http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2005506240309
Cat's 'coughing' likely due to allergies
By STEVE DALE
TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES
June 24, 2005
Q. Your heart expert said coughing isn't typical of cardiomyopathy in a cat. Why, then, would a cat cough? My cat occasionally coughs for periods of 15
to 30 seconds. This is disturbing, but otherwise he seems fine.
- T.C.B., San Diego, Calif.
A. To be clear, Dr. Mark Kittleson, the cardiac specialist you're referring to, from the University of California-Davis, responded to a question about a
specific kind of heart problem (restrictive cardiomyopathy), for which coughing is not typically a symptom. However, Dr. Elizabeth Hodgkins, a feline veterinarian
in Yorba Linda, Calif., points out that it's indeed possible for coughing to be a sign of a heart problem of another nature. Hodgkins says that based on
your description, it's likely the coughing you observe in your cat is actually what's referred to as reverse sneezing, which mimics a cough. The cat lowers
its head and honks, desperately attempting to relieve nasal passages. At its worst, which doesn't sound like your case, the reverse sneezing is so frequent
that nasal passages become inflamed. "Reverse sneezing is due to allergies, something in the environment," Hodgkins says. "Certainly, this can't be comfortable
for the cat, but it's more frightening to watch than what a cat feels. I've never seen a cat pass out or have a life-threatening problem as a result. When
this occurs very frequently, antihistamines typically help. If this reverse sneezing only occurs once every few weeks or less, then we usually don't treat."
Since true coughing may be a symptom of a heart problem, bronchitis, or a kind of parasite or heartworm disease (though not typically around San Diego),
please see your veterinarian.
Write to Steve Dale at Tribune Media
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