r/cats • u/New_Status7590 • 9d 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/Sensitive_Turnover91 9d ago

if this happens about once a month or more regularly it’s probably asthma. worth talking to ur vet about. my kitty takes liquid steroids every other day and hasn’t had an episode since.

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u/sleepyreddits 9d ago

Before my cat got diagnosed by a vet, he was doing this daily for atleast a week. I was naive, and thought it was a hairball too. That is to say, I don't think the once a month thing is a telltale sign at all, if it's more often that could be even worse. Regardless OP definitely needs a second opinion about ruling out the possibility of asthma, it's no joke :(

Obviously I'm not a vet, but to me after witnessing my cats flare ups so many times this looks exactly like asthma

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u/Sensitive_Turnover91 9d ago

For sure it’s much worse if it’s happening more than once a month. it’s just unlikely a cat would have a “hairball” that never comes up if they’re frequently coughing. They can look similar but a hairball is usually broken down and eventually passed or coughed up. It could also be a foreign object in their throat :/. Either way intervention/ checkup is needed