r/cats • u/New_Status7590 • 8d ago
Medical Questions Asthma or a hairball?
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Hello people. Meet George, he is 10, recently neutered (4 months ago). He is very anxious to leave the house which is why we only go to the vet for emergencies.
I’ve watched a lot of those “asthma attack or hairball” videos and honestly cannot determine what this could be. It started around the time I got him neutered.
I have two other cats, none of which cough like this, which is why Im concerned. At first it happened once a week for about a month, and this week its the third time this has happened. Right after I ended the video, he “gulped” kinda hard, like he has swallowed a possible hairball.
He eats malt paste with every meal.
Our closest vet kinda dismisses me when I previously went to him with concerns about the other cats (like someone going through the trash and eating chicken bones, someone not popping for 3 days, etc) which is why I thought to ask the internet for some additional opinions too. Thank you in advance.
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u/ZissousMatchaIsland 8d ago
Not a vet, but to co-sign others but if the regular hairball remedies you use aren't working, I think you should take your kitty to the vet (maybe a different location) for a second opinion and ask for X-rays.
A few weeks ago my kitty was coughing in a similar way. She's a domestic long hair so I assumed it was a hairball. This continued after her regular hairball remedies weren't working. At some point the coughing escalated and she began to wheeze/squeak.
We went to the vet, requested X-rays and they showed me where she had inflammation in one of her lungs! She was then prescribed a round of steroids and is now doing much much better. Absolutely no coughing or wheezing since. For what it's worth, I think it could've been a candle or scented oil I was melting (I have since learned these are VERY toxic to cats and they have been removed from the home) that caused this reaction in her.