Cat Asthma Attack Or Hairball

A full blown asthma attack may at first resemble a cat trying to cough up a hairball or possibly choking on food.

Cat asthma attack or hairball.

But like human asthmatics cats can be treated and the disease can be managed. Keep in mind that hairballs can cause retching gagging and vomiting but not true coughing and wheezing as a hairball is stomach not lung related. Give your cat a specialized hairball formula cat food. Give your cat 4 6 hairball remedy treats to prevent future hairballs.

With asthma the cat s body will be hunched lower to the ground and its neck and head will be extended out and down in an effort to clear the airway of mucus. My cat s coughing was something different and it was up to me to unravel the mystery. Many pet food manufacturers now make hairball reduction cat foods. When it isn t a hairball.

Use a hairball product or laxative. While hairballs may be a common occurrence with cats what might seem like a cat trying to pass a hairball could be a feline asthma attack or another condition that mimics some of the signs of a hairball. Many people assume that the cat is trying to cough up a hairball and don t realize that their cat could have asthma. This often leads to respiratory distress which can become grave in a matter of minutes.

I watched a couple videos about it but hairballs and asthma attacks sounded and looked almost the same to me depending on the cat. When an asthma attack occurs these passageways thicken and constrict making it very difficult for a cat to breathe. It said that in an asthma attack cats stretch out their necks and get low to the ground which she had been doing but i ve seen cats do that before coughing up a hairball. The symptoms of feline asthma can affect every cat differently.

These high fiber formulas are designed to improve the health of your cat s coat minimize the amount of shedding and encourage hairballs in cats to pass through the digestive system. How i learned my cat has asthma. However if your cat is exhibiting signs of digestive blockage you should consult a vet. The most common symptoms are wheezing and a hairball like cough which is why feline asthma can be easily mistaken for a hairballs.

Also sometimes cats with asthma can seem like they re hacking up a hairball so if you think this may be the issue take your cat to the vet for a diagnosis. Feline asthma very similar to human asthma is a chronic inflammation of the small passageways of a cat s lungs.