleep. During the visit with the first vet, he looked down his throat and checked his chords by pressing them (looked almost painful - I am not a vet so I am not totally sure what this observation is called) but could not get my boy to show any signs of a cough. He tried to pull up videos online but I did not see any that reminded me of his cough at the time. Fast forward a couple months, my sons cough worsened so I brought him to another vet. This time I was prepared with a video of the coughing. The vet advised it could be anything from an infection to asthma, so we gave him some antibiotics, steroid, and dewormed him to be sure. The cough vastly improved after all of this for a couple of weeks. The question is...what improved the cough? I believe the next step he said would be x-rays or something more costly, but will that finally pinpoint the issue? Is it a symptom of the calicivirus? Is it allergies/asthma? Does he have an infection? Is it something worse? The main reason I am hesitating on taking him back to the vet is that he is now terrified whenever I bring out the carrier and he is even terrified of males (we have a male vet). I don’t want to bring him in for more guessing that will lead to more guessing. Should I try another vet? Please help. (Side note: I have removed all scented plug-ins in my home except for a pheromone one to relax him and also run a hepa filter 24/7 to improve air quality in the home. He is my baby I will do whatever it takes for him to be healthy.)

 

[duckpond]

I think your vet is correct. Coughing can be due to an infection, allergies, Asthma, or parasites. It sounds like he did what was needed. You may never know, without testing what the problem was.

Some Parasites have a life cycle that affects the lungs, as can the other issues. If the coughing has stooped i honestly would call it good. If it resumes you may want to have the x-rays, or any other tests the vet recommends. But unless you are just not happy with your current vet i would not see a reason to change. Sounds like he treated for the most common reasons, before doing more expensive and possibly risky tests.

Do keep us updated on your guy. Hopefully all is good now.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I would also suggest enlisting the help of quiet, gentle, calm men you know to help your baby get over his fear. Have them come and visit, just sitting quietly and ignoring...um...what is his name? What are both of their names?. They can set some treat that he loves on the floor near them, but don't have them try to touch him unless he invites it.

 

[csederberg]

I do like my vet! I just think they minimize the seriousness of the calicivirus and they didnt have me do any tests for him so I guess I just felt like we were treating general/possible issues but not narrowing it down to find the cause. It probably is best I take him back though since they have already seen him. I am quite a worry wart/overly obsessive with my babies so I overthink everything - having a second opinion from others with cat experience always makes me feel better My son’s name is Angel and my little girl’s name is Miki. About introducing him to men, I have brought over my boyfriend and Angel will hide the entire time! He won’t even eat while he is around. I have pulled him out so he could see that he is harmless, but I know it will take some time. Not sure why he is so scared...my girl was a little feral kitten and she loves him! Haha

 

[csederberg]

Thank you both for the replies I truly appreciate it! I will update after we get back from the vet.