Why is my cat coughing and swallowing? Asthma or heartworms?

I'm sorry Sacha isn't feeling well. There are several possibilities for respiratory disease in cats. Cats can develop asthma, get heartworms or have allergic bronchitis. Any of these conditions require a trip to the vet for diagnosis. Especially if you feel she is having trouble breathing please take her soon before this turns into an emergency. Your vet may recommend X-rays or bloodwork after doing an exam on Sacha

Poor Coco! He could be coughing due to asthma or a hairball, but it could also be to cardiac disease or a respiratory illness. I would have him seen by a vet for this coughing. The vet can do a physical exam, blood tests, urinalysis, and x-rays to diagnose what is causing his coughing so he can be treated.

Your vet seems to be thinking that Ember is suffering from a severe infection, which is one possibility but i think a couple more things need to be ruled out completely in order to be sure that she is getting the correct treatment. it could be cat asthma, although usually it will show on the xray, it might be worth having the xray sent to a radiology specialist to rule that out completely. it could also be heartworm, although less common in cats than dogs this parasitic disease could cause these symptoms. there is a blood test available that can rule this disease out as well.

It is possible she has asthma, heartworm disease or allergies. I am pretty sure heartworm disease is not common in Canada. You can try an anti histamine to help with the coughing. However if it progresses I would recommend trying to find a vet for chest x-rays because cats love to hide heart disease

Lungworms and lung flukes can be associated with both coughing and diarrhea in cats. Essentially, once ingested, the worms/flukes make their way to the lungs where they settle, causing the animal to cough. The eggs are coughed up and swallowed passing through the intestines. These diseases are easily treated with anti-parasitic medications that your veterinarian can prescribe. If the diarrhea and coughing are not associated, the coughing could be due to asthma, pneumonia/bronchitis or even heart or heartworm disease. You should take Skylar to your veterinarian right away for a full work up of these clinical signs.

Hello, sorry to hear about Echo. Yes, lungworms in cats can cause a severe cough. To treat these, you have to deworm your kitten potentially more than once. You may need to do another fecal test to confirm the presence of worms. Have Echo evaluated by your veterinarian and bring a stool sample with you to have her tested for lung worms. Other causes of this may include feline asthma, pneumonia, or even bronchitis. Echo may need repeat x-rays as well. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Coughing and wheezing in a younger cat most commonly occurs as a result of asthma, but could also be related to underlying allergies, masses in the chest, or heart disease (although cats with heart disease do not commonly cough). At this point, I do recommend taking your cat back to the vet for another exam and chest x-rays to try to help differentiate (this is not always completely conclusive) between these causes. I hope this helps!