Cat coughing — when to worry
Cats cough far less than dogs — any persistent cough warrants a vet visit, and any breathing difficulty alongside is an emergency.
Recognise the signs
- Crouched posture with neck extended, harsh dry cough
- Sometimes mistaken for retching or trying to bring up a hairball
- Wheezing between coughs
- Increased breathing rate or effort at rest
- Open-mouth breathing — always abnormal in a cat
- Lethargy, weight loss, or reduced appetite alongside chronic cough
First aid steps
- Note frequency, triggers, and pattern.
- Phone video the cough where possible.
- Note resting breathing rate (count chest rises in 30 seconds and double; over 30/minute at rest is concerning).
- Check gum colour — pink normal, pale or blue urgent.
- Phone the vet for any cough lasting more than a day or two, or sooner for breathing changes.
- Reduce known asthma triggers in the meantime — smoke, scented sprays, dusty litter.
Do NOT
- Do not give human cough medicine — many contain ingredients toxic to cats.
- Do not give human asthma inhalers — vet-prescribed feline-specific inhalers and spacers exist.
- Do not assume coughing is just hairballs — cats with asthma are commonly misdiagnosed at home for months.
- Do not delay for any breathing changes.
When to phone the vet immediately
- Open-mouth breathing
- Blue, grey, or very pale gums
- Increased breathing rate at rest (over 30/minute)
- Lethargy, collapse
- Cough lasting more than a few days
- Chronic cough with weight loss
Signs that can usually wait for a routine appointment
- A single isolated cough in a bright, fully eating, normal-breathing cat can be monitored briefly, but persistent coughing in cats is uncommon enough that vet review within a few days is wise.
Common causes
- Feline asthma — the commonest cause of cough in cats
- Heart disease (less commonly causes cough than in dogs)
- Lungworm
- Lower respiratory infection (bacterial or viral)
- Inhaled foreign body
- Tumour
- Hairball-related throat irritation (rarely a true cough)
What the vet will need to know
- When the cough started and how often
- Triggers — dust, smoke, exercise, time of day
- Other signs — breathing rate, weight, appetite
- Indoor/outdoor
- Other cats in the household and whether affected
- Phone video of the cough
- Vaccination, worming, and flea history
Aftercare
- Asthma is usually managed long-term with inhaled steroids using a feline-specific spacer (e.g. AeroKat).
- Bacterial infections need antibiotic courses.
- Lungworm is treated with prescription anti-parasitics.
- Recheck X-rays and exams as advised.
- Manage environmental triggers — switch to low-dust litter, no smoking in the house, no scented plug-ins.
Prevention
- Smoke-free home — a major factor in feline asthma.
- Low-dust, unscented litter.
- Avoid scented sprays, candles, and plug-in air fresheners.
- Year-round flea, tick, and lungworm prevention as advised by the vet.
- Annual health checks, especially for older cats.
Breed-specific notes
- Siamese and Oriental breeds appear over-represented in feline asthma.
- Maine Coon, Ragdoll, British Shorthair, Persian carry higher cardiomyopathy risk.
Frequently asked questions
How is cat asthma different from a hairball?
Hairball retching involves abdominal heaving and usually produces a hairball or small amount of food. Asthma cough is dry, harsh, often crouched-and-extended-neck, and produces nothing. Phone video helps the vet tell them apart in seconds. Persistent 'hairball retching' in a cat that does not produce hairballs is often asthma.
Can cats really use inhalers?
Yes. The AeroKat or similar spacer fits a human inhaler at one end and a soft mask at the other; the cat breathes 7–10 times into the mask. Most cats accept it readily with a few days of practice. It delivers far better control than oral steroids alone for asthmatic cats.
Should I worry about lungworm in my cat?
Cat lungworm (Aelurostrongylus abstrusus) is uncommon but does occur in the UK, particularly in outdoor cats that hunt slugs and snails or eat infected prey. Year-round prevention with the right product (confirmed with the vet) covers it; persistent unexplained cough in a hunting cat warrants a faecal test.