Cat - Coughing

Why do cats cough?

Cats can cough if they have disease of the upper respiratory tract (nose, larynx, trachea) or the lower respiratory tract (lungs). In cats, coughing is most commonly regarded as a sign of a problem affecting the lower respiratory tract, especially some form of bronchitis. The coughing can be acute (sudden onset) and this is most often due to infection e.g. 'cat flu' or more chronic (long term signs) and this is most often due to chronic bronchitis/asthma. Inflammation in the upper and lower airways may be caused by a number of factors, including viral, bacterial, or parasitic worm infections, or may be associated with an allergic reaction. Tumours (cancer) located within the chest can occasionally cause coughing. In cats coughing is rarely associated with heart disease.

When does a coughing cat need veterinary attention?

It is normal for cats to cough very occasionally, e.g. when they inhale foreign objects, or if their airway becomes irritated by changes in the environment. However, veterinary attention is advised if

•  the cough persists for more than a few days, or 
•  the cough intermittently occurs over a few weeks or months, or
•  the cough is severe, or productive (i.e. the cat spits something out or swallows after coughing)
•  the cat's breathing changes by increasing in rate or effort of
•  the cat appears unwell in itself, or is losing weight

How can the vet find the cause of a cat's cough?

Most acute cases of coughing will cure with minimum need for interference, except for perhaps a few days of antibiotics. However, if the cough is very severe, or if it has been present for some time, then further investigation may be needed. This usually entails taking a full and detailed history in which the vet will need to know whether the cough has changed over time, and whether the cat has any other medical problems that may be significant. The cat may then be given a general anaesthetic, so that its chest can be radiographed (x-rayed). While the cat is anaesthetised the vet may look down it's airway with an endoscope (small camera). Samples of fluid and cells can be collected from the airway, either via the endoscope, or by flushing a small amount of sterile salt solution into the lungs and then sucking it back out again. These samples can be used to look for the presence of infection, inflammation or tumours.

How can the cough be treated?

How a particular cat is treated depends on the cause of its cough, for example removal of a piece of foreign material, treatment for lung worm infection, antibiotics for bacterial infection, and anti-inflammatories for chronic bronchitis/asthma.

Chronic coughing is associated with chronic inflammation of the airway, often due to chronic exposure to allergens (particles to which the cat is allergic), irritants (e.g. cigarette smoke), or bacterial infection. This chronic exposure results in a number of changes in the structure of the cats airway, such that even if the initial trigger can be identified and removed, the damage has already been done and the lungs can never fully recover. In these cases treatment aims to control the coughing, and prevent further damage, but the condition may not be able to be cured. Treatment may include removing any known irritants or allergens, giving drugs to help keep the airways open (bronchodilators), treating bacterial infections with antibiotics, reducing inflammation with corticosteroids, and sometimes giving decongestants. Recently a special inhaler spacer chamber has been developed for cats to enable administration of inhalational drugs (such as used for the treatment of asthma in humans), which have the advantage of delivering high concentrations of the drug to the area where it is required (the lungs) without it being absorbed into the circulation and risking systemic side effects that may occur when some orally administered drugs are required long term.