Coughing cat

Last time I wrote about my cat Magic who was diagnosed with asthma. His main symptom was a nasty cough, though he also became depressed and lethargic and his eyes and coat became dull.
In this case Magic only gave single coughs every now and again, but sometimes cats can go into a lengthy coughing fit which is very alarming to the owner. It can be a really horrible sound.
Many conditions can lead to a cough. Some of the most common are:

• Matter caught in the back of the throat. While grooming the cat may get a small hairball caught in the pharynx or behind the soft palate. Other items that might cause this include grass, pieces of dry food, or fishbones.
• Tonsillitis - an infection of the tonsils leading to swelling and inflammation. Tonsillitis can be part of a more generalized disease such as feline respiratory disease.
• Lungworm. This is caused by a parasite and occurs when the cat eats prey that is infested with the lungworm larva, such as birds, slugs, mice or other rodents. The cough is very severe in the early stages because the young lungworms are moving around in the lungs, causing a lot of irritation. The cough gradually becomes less frequent, but deeper and more resonant. Other signs can include sneezing, nasal discharge, diarrhea and general loss of condition.
• Irritating fumes or dust. If the cat sits near a heating vent or a fan heater he can breathe in considerable amounts of dust particles blown up from the floor. These can irritate the throat and lungs.
• Growths in the mouth. Cysts, polyps or even cancerous growths can form in the mouth. If these encroach towards the back of the cat's mouth or throat, they can cause coughing.

Your vet can diagnose what is causing your cat's cough and provide the right treatment. It is essential that you take him to the vet at the first sign of a cough.