Question:
Why do cats cough? We have many cats and one day one started this deep hacking cough. It wasn't like she had a hairball or was going to throw up, just coughing. It seemed like it passed form one cat to the next. When one would get over it another would start. Do you know if cats can get colds, or if its something else?
I don't know, I am completely baffled!

They seem to get over it quickly so I don't want to take them to the vet. They are acting the same, so I don't want to stress them out....


Answer:
I've seen Aoife cough (a dry cough a couple of times recently. It freaked me out, as I'd never seen a cat actually cough before. It was only the twice and she shows no other signs of being ill, so I put it down to the apartment being dusty just now and haven't taken her to the vet. She's also the only one of my four who is prone to hairballs. She's due next month for her annual exam anyway, and the vet always checks her over carefully, so I'll mention it then.

Maybe someone else has more experience with coughs among multiple cats.


Answer:
My Alex is the only one who coughs from time to time, sort of a dry wheezy cough, which I put down to the nasal polyps he had when he was a baby. None of the others cough though. Sorry I'm no help.


Answer:
I checked on a Vet site and among a few of the reasons that cause cat coughing is asthma, bronchitis, heartworm, lungworm.. or it might be nothing at all. I would get it checked by your Vet if it goes on too much longer or becomes more frequent. It may be nothing or it could be something contagious that is being spread among your cats..


Answer:
Thank you guys for replying, I appreciate it! I have never heard coughing like THAT! I didn't want to freak out if it was nothing..... I will prob make a vet appointment soon enough....


Answer:
Pickles had a cough a few months ago that turned out to be a cold. The vet didn't give any meds for her, just Meeko, since she was saying older cats will catch one from time to time and general get over it without help. Unless it becomes a continual, persistant thing, I wouldn't worry too much about it.


Answer:
yea, They all stopped coughing, so I guess that it was just a cold that some of them were catching...Thanks again