Cat Asthma Attack Or Hairball

Many people assume that the cat is trying to cough up a hairball and don t realize that their cat could have asthma.

Cat asthma attack or hairball.

A full blown asthma attack may at first resemble a cat trying to cough up a hairball or possibly choking on food. How i learned my cat has asthma. My cat s coughing was something different and it was up to me to unravel the mystery. But like human asthmatics cats can be treated and the disease can be managed.

I watched a couple videos about it but hairballs and asthma attacks sounded and looked almost the same to me depending on the cat. The most common symptoms are wheezing and a hairball like cough which is why feline asthma can be easily mistaken for a hairballs. These high fiber formulas are designed to improve the health of your cat s coat minimize the amount of shedding and encourage hairballs in cats to pass through the digestive system. Many pet food manufacturers now make hairball reduction cat foods.

With asthma the cat s body will be hunched lower to the ground and its neck and head will be extended out and down in an effort to clear the airway of mucus. How to tell the difference. Feline asthma very similar to human asthma is a chronic inflammation of the small passageways of a cat s lungs. The symptoms of feline asthma can affect every cat differently.

Give your cat a specialized hairball formula cat food. However if your cat is exhibiting signs of digestive blockage you should consult a vet. Untreated asthma can progress and even be fatal. When an asthma attack occurs these passageways thicken and constrict making it very difficult for a cat to breathe.

Also sometimes cats with asthma can seem like they re hacking up a hairball so if you think this may be the issue take your cat to the vet for a diagnosis. When it isn t a hairball. It said that in an asthma attack cats stretch out their necks and get low to the ground which she had been doing but i ve seen cats do that before coughing up a hairball. While hairballs may be a common occurrence with cats what might seem like a cat trying to pass a hairball could be a feline asthma attack or another condition that mimics some of the signs of a hairball.

With asthma attacks body posture is somewhat different. Use a hairball product or laxative.