What causes a cat to cough after eating, especially with swollen glands?

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Coughing and drooling in cats can be caused by many problems like feline asthma, airways infection, wound, scratch, foreign body, swelling in the throat, dental diseases and more. I am not convinced that the stomach is pressing on the lungs. I suspect the stomach is OK but inflated because your cat was swallowing a lot of air while coughing. I would suggest to take your cat back to your vet to get the cat's throat examined under sedation. If the throat is healthy on the examination, a trial treatment with steroids will be recommended (which would help for asthmatic and other allergic problems). Good luck !

This sounds like your cat has an abscess, foreign body, naso-or oro-pharyngeal polyps, or ulcer or other type of purulent infection in her throat. She will need to be seen by a veterinarian who will need to thoroughly inspect her throat and upper airway, possibly under sedation and then remove the offending problem or lance an abscess. Please make an appointment for her tomorrow.

It would be honestly hard to say without an exam. Some possible causes could be a food-based one (IE an allergy to an ingredient in the wet food that is causing a reaction after eating it) or a functional one such as a problem with the esophagus or digestive tract's ability to move the food through the body (something very common in cats). An exam would be a good idea to help rule out these causes through either some testing such as X-rays, or through a food trial to see if an ingredient can be ruled out. Until you can get to your vet, offering smaller meals more frequently may help with keeping food down and minimizing discomfort after eating.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Timone. I recommend that he sees his veterinarian. It is unusual for cats to cough. Typically they sneeze with afflicted with an upper respiratory tract infection. While this could be still be the case, he could also have asthma or a hairball. I hope this information helps!

He could have a respiratory infection, allergies, or heart disease. If it continues, have him examined by a vet to diagnose. Your vet can take an x-ray to evaluate his heart and lungs. He might need an antibiotic, anti-histamine, corticosteroid, bronchodilator, or other medications.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Mittens has been vomiting and is now coughing. Cats can vomit for a number of reasons, including trying to vomit a hairball, eating something they shouldn't have, gastrointestinal obstruction, infection, inflammation, or even cancer. From the information you provided, my concern is that Mittens may have aspirated (taken fluid into the lungs) during one of these vomiting episodes, and is now coughing as a result. Aspiration pneumonia can be a scary thing in cats, and especially if Mittens is not acting himself or wanting to eat, I would recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to be examined. If your veterinarian determines that he has abnormal lung sounds, he/she may recommend blood work and chest x-rays to look for evidence of pneumonia. If present, they will likely start Mittens on some antibiotics. There are other possibilities for Mitten's cough including bronchitis or an upper airway infection, which should also be managed by a veterinarian. I hope this is helpful!

Hello and thank you for reaching out about your cat. The most common causes for coughing in a cat of his age are: heart disease and bronchitis/asthma. Other, but less likely causes: infection or parasite. When a cat is coughing it is very important to get him to the vet so a doctor can listen to his heart and lungs and take an xray. This will help to determine which medication(s) would be best to treat his cough. Thank you.