The cat coughs: causes and consequences. Diseases of cats: symptoms and treatment

How much joy is delivered to us by your favorite pets! Your affectionate fluffy (or smooth-haired) four-footed friend meets you from work, purrs with happiness, that he waited for his beloved master, and in the evening strives to get on his knees and watch with you the TV. Idyll...

And suddenly you notice that the cat seems to be coughing. Is your pet sick? The first thought that comes to your mind is that he caught a cold or choked on something. Subconsciously, you begin to build an associative parallel between yourself and your four-legged friend. And do not do this. The fact is that cough (as a physiological act) is almost identical in all mammals, but the causes that cause it are different in humans and animals.

Moreover, coughing a cat can be a symptom of quite serious cardiovascular or respiratory diseases, respiratory diseases , a sign of acute infection.

What is a cough?

In cats, this is a reflex, involuntary, jerky exhalation. Cough comes from the cough center located in the medulla oblongata. He receives a signal from the vagus nerve from sensitive receptors. The greatest number of them is in the area of the vocal cords, larynx, and also in the places of division of the bronchi and trachea. The places where cough receptors are accumulated are called reflexogenic zones (cough ones).

It should be borne in mind that coughing is primarily a protective reflex that occurs in the animal's body as a result of chemical or mechanical stimulation of sensitive areas. With many diseases, it helps to more efficiently evacuate pus, mucus, foreign particles from the airways, thus contributing to the speedy recovery of the animal.

The peculiarity of the cough zones, which are found in the bronchi and the trachea, is that they respond almost equally to the irritation that exerts from the side of the respiratory lumen or from the outside. Therefore, cough is considered a symptom of the disease of both the respiratory tract itself and the tissues and organs surrounding them. In this regard, the reasons for which the cat sneezes and coughs, can be very much.

Causes of cough

Veterinarians believe that such a symptom can indicate at least about a hundred diseases. Naturally, we can not tell about all of them, but the most common ones will be described.

Asthma

About this disease must be said in the first place, since cats, as well as people, suffer them quite often. Symptoms to which the owner of the animal should pay attention include the following:

1. The cat is coughing.
2. The animal has shortness of breath.

The age of the cat in this case is of particular importance. Most often this terrible disease develops in an animal older than two years. At first, seizures are rare, but they are repeated more and more often. The general condition of the cat worsens - after a short time, he can stop responding to everything that is happening around. The disease requires immediate initiation of therapy. The causes of this ailment in animals have not yet been fully revealed. In some cats, the disease can be provoked by an allergy, others are inherited, at the genetic level.

Allergy

Do not be surprised, but this disease, which affects millions of people around the world, did not bypass the brothers of our smaller ones. Did you notice that cats sometimes cough? As a rule, this is a reaction to pollen of plants. Although more often in this case they sneeze. If you notice that pedigreed kittens react like this, immediately show the kids to the veterinarian. If the diagnosis is confirmed, your pets will be prescribed the necessary drugs.

Helminths

The cat coughs and in the presence of helminth diseases. Usually our pets are infected with helminths parasitizing their gastrointestinal tract. But if your favorite walks on the street, then the cause of the disease can become and yard cats. If you do not perform periodic de-worming, then after a short time the parasites become so much that they, not being in the intestine, move to the stomach, and from there with vomit masses get into the external environment.

In this case, the immunity of the animal weakens. A cough with such a disease causes irritation of the receptors of the esophagus (due to vomiting).

Foreign object

Animals are very curious, and if in their accessible places are small objects (beads, buttons, etc.), your pet can be seriously injured. This is often the sin of thoroughbred kittens, who are just beginning to explore the world. As a result of ingress of foreign objects into the respiratory tract, the cat coughs.

If you think that the animal is suffering precisely for this reason, do not try to get the object on its own - without the special tools and experience, you will only harm the animal. In this situation, urgent veterinary care is needed.

Heart diseases

Perhaps you have heard about the so-called "heart" coughing in people. Similarly, it can manifest itself in animals. The cause that causes it, can be heart disease, in particular, violations in the work of the heart valves. With this pathology, the heart muscle increases in volume and presses on the trachea, which is located very close to it. Because of this, the cat coughs, and the intensity of the attack gradually increases. At the same time, no rattling is heard.

Features of a cough

Unlike dogs, cats are much less common in cats. Often, with one disease in dogs, he progresses, and purring handsome men have difficulty, wheezing, shortness of breath. In addition, they have these symptoms to notice and even more difficult to recognize.

It's all about the cat's instinct of self-preservation - animals intuitively avoid factors that provoke coughing with various diseases: they do not play, move much less, do not show unnecessary emotions, settle in a well-ventilated place where nobody and nothing disturb them.

In itself, this unusual behavior can be regarded as the beginning of a disease. Have you noticed this for your pet? If possible, consult a specialist.

Types of cough

Doctors distinguish between the following varieties of cough:

• In duration - acute (from two days to a month) and chronic (from several months);
• By intensity (from coughing to debilitating);
• By sound - muffled or sonorous;
• By the nature of the discharge - moist with mucus or dry;
• By the time of attack.

Observe the character of the cough in the pet. Your description of seizures will help the doctor to more accurately diagnose the causes of the disease.

Diseases of cats: symptoms and treatment

And again we return to bronchial asthma. A sick cat may suffer sudden moderate or severe attacks of coughing. The animal is breathing heavily, it is difficult for the air to pass through. Usually, with this disease, the cat coughs and wheezes. Often with asthma, frequent sneezing occurs.

The development of the disease can be affected by stress, air pollution, weather changes. Bronchial asthma in the initial stages is more often observed in young animals (up to three years old), as a rule, it is affected by representatives of the Himalayan and Siamese breeds. Attacks are increasing in the spring and autumn, which is typical for most allergic ailments.

This diagnosis is made on the basis of a clinical examination of the animal - laboratory tests and radiography. Treatment is long and, as a rule, consists in the appointment of corticosteroids and bronchodilators prescribed in the form of injections or tablets.

Viral rhinotracheitis

It is an infectious disease that causes convulsive and frequent bouts of coughing. For him, the age of the cat does not matter. In severe illness, the animal sneezes and coughs. His eyes water. The disease can be accompanied by a runny nose and diarrhea. All these symptoms are similar to the clinical picture of human influenza. But this does not mean that the cat has caught a cold. In this case, treatment is difficult and takes a lot of time. Therefore, as a precautionary measure, timely vaccination is necessary.

Cough after receiving "battle" wounds

If you do not have an old cat who likes to find out the relationship with his cousins, then suddenly he can begin to cough. This can be due to direct damage to the trachea from the bite obtained during combat with the enemy. Such traumas provoke not only a cough: the animal often sneezes and even refuses to eat, as the passage of food causes pain.

In this case, the help consists in treating the resulting injury in order to avoid suppuration of the wound.

Cough from worms

Worms often cause the cat to cough. This disease affects animals at any age - and the adult individual, and only the born thoroughbred kittens. And it can be picked up by pets who never leave houses and do not contact other animals: you can easily bring parasites from the street (on shoes, for example). With this disease the sick cat coughs, stretching the neck. Often, an attack accompanies vomiting.

Cough in this case is short, mild. Similar symptoms can occur in animals with infectious diseases of the lungs and bronchi, as well as toxoplasmosis. Therefore, accurate diagnosis is needed, based on the results of tests that are aimed at detecting eggs of parasites. Treatment in this case is reduced to the usual procedures for deworming.

Heart diseases

The intensity of cough for problems with the heart valve increases gradually, it is usually deaf (uterine), while it does not contain any secretions. Usually this disease affects animals in old age. It seems that the old cat seemed to be choking and trying to get rid of the foreign body. Make sure that this is a heart pathology, you can, after watching your pet for several days. If the cough is absolutely the same in nature, besides its intensity and frequency, the visit to the veterinary clinic can not be postponed.

Treatment

If your pet coughs, wheezing, he has shortness of breath, shortness of breath, and all these symptoms are accompanied by deterioration of well-being, complete absence or loss of appetite, and even the temperature of the cat has risen, it is necessary to show it urgently to a specialist.

Prior to the visit to the clinic, provide the animal with fresh air and complete rest. In some cases it helps to ease the condition of air humidification in the room. Before setting the causes of the disease, do not give any medications - you will only smear the real picture of the disease and make it difficult to diagnose, which can cause irreparable harm to your pet.

The doctor will collect an anamnesis and on its basis will recreate a complete picture of the onset and development of the disease, having previously inquired about the conditions of keeping and feeding the animal. After this, as a rule, should be an examination of the upper respiratory tract, listening to the trachea, lungs and bronchi. Often in such a situation, an X-ray is taken and a blood test is taken. If a specific pathology is suspected, an X-ray examination of the esophagus, laryngo-, tracheo, broncho- and esophagoscopy will be required. In addition, a study will be conducted for the presence of viral blood infections, a bronchial biopsy is possible.

This process can be long and rather time consuming. For this reason, before the main cause of the cough is identified, the doctor will prescribe a symptomatic, supportive treatment to alleviate the condition of the four-legged patient.

Antitussives

To cough up a cough and / or change its character (to remove dry and to cause wet), there are many medicines. Conditionally they are divided into two groups. The first includes medicines that block this reflex, affect the cough center regardless of its nature. They are called antitussive agents of central action. Appoints such drugs only a doctor. They, as a rule, are included in the complex therapy. This is primarily due to the fact that in most cases they only remove the symptoms of the disease, but do not eliminate the cause of its occurrence. As a result, an illusion of recovery may be created, but in fact the disease will progress. In addition, antitussive drugs refer to potent agents, and if used improperly they can harm the animal.

The second group is expectorants. They do not stop the cough, but they greatly facilitate the dry, increasing the volume of excreted mucus and liquefying it. Together with it, the causative agents of the disease are excreted from the body. These drugs are used to treat an infectious cough.

In pharmacies for people sold a lot of combined medications - and expectorants, and antitussives. However, not all of them fit your pet. Moreover, some funds are categorically contraindicated in animals.

If you are sure that your cat is coughing and sneezing, because it's cold, and you do not have the opportunity to visit a veterinarian, you can buy at the pharmacy "Amoxiclav" or another antibiotic of this group (for cats). It can be presented in the form of tablets and powders, from which the suspension is prepared. More often the liquid form is more effective.

It is necessary to choose the lowest dosage and pour the powder with water. Give this preparation to the animal three times a day for 2.5 ml. The course of treatment - no more than seven days.

And a few more tips

Before the start of treatment, it is necessary to accurately identify the cause of the disease. Do not forget that cough in many cases is a protective reaction of the animal's body, it can be beneficial, speeding up recovery. In other words, it is often not required to fight it to the full victory with the help of antitussive drugs. An exception can only be a dry, debilitating cough that causes anxiety and deterioration in the general condition of the animal. In this case, a specialist consultation is necessary.

The immune system of cats (as, indeed, many other predators) is accentuated by powerful antibacterial immunity. This is due to the fact that in the struggle for territory or during hunting wild ancestors of our beloved pets often received infected wounds and injuries. Without strong immune protection from various bacteria, no animal can survive in the wild.

Bacterial infections of the nasopharynx (including respiratory cough) in cats are much less common than in humans and dogs. They can develop only against the background of a strong weakening of immunity. Therefore, the common notion of "cold" for cats is uncharacteristic, although, of course, there are exceptions.

Let's sum up the results

If you want your pet to be healthy (and this is what almost all animal owners want), then, noticing that the cat is coughing, observe it for a day (of course, if there are no signs of suffocation), and then go to the veterinary clinic. Do not engage in self-medication: it is just as dangerous for animals as for humans. Conduct all the necessary vaccinations and regularly clean the animal's body of helminths. Only in this case your affectionate pet will be healthy, and you are happy.