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My cat is hacking but no hairball. Is it a respiratory infection?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My cat has been hacking for the last 4 days and not producing a hairball what should I do

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on November 15th, 2017

Many times, coughing will look to people like the cat is trying to produce a hairball. I would be more suspicious that your kitty is dealing with an upper respiratory infection (likely a virus). You can try giving your pet 500mg of Lysine twice daily. If your pet begins acting lethargic, not eating or drinking well or having nasal/ocular discharge or the signs are prolonged, take your pet into the veterinarian. I hope this helps!

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