My 24-year-old cat has a painful cough and is losing weight. What's wrong?

Hello and thank you for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to say exactly what is causing Sash's symptoms without examine her, but I can offer some possibilities. Coughing can be a sign of an upper respiratory infection, lung disease, lung cancer, heart disease, or feline asthma. The only was to definitively know what is causing Sasha to cough is for a veterinarian to do an exam and perform an x-ray of Sash'a chest so her heart and lungs can be visualized and evaluated. Whether it is too late or something that can be cured depends on what the diagnosis may be. I hope this has helped and I wish you and Sasha the best of luck!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Coughing can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Wolfgang evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics to be performed include thoracic radiographs and bloodwork. Treatment would be dependent on findings. Good luck and have a good night!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Coughing can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Mylo evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics to be performed include thoracic radiographs and bloodwork. Treatment would be dependent on findings. Good luck and have a good day!

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. If you got him as a feral cat, you most likely do not have a full history on him. Since you don't have a full history, I would get him tested for FeLV and FIV. These infectious diseases are not curable and can cause cats to become prone to secondary infections such as respiratory infections. I would get him seen by your vet to have additional tests performed to figure out the source of the cough. Some cats are prone to herpes viral respiratory infections and these typically resolve on their own. He may need a course of an antibiotic to get over this. I hope this helps! Please feel free to contact me with any further questions or concerns you may have. I am also available via consultation if needed.

You have to take Phat to a vet asap. It's very serious that he has a wheezing/hacking cough and has lost a lot of weight. He sounds very sick, and not getting him veterinary care is cruel to him. Please take him into a vet now.

I would have him seen by a vet as soon as possible. There are a couple of things thing could be causing all of his symptoms. The cough and hoarse meow could be be caused by a respiratory disease, heart disease, heartworms, and cancer among other causes. These causes could lead to him to be very skinny as well, but it could also be caused by kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, and diabetes. I recommend having a physical exam, blood tests, urinalysis, and x-rays performed on your cat. Using these tests, the vet can diagnose what is causing all his symptoms, and then can discuss treatment options with you. Given that he has been this way for a long time, it would be best for him to be seen by a vet today. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Coughing can be a sign of many conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, heart disease, among many other possibilities. Loss of appetite can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. I recommend that you have Hooch evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Likely diagnostics to be performed include thoracic radiographs, abdominal ultrasound and bloodwork. Treatment would be dependent on findings. Good luck and have a good day!