Our 5 week old kitten has just recently been coughing, or at least I think that is what she is doing. Its kind of like a sneeze and has done it a couple of times now. She seems fine (playing, eating and using the litter box regularly). She's going to the vet soon but I would like to know if any one has experienced this with a new kitten. If you did what was the illness and what did it cost? Thanks!
2006-08-23 19:45:59 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
The most common causes of coughing in cats are probably asthma, chronic
bronchitis and heartworm disease. Bordetella bronchiseptica infection can also cause coughing but is not too likely in a solitary cat or in house with two or three cats. It usually causes problems in shelters, catteries and other places with lots of cats. Vomiting or retching can be hard to distinguish from coughing in cats, so inflammatory bowel disease and other causes of chronic vomiting have to be considered, too.
It would probably be a good idea to find out from your vet how likely heartworm disease is in your area and to consider testing for this if it seems appropriate to do that.
Petroleum products may cause coughing or gastrointestinal irritation, although we don't see this too often.
Cat litter can definitely cause upper respiratory irritation and may incite asthma attacks in susceptible cats. There are no confirmed cases of problems from eating cat litter than I can find in the literature, although there are persistent rumors of problems with scoopable litters. Dogs eat a lot more cat litter than cats do, though -- and I only know of one confirmed case of an intestinal obstruction in a dog from eating cat litter and it ate nearly the entire contents of a litter pan! Using a litter that produces little or no dust reduces the problems with respiratory disease in cats prone to chronic bronchitis or asthma.
Your vet should be able to help you sort through these possibilities and find the cause of the coughing in your cat.
If your cat isn't coughing a lot, I mean A LOT, then she probley just drank too much or " swallowed the wrong way". Your vet will definantly be able to help.
If your cat licks her self a lot, she probley has accumilated a lot of fair in her mouth and it's causing problems during swallowing.
Also, be sure to check out this website: http://www.2ndchance.info/cough.htm
It provides some good information for you to check.
Good luck at the vets :-)
Im sure your kitten will be fine :-)
- Alexandra
2006-08-23 19:54:38 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kitten Coughing
2016-10-16 07:38:24 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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RE:
My kitten has been coughing, what does it mean?
Our 5 week old kitten has just recently been coughing, or at least I think that is what she is doing. Its kind of like a sneeze and has done it a couple of times now. She seems fine (playing, eating and using the litter box regularly). She's going to the vet soon but I would like to know if any...
2015-08-06 05:37:34 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
sneezing or coughing is probably a sign of a viral infection. she probably will be okay. but i really have to take issue with some of the advice you have been given here. i have had several vets tell me that a respiratory infection in a kitten should never be ignored (meaning not taken to the vet). a five week old could have a cold turn into pneumonia very quickly. just like having a one month old baby with a cold. rhinotracheitis, which is one of the things in the "distemper" shot, is one possibility.
if you got your kitten from a breeder, vet office or a shelter, they should foot the cost. call them tomorrow and let them know that you think she may be sick. they should tell you which vet to take her to, and they should pay. i would ask if they don't offer.
i am guessing, though, that your kitten did not come from one of those places, because no reputable breeder, vet or shelter would sell someone a five week old kitten. they are not even supposed to be weaned from their mother until six weeks.
i really think your kitty will come out just fine, but i would have her checked, to be on the safe side.
2006-08-23 20:04:31 · answer #4 · answered by seelie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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I just went through this a couple months ago with a kitten that had many of the problems you describe here. I hope the benefit of my experience w/ a rescued kitten helps. She had a horrible case of fleas, upper respiratory infection, an intestinal infection, mites, and herpes ulcers in her eyes. She was a mess. The antibiotic cleared up the upper-respiratory thing and sneezing after a few days. The eye ointment cleared up her eyes, but the vet said that another outbreak could happen at any time. Occasionally, one of her eyes tears up. Perhaps the kittens have herpes in their eyes as well as conjunctivits? The intestinal thing finally cleared up, but she ended up having diarrhea for a while. Feline Leukemia- you may want to have the kittens tested for leukemia (LOTS of cats have it)... doesn't mean that they would ever develop symptoms, but it would give you a heads up for later in their lives. My vet did an AIDS test at the same time as she tested for leukemia. It took a while, but the kitten did really well with a little TLC... your kitties will be fine.
2016-04-09 00:35:37 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Soundslike it could be Feline upper respiratory tract disease.
A cold for a cat is usually just a nuisance as a cold usually is for one of us. Sometimes though an upper respiratory infection can be serious. If a cat is sick enough to stop eating or drinking, hospitalization may be needed to support him or her through the brunt of the infection. A cat (usually a kitten) can actually get dehydrated from the fluid lost in nasal discharge. Painful ulcers can form on the eyes, nose or in the mouth. Sometimes fever is high enough to warrant monitoring. In young kittens, pneumonia may result from what started as an upper respiratory infection.
If you think your cat or kitten is significantly uncomfortable with a cold you should seek veterinary assistance with an office visit.
My barn kittens had this, it is very common as it is very contagious. Antibiotic eye drops and by mouth, they were fine after a few months of treatment. I bought the antibiotics online after the first prescription, saved a ton of money.
2006-08-23 19:51:09 · answer #6 · answered by Nicky 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Kittens make a coughing sound as a defense mechanism when they are afraid. This meager sound is intended to startle an agressor (for example, a snake) into leaving them alone.
2006-08-23 19:53:51 · answer #7 · answered by marsroxx 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It could be a hairball, allergies or kennel cough. I don't think it's anything to worry about but mention it to the vet.
2006-08-23 19:47:49 · answer #8 · answered by phoenixheat 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's very likely a hairball on its' way up. All that licking of themselves creates hairballs on a regular basis.
Look for them around the house from time to time.
2006-08-23 19:53:16 · answer #9 · answered by bookster 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My inside cats both had that one summer. They ended up just having upper respiratory infections because I would leave the windows open when it was nice outside and they would sit on the window ledge and look out. I asked my vet how they could've caught it and she said another cat could've just came to the window and sneezed and they got it. Mine just had to have amoxicillin drops put down their throat once a day. It was probably like $10. But it's a hassle to hold them down and stick the dropper down their throat. If you just put it on their toungue they will spit it out( at least mine did). It smelled like bubblegum flavor though. lol
2006-08-23 19:50:59 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋