Why is my cat coughing up mushy yellow stuff? Is it a hairball?

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. With what you are describing I would be concerned about a hairball causing a foreign body obstruction. There may also be a systemic cause or infection. I would recommend having a veterinarian take a look at her and run some tests such as bloodwork and abdominal x-rays. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Xerxes's symptoms are a little confusing. It could just be hairballs. He is a long cat and in keeping himself groomed, he will ingest hairs. Sometimes the hairs form a ball and they vomit them up since it isn't good for the GI tract and can't be digested. Sometimes after vomiting, some of the fluid gets into the nasal cavity. But my concern is since he is a short-nosed cat breed, he may have some issues with his oronasal cavity that cause it to happen more often. He could also have reflux. If he has seen a vet in the last year, call and see if they can do a video consultation so you don't have to get out of the house. If he hasn't been to the vet recently, you may have to go in for an examination.

She is obviously grooming a lot and therefore ingesting a lot of hairs. It is good for her to either poop out the hair or even regurgitate the hair balls. I think you are doing everything right and I would not change her food regimen. You can help her a bit by combing or brushing her coat and removing loose hair. This would reduce hair ingested. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further. Please take the time to mark this question as helpful or not as it helps us to improve on the quality of our answers to other pet owners. Thank you kindly!

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It is normal for cats to vomit a hairball with some saliva or stomach content. There is nothing to worry about. You can get an oral paste that helps the hairballs pass. These products can be purchased over-the-counter online, from pet shops or at the vets. We often use Cat Lax and Laxatone but I don't know if that is available in Sweden. If not, I am sure there is something similar available on your market.

Cats vomit more often than other animals. Often it can be from eating too fast or they throw up balls of hair that accumulate in the stomach. The picture looks like a hair ball. As long as Socks is acting normally it is an annoyance but nothing to be concerned about. You can give cat laxative weekly as this will help prevent hair balls. The product you buy in the pet store is flavored so they usually like it. Also there is cat food formulated for hair ball prevention. As far as the odor I'd try to find where it's coming from. Dental problems, ear infections and other things can cause an odor. Ask your veterinarian to check if there is an abnormal odor next time you take him in for an exam. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Socks.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Mushu and for providing pictures, they are helpful. It may be he is grooming himself a lot causing the hairballs and leading to the vomiting. I would start brushing him daily to see if that helps with the vomiting. If it does not, then I would have him seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

Sometimes when he has a big hairball it can take a few days of coughing and gagging to bring it up. I suggest you get some hairball remedy paste from a pet shop and give that to your cat as directed on the tube. Some cats actually like eating it and will lick it off your finger. For those cats who do not like the remedy, the easiest way is to put it on the top of the paws and they will lick it off, trying to clean up. Hopefully this will resolve the issue. If the coughing gets worse and if your cat gets lethargic or appears ill, you will need to take him to a vet for a thorough exam.