What do you do when your cat has a cough?

[Gesundheit]

I'm asking this on a personal level. What do YOU do when your cat has a cough? Do you wait a few days to see what happens, or charge to the vet? We all have colds, and we don't rush to the doctor every time we have a cough. I'm insanely disenchanted with vets since they shoved both of my cats on several rounds of drugs that they probably should not have been taking, so I'd like to know what others do when their critters seem to be under the weather.

ETA: She seems to be eating okay, she's still annoying Smidget every chance she gets.

 

[Nofuratu]

I would probably wait a week with a cat without heart problems. As long as they are eating and drinking and not suffering too badly I would just double their lysine and wait. Pay attention to whether it is getting better, worse or staying the same. However a cough can be a sign of progressing HCM so cats that have been diagnosed with HCM should go to the vet asap to rule out the fluid buildup they get that presses on their trachea. It all depends on whether the cat has other upper resp. symptoms or just a cough alone. A cough by itself with no nasal congestion is worrisome and I would not wait more than a couple of days in that case.
Stomach irritation/acid reflux can cause a cough and heartburn is something you want fixed right away so they dont suffer.
Count Von Count had a cough for a month and he has HCM. After vet visits and consults with our cardiologist we found out it was his atenolol that was causing acid reflux. We started giving his atenolol with lots of canned food and did metacam for a week to ease the swelling in his throat. Worked out great!

 

[MollysMom]

I would up their lysine and watch for other symptoms. If they have other symptoms or it hasn't cleared up in a day or so, I would go to the vet. A cough can sometimes be a symptom that they have an obstruction and are trying to cough it out. We are lucky, I love our vet and look forward to going there because he is so awesome.

 

[pussiette]

Vet uri..nutrigel.

 

[admin]

I agree - see how it goes, if it worsens I would get tot the vet, just be sure eating and drinking remains normal, as @MollysMom said, Lysine works wonders on colds- http://www.sphynxlair.com/community...o-i-give-my-15-week-old-sphynx-gremlin.11872/

 

[Gesundheit]

GOOD NEWS! It took about two weeks, but the cough cleared up. It tapered off in week two, and she's fine now. What we ended up doing was feeding her a mostly soft-food diet. Specifically, this is their wet food.

​

We feed them three times every day, so two out of those three meals were wet, with an extra tablespoon of water. Gotta up the fluids when we're under the weather, and they need their kibble to keep their teeth clean. Smidget wasn't wild about this "soup", so she kept her snoot in her own bowl. I wish I'd done this for her when she was hacking last spring. Live and learn, I suppose.

 

[GoldHazel]

GOOD NEWS! It took about two weeks, but the cough cleared up. It tapered off in week two, and she's fine now. What we ended up doing was feeding her a mostly soft-food diet. Specifically, this is their wet food.

​

We feed them three times every day, so two out of those three meals were wet, with an extra tablespoon of water. Gotta up the fluids when we're under the weather, and they need their kibble to keep their teeth clean. Smidget wasn't wild about this "soup", so she kept her snoot in her own bowl. I wish I'd done this for her when she was hacking last spring. Live and learn, I suppose.

So strange how I never saw this thread when first posted. That has been happening and I just don't get it.
In the meantime, I'm happy to see you post that there is good news now and their cough has cleared up.

 

[Gesundheit]

So strange how I never saw this thread when first posted. That has been happening and I just don't get it.
In the meantime, I'm happy to see you post that there is good news now and their cough has cleared up.

Thank you! Me too! I was worried that it would continue and I would have to take Nym to the vet, where I'd have to fight with the doctors, again. They really, really seemed to want my cats to have asthma so they can treat it. Not much to do if it's just a cold.

 

[GoldHazel]

Thank you! Me too! I was worried that it would continue and I would have to take Nym to the vet, where I'd have to fight with the doctors, again. They really, really seemed to want my cats to have asthma so they can treat it. Not much to do if it's just a cold.

Were there any other symptoms or just a cough?

 

[andreanar]

Great news! Yay

 

[PrimateLove]

That is wonderful news

 

[1sphynxlover]

Great to hear it cleared up! I usually give it a couple of days, then off to the vets we go. He is VERY reasonable and I'm a worry wart. They mean so much to me I don't want to risk anything.

 

[Gesundheit]

Were there any other symptoms or just a cough?

Just the cough. She still ate, drank, slept, and harassed Smidget in her usual manners.

Great to hear it cleared up! I usually give it a couple of days, then off to the vets we go. He is VERY reasonable and I'm a worry wart. They mean so much to me I don't want to risk anything.

I felt like an awful person not taking Nym to the vet, but I also reminded myself that I have survived many coughs, that there are many reasons to cough, and that it could be detrimental if they end up giving her a bunch of stuff she doesn't need. My husband also kept reminding me of these things. Whenever she fell into a coughing fit, I'd drop everything and sit with her. When she finished, she'd give me this look that seemed to say, "What's your problem?"