Wheezing, Coughing Up, Weird Smell

[Jaylin A]

Hello all!
I have a male tabby/mix cat. He is about 5 years old and neutered.

He has had some breathing issues in the past, I want to say about a year or two ago they started up. He has what I assume are either hairballs or asthma attacks, or both. He extends his neck, sways it sometimes, swallows a lot, and wheezes. He also snores/breathes noisily a lot, sleeping or not.
Sometimes he'll start licking himself uncomfortably and "lick his mouth" a lot before spitting up saliva or a clear mucusy liquid, usually with a little fur. When this happens it smells bad, almost like he's farted, but I assume it's from when he coughs up?

These bouts of breathing issues can last up to a couple weeks or less before going away. Usually ends around the time he's had a hairball. Does this sound normal?

 

[Wile]

Hi Jaylin, sorry to hear about the puking. It goes without saying that your vet will be able to help you better with this. How frequently is the vomiting happening? Does he throw up food or bile as well, or is it always just clear liquid? Is there a particular time of day that he throws up? Does he throw up an actual hair ball, or just a few stray hairs?

The licking his mouth is something that my cat does right before he throws up too. I think it's from nausea and saliva flooding the mouth.

In my experience vomit usually doesn't smell good, but I wouldn't describe it as being like a fart. Is there anything partially digested that causes the smell? It could be that things aren't moving through like they should.

 

[Jaylin A]

Hi Jaylin, sorry to hear about the puking. It goes without saying that your vet will be able to help you better with this. How frequently is the vomiting happening? Does he throw up food or bile as well, or is it always just clear liquid? Is there a particular time of day that he throws up? Does he throw up an actual hair ball, or just a few stray hairs?

The licking his mouth is something that my cat does right before he throws up too. I think it's from nausea and saliva flooding the mouth.

In my experience vomit usually doesn't smell good, but I wouldn't describe it as being like a fart. Is there anything partially digested that causes the smell? It could be that things aren't moving through like they should.

While he does vomit up his food here and there, I'd say it's no more abnormal/frequent than any other cat (y'know how cats are...they love puking). When he coughs up, it's just saliva/mucus and a few hairs (or a very small hair clump). And it's not so much that the saliva stuff smells...I'm guessing it's either gas from his stomach that comes up or an actual fart. It can happen at any time, but I usually see him spitting up later in the day, while he's sleeping/resting, and it happens when he starts to get the "asthma attacks". The saliva/mucusy stuff is always clear, I've seen it kind of foamy/bubbly a few times before though

 

[Wile]

While he does vomit up his food here and there, I'd say it's no more abnormal/frequent than any other cat (y'know how cats are...they love puking). When he coughs up, it's just saliva/mucus and a few hairs (or a very small hair clump). And it's not so much that the saliva stuff smells...I'm guessing it's either gas from his stomach that comes up or an actual fart. It can happen at any time, but I usually see him spitting up later in the day, while he's sleeping/resting, and it happens when he starts to get the "asthma attacks". The saliva/mucusy stuff is always clear, I've seen it kind of foamy/bubbly a few times before though

Unfortunately vomiting is never normal in any cat. The only time when it is understandable is when they have to get rid of a hairball. Any other time and it usually points to an underlying health problem.

My cat sounds almost exactly like yours. He vomits infrequently - sometimes once or twice a week, sometimes once every three weeks. Sometimes he vomits food, other times liquid with a bit of hair in it. He coughs and snores. He unfortunately has a food allergy/intolerance as the underlying trigger for all these issues. I think you should talk to your vet so they can help you figure out what is going on.

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! I'm glad you came here for advice and support.
If you suspect your cat may have a food allergy, here is an excellent Article:
11 Key Facts About Food Allergies In Cats

I completely agree with the above member that you should contact your vet.
Best of luck and please keep us posted on your progress.

 

[Wile]

One other thing, vomiting (and GI inflammation) can have long term side effects for cats. It's best if you try to solve this issue rather than ignore it because puking puts your buddy at risk over the long term for developing complications like cancer. If it does turn out to be something like allergies, that is a condition that is very treatable and potentially inexpensive to manage.