The common cat behaviour that could mean something more serious
Most cat owners are familiar with the ‘yacking’ sound a cat makes before it coughs up a furball as a result of their constant grooming.
However, if your pet isn’t following through with the goods, there could be something more serious going on with their health.
When eight-year-old Hamish the devon rex recently started making some strange noises, owner Jassinka Randall became a little concerned.
“Does anyone know what this is? I’ve never heard it before,” Ms Randall wrote in a devon rex Facebook group along with a video of Hamish making a coughing sound.
Other cat owners were quick to offer advice with some assuming it was a furball and others shared that their cats made a similar noise.
“My cat does this when he gulps down his water too fast,” one cat owner wrote.
Ms Randall responded that Hamish did enjoy some water from the shower shortly before the coughing session but she was still curious.
“My devon rex has cat asthma and sounded exactly like this when she was first diagnosed,” one person commented.
Another cat owner said their moggy was just as puzzling, making “different sound every day”.
What could lead to coughing in a cat?
Resident vet Margareth Chang from Vets On Call told Yahoo News Australia that without examining Hamish in person the behaviour in the video would be tough to diagnose, but she did caution that if a cat has a persistent cough that doesn’t end with them brining up a furball for their owners to clean up, it could be the sign of a serious health condition.
“Most vets would agree with me that the top two things we would think about are feline asthma and chronic bronchitis. The two conditions can present very similarly, so further testings would be required to differentiate between the two,” the vet told Yahoo.
Feline asthma is your cat’s body overreacting to stimulants such as pollen or dust.
“It can lead to changes in a cat’s airway including thickening of airway walls, and increase in some white cell lines, which lead to narrowing of the airway space,” Ms Chang explained.
However chronic bronchitis is an inflammatory condition and can be triggered by a trauma from a physical injury or previous infections.
“The body’s reaction to the trigger can also cause similar changes in airways as with asthma, hence similar clinical signs,” Ms Chang said.
How to spot the difference between feline asthma and chronic bronchitis
If you suspect your cat has feline asthma or chronic bronchitis Ms Chang suggests a visit to a vet where they can receive a full check-up and factors such as age and medical history can be taken into consideration as treatment is different for the two conditions.
Ms Chang said a vet will suggest chest X-rays, an ultrasound or a CT scan to confirm any changes to the cat’s airway. A sample of the airway may be taken and a bacterial culture may also be warranted.
“With feline asthma, we will expect to see more white cells that are specific to allergic reactions,” Ms Chang said.
Is feline asthma seasonal?
Just like humans experience seasons allergies, feline asthma can become more obvious in different seasons. Ms Chang explained that seasonal allergies usually present in cats as skin issues such as ear infections, weepy eyes and scratching.
“Depending on the allergen, with feline asthma, even if the allergen is not seasonal for example - dust, you also sometimes see waxing and waning in symptoms which can seem seasonal,” Ms Chang said.
How can you keep your cat healthy?
While Ms Chang said usually a cat’s life history dictates their medical issues there are some changes you can make to keep them as healthy as possible.
Keeping chronic bronchitis triggers low such not smoking around your pet or keeping dust to a minimum just as you would with a human experiencing allergies is one way to help your cat.
Ms Chang also recommends keeping up to date with your feline’s heartworm treatment to eliminate parasitic causes of coughing.
A coughing cat without bringing up a furball can also be a sign of a less common issue such as heartworm, fungal infection, cancer or other parasites but Ms Chang said before panicking it’s best to consult with your vet .
“The list might look scary but these are generally lower down the list of suspects. Vets will consider all aspects of the patient including other symptoms.
“If your vet is suspicious of any of them, they might need to perform extra tests as necessary to confirm,” she said.
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