My cat is wheezing, coughing at night, and has strong fishy breath. Why?

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!

She could definitely start having asthma at her age. I would recommend having a vet listen to her heart and lungs, and take a chest x-ray. They can send the x-rays to a be read by a radiologist if you'd like a second opinion. The treatment for asthma is usually steroids and inhaled broncodilators. You would need a prescription for those things. So unfortunately, there isn't much you can do totally alone, but it does sound like she needs some help.

It sounds like there are a few things going on with Jake healthwise at the moment. The wheezes when he breathes could be due to a respiratory infection or heart disease. As for his bad breath, that could be caused by dental or gum disease, abnormalities in the mouth, respiratory system, gastrointestinal tract, liver or kidneys. Some of these causes can be very serious, so I recommend giving your vet a call a first thing in the morning to get an appointment for him asap. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

A chronic cough or wheeze may be due to allergies, polyps, infection or even heart disease just to name a few causes. Ideally, Shadow should be physically examined by your veterinarian to diagnose the underlying cause. This way the most effective treatment can be administered.

Wheezing in cats can be caused by chronic allergies, asthma, infections, and polyps. However, if you believe that Ashes is having trouble breathing, she should be seen by a vet immediately as she may need oxygen supplementation and stabilization. I hope this helps and that all is well!

I'd be concerned that Sock may have feline asthma. It would be worth a trip to the veterinarian to have X-rays done again on Sock to look for asthmatic changes. Asthma in cats is fairly common and can be treated with both inhalant medication and oral medications. An Aerokat inhaler can be ordered to help administer inhalant medications if necessary. Your veterinarian can also ensure that Sock is not experiencing another upper respiratory infection. I'd also recommend eliminating the use of perfumed cleaners, or perfumed or dusty litter types as these things can aggravate airway disease in cats. Try to change air filters regularly and use an air purifier to cut down on allergens. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Yes, wheezing could indeed be a sign of asthma. But it is also possible that she has an upper respiratory infection. Either disease is relatively easy to treat once diagnosed. Your vet will want to do xrays if he suspects asthma. URIs are usually treated with antibiotics. Here is some information of feline asthma: https://www.petcoach.co/article/feline-asthma-a-cause-of-coughing-in-cats/ https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-you-need-to-know-about-feline-asthma/ I suggest you make an appointment for Leo with your vet.