My cat has dry cough, vomiting, diarrhea, and can't eat. What's wrong?

I would wonder if the dry heaving is actually a cough - the two can sound very similar in a cat. Feline asthma, some infections or parasites like lungworms can cause a cough. I would recommend making an appointment to see your vet - they may recommend a chest x-ray to look for evidence of asthma. If you can take a video to show your vet it could help!

Hi, thanks for your question. It's unusual to see vomiting and coughing at the same time, although it's possible. Typically, though, the cat is just retching and nothing is coming up. It's likely, especially if your cat is bringing up stomach contents from time to time, that this is solely a GI problem. Vomiting can have a number of causes. Depending on how old your cat is, whether it goes outside, etc, one possibility might be more likely than another. Here are some possibilities: parasites, food intolerance/dietary indiscretion (eating something that made her sick), exposure to a toxin, a blockage either in the stomach or intestines, kidney disease, liver disease, diseases of the pancreas, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer. As you can see these are all very different diseases. Your vet can help you figure you what's going on with a good physical exam and some tests, probably blood work and x-rays to start with. Get your cat seen as soon as you can.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Elvis! I wonder if Elvis is actually coughing. When cats are coughing they sound like they are going to bring up a hairball or vomit but don't or white foam comes up. Coughing in cats commonly indicates asthma. Check his breathing when he is at rest or asleep ideally. If he is breathing with belly effort or his respiratory rate is greater than 40/min he should go to a Vet immediately. I am worried about Elvis, if he is truly trying to vomit possible causes are: foreign body obstruction (requiring surgery to remove), pancreatitis, metabolic condition like kidney failure, viral or bacterial infections, intestinal disease (IBD or cancer). Since he is not eating and is lethargic I recommend taking Elivis to the vet for an exam, blood work and possibly X-rays. If you can video tape the attempting to vomit episodes it may be helpful for your Vet. I hope this helps and I wish Elvis a speedy recovery!

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!

There are several things it could be, first of all hairballs, especially of it is only occasional, in this case a hairball paste supplement should solve the problem. The other options are feline asthma or a respiratory infection. If the hairball paste does not resolve it, I would recommend taking him to the vet in order to get it checked.

I'm sorry to hear both kitties are coughing. It is possible there could be something in the home such as dust or allergens causing the behavior, or both kitties got into something that is causing some irritation. Moving them to a well-ventilated area may help if there is some sort of irritation ongoing. If the coughing continues, or other symptoms appear, it is a good idea to bring them to your vet for an exam and to rule out any health issues.

Great question! Severe coughing can cause a cat to vomit as well, so it could still be either causing Scarlet's symptoms. The best way to know for sure is to take her into the vet. The vet can auscultate her lungs, and listening to her lungs will be able to hear if there is congestion present or not. If there is congestion present, then she does have a respiratory infection and the vet can prescribe medications to help treat her symptoms.