The velvet paw often tries to spit out the foreign body not only by coughing but also by choking, shaking the head, rattling and increased salivation. With luck, this will work and the cat will calm down again.

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How to tell if the kitty is sick

However, if the house tiger coughs over a longer period of time or appears generally ailing, apathetic or lacking drive, it is advisable to go to the vet. Foreign bodies, if not removed, can continue to migrate or become lodged in the airways. Inflammation is also rarely possible.

In general, a cat’s cough is of concern if it lasts for a long time or becomes chronic. Even if the kitty seems sick or changed overall, and if the cough is accompanied by sputum, there is usually an illness behind it.

As a precaution, do not wait too long to have the vet clarify the cause. You can help the medical professional make the correct diagnosis quickly by watching your cat closely and describing the cough as precisely as possible.

Help the vet diagnose

For example, the vet needs to know how the cat is coughing in order to identify the disease behind it. A dry, isolated cough, which in the worst case can even degenerate into an asthma attack, indicates a serious disease of the lower respiratory tract.

A “barking,” so-called productive cough sounds worse but is often easier to treat. This is usually an acute infection and not an allergy or asthma.

Also, describe to the doctor exactly when and how often your cat coughs. If the cough only occurs in certain situations, there may be an allergy behind it. If the cat has only recently coughed, an acute illness is likely.

And If there is any suspicion that your cat may have inhaled a foreign body, the vet can provide an X-ray to clarify the situation. It will also help the doctor with the diagnosis if you tell him whether the cough has changed in the meantime.

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My cat is coughing: what diseases can be behind it?

Some causes of cat cough are more common in young cats, while others tend to be more common in older cats. Therefore, your cat’s age can also help the veterinarian make a diagnosis. If your kitten is coughing, it could be due to the following diseases:

• Cat flu (other symptoms: sneezing, eye discharge, difficulty swallowing, apathy, loss of appetite)
• Lungworms (dry, loud cough with little sputum)
• Cold (symptoms like cat flu, but less severe)
• Foreign body (other signs: choking, rattling, increased salivation, shaking of the head)

To prevent cat flu, you should definitely have your young cat vaccinated unless this has already been done by the breeder, previous owner or at the animal shelter. If your kitten is coughing, see the vet as soon as possible so that the cause can be corrected or the symptoms relieved.

The cough is often not in the foreground in these diseases or is only noticeable when the disease has progressed. If your older cat coughs when purring, for example, this can be the first sign of the start of metastasis in the airways.

You should therefore have your cat checked regularly by the vet so that possible tumors or chronic diseases are discovered early. This increases the chances of recovery or prevents the symptoms from getting worse and worse.

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Emergency! If you have difficulty breathing, go to the vet immediately

If the cat suffers from acute shortness of breath in addition to the cough or even gets a blue tongue, this is an absolute emergency! Go to the vet immediately or call the veterinary emergency service.

Treat the cause: will the cat get well again?

When infected, mucus builds up in the airways, causing the cat to cough. The infection can usually be treated well with medication and as soon as the mucus has loosened and coughed up, the cat recovers quite quickly.

If a foreign body is the cause of the coughing fit, the doctor can put the kitty under anesthesia and operate on the foreign body. It is important that the operation is carried out quickly so that the foreign body does not irritate the airways for an unnecessarily long time.

If you have a chronic cough, the chances of your cat getting back to full health are not so good. If the cause is an allergy, you can try to identify the triggers and avoid them if possible. You can also provide relief for your cat with medications that keep the airways open. Anti-inflammatories help too.

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