Why Does My Cat Cough Sometimes?

Hypersensitivity is a broad term for a range of inappropriate immune responses in the body. One of the most common is known as an allergy. This is an antibody-mediated response in the cat which is a result of exposure to a particular allergen in their environment. Common allergens for cats include:

• Dust
• Cleaning products
• Pollen
• Mold
• Cigarette smoke
• Environmental irritants
• Mites

While cats without an allergy to these allergens should not experience any significant negative reaction, cats with allergies will experience an exaggerated response. This often includes an inflammatory response in the respiratory tract which triggers feline allergy symptoms such as a runny nose, wheezing or coughing. With a serious allergy, the coughing will persist until the immune response has finished acting upon the allergen. For mild allergies, we may see the cat only coughing sometimes.

What to do if a cat has allergies

Since a cat is only coughing sometimes and does not appear to have any more serious symptoms, we may not need medical treatment. This is similar to someone having mild hay fever. We should always determine the specific allergen to which a cat has hypersensitivity and minimize exposure. This is not always easy to do, depending on the allergen. We may want to employ the use of air purifiers to help reduce allergens in the air.

Cats with severe allergies will need drug therapy. This may include the use of antihistamines, corticosteroids or bronchodilators to control coughing, inflammation and difficulty breathing. In serious cases, the cat can even go into anaphylactic shock, a condition which is considered a veterinary emergency.

Feline asthma is a chronic inflammatory process that involves inflammation of the cat's airways, resulting in airway obstruction. It can often cause coughing along with other symptoms such as:

• Gasps
• Wheezing
• Lethargy
• Less activity
• Sneezing
• Runny nose

It is mainly due to hypersensitivity to allergens such as those discussed in the previous section, although the asthma process can also be aggravated in cats suffering from bacterial or viral infections. Some of these hypersensitivities may also be accompanied by allergies, making symptoms such as a runny nose more likely.

Since asthma is a chronic respiratory condition, the cat may have flareups or attacks. These can be mild and inconsistent, resulting in the cat coughing sometimes, but only rarely.

What to do if a cat has asthma

If our cat is asthmatic, the use of anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids will help reduce lung inflammation. Bronchodilators will open the airways and facilitate breathing. As in human medicine, specific inhalers for cats can also be used. These usually have facemasks to help inhalation. It is also essential to reduce or try to avoid allergens that cause this exacerbated reaction in cats.

In addition to asthma, our related guide reveals other reasons why a cat is wheezing while breathing.

Parasites are various types of organism which feed off their host for survival and cause harm in the process. These parasites can be either external or internal to the host's body. Internal parasites (endoparasites) in cats result in various symptoms, depending on their location and behavior. Some will affect the respiratory system, whether directly or indirectly. This can result in the cat coughing sometimes, especially if the infestation is mild.

Examples of parasites in cats which result in coughing include:

• Lungworm (e.g. Aelurostrongylus abstrusus): a nematode that parasitizes the lungs and bronchi of cats, causing symptoms such as coughing and respiratory distress. They may also produce lesions in the lungs and blood vessels, which are more or less severe depending on the parasitic load.
• Heartworm (Dirofilaria immitis): can also affect the lungs and cause the cough that you can sometimes notice in your feline. It is similar to what happens with cats suffering from pulmonary toxoplasmosis. In addition to coughing, this can also produce fever and dyspnea.

What to do if a cat has parasites

When a cat has respiratory parasites, they will require deworming treatments. These include antiparasitic drugs such as anthelmintics which are designed to kill the parasites or prevent their reproduction. These include drugs such as fenbendazole, praziquantel, moxidectin and ivermectin. Clindamycin for cats is used in the case of toxoplasmosis.

In addition, anti-inflammatories and bronchodilators would be used to treat the symptoms to reduce inflammation and improve the breathing of our felines. We will also need to establish a deworming schedule for the cat to ensure they are protected from future infestations.

While we may most associate coughing with respiratory disease, it is possible for heart disease in cats to also result in the cat coughing sometimes or even chronically. The types of heart disease which cause coughing in cats include:

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: this is the most common form of heart disease in cats. It is especially common in certain breeds such as te Ragdoll or Maine Coon. It is characterized by thickening (hypertrophy) of the heart muscle, making it difficult to pump blood efficiently and producing signs such as coughing, pulmonary congestion, lethargy, respiratory distress and tachypnea.
• Chronic valve disease: especially when it affects the mitral valve. It is less common than the previous disease, but consists of the valves not closing properly, causing blood to flow backward into the atria. This will eventually lead to pulmonary congestion with the resulting cough.
• Hypertension: this can be caused by heart disease or other causes such as chronic kidney disease. Hypertension is an increase in blood pressure and causes damage to blood vessels, contributing to the development of congestive heart failure. This can lead to pulmonary edema, which causes coughing and shortness of breath. It may also result in lethargy or loss of appetite.

What to do if a cat has heart disease

Treatment for heart disease in cats will depend on the specific condition. Common treatments include diuretics to reduce fluid in the lungs, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors) to reduce fluid buildup, beta-blockers to reduce tachycardia and oxygen demand, anticoagulants to prevent blood clots and blood pressure-lowering medications such as amlodipine.

Learn more background information with our article explaining the causes and treatment of heart failure in cats.

If your cat coughs occasionally, it could also be because a foreign object has become trapped in their airway. Some foreign objects include:

• Balls or clumps of hair
• Threads
• Pieces of plant matter
• Ears of corn
• Small pieces of bone
• Toy parts

All of these can become trapped, causing irritation, difficulty breathing and coughing to try to expel them. The presence of foreign bodies can also predispose to bacterial infections. Trying to dislodge the foreign body can cause the damage of tissue, allowing a route for bacteria to infect it.

Hair is one of the most common foreign bodies in cats. A few strands will not do much, but it can clump into hairballs in cats which can result in obstruction. This can lead to the cat coughing sometimes when it agitates their respiratory tract.

What to do if a cat has a foreign body

If a cat has respiratory foreign bodies, you should immediately go to the vet so they can remove them as quickly as possible. This may be through surgery or bronchoscopy. Antibiotics will be necessary if there is a secondary bacterial infection, as well as cleaning the airways with a sink to remove any debris that could continue to irritate your cat's respiratory system.

Unless it is obviously removable with ease, do not try to remove foreign bodies yourself. You can seriously harm the cat. For example, the object may have sharp edges which damage tissue when your pull it out. A veterinarian can use imaging tests to determine the size, location and danger of the object before removal.

Learn more about acute or chronic coughing in felines with our article on the causes and treatment of a sore throat in cats.

This article is purely informative. AnimalWised does not have the authority to prescribe any veterinary treatment or create a diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian if they are suffering from any condition or pain.

If you want to read similar articles to Why Does My Cat Cough Sometimes?, we recommend you visit our Breathing diseases category.