Why does my cat always cough right after waking up from sleep?

Question

Jolly starts coughing - dry cough, followed by a gulp - about five minutes after she wakes up, every time she wakes up. It usually lasts about a minute, sometimes less, sometimes more. She is normal and very active otherwise. Antibiotics (Caricef, Velosef) and dewormer (Drontal) haven't made any difference. Ventolin tablets haven't made a significant difference either. Why would a cat cough every time she wakes up? What could cause cough after sleep? Thanks. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 1 year and 11 months old

Dr. Heidi DVM, CVA, CCRT, CVTP, CVSMT, CVCH · Accepted Answer

If Jolly has mucous built up in her lungs while she is sleeping, she may be coughing to clear that mucous. This is common in older animal and people, but is abnormal in a young cat. Ventolin will not normally make a difference with this because the cough is not caused by the airways closing, but instead because of the mucous in them. I am attaching a link to a handout on asthma below. http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=665 I would recommend discussing this with your veterinarian. They may want to consider an antibiotics like Doxycycline or Zithromax since those often work better for upper respiratory problems in young cats or a steroid inhaler before bed in case there is abnormal mucous production. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

Why does my cat always cough right after waking up from sleep?

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