My cat has dry cough, vomiting, diarrhea, and can't eat. What's wrong?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My cat has a dry cough. No cold. Wants to eat grass. Vomiting a lot, diarrhea. The cough is now making it hard for him to eat. He will be sleeping and start coughing. I have been administering Petromalt (thinking it's a hairball). He seems to be getting worse. Any suggestions?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 6th, 2017
While a hairball could cause vomiting I wouldn't expect diarrhea or coughing. A true cough can be a sign of asthma or a respiratory infection. If he can't rest at night and his appetite is affected I'd recommend making an appointment with your veterinarian. They may recommend an x-ray of his chest and abdomen.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on April 7th, 2019
There could be a few things causing this. Moomoo could be coughing,?trying to vomit or trying to cough up a hair ball. The coughing can be due to infection, allergies or an enlarged heart. Vomiting can be due to many reasons and this can range from parasites to kidney disease. Hairballs can be related to excessive grooming, long hair or inappropriate diet. It’s important to figure out the underlying cause. Try to record an episode and then have him examined by his veterinarian. Take in a stool sample for testing. This is the easiest and the fastest way to get things figured out. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
My 7 year old cat sneezes, and coughs only when eating he seems fine otherwise. Yesterday though he vomited and again this morning only it was more flemmy this morning. I also noticed he has lost a bit of weight. He is usually quite vocal but notice
I would definitely recommend seeing a veterinarian for a physical exam. The coughing could be a sign of asthma, although it is a little unusual that the coughing only occurs when he's eating. He might also have an upper respiratory infection. The weight loss in particular is concerning. The vet might recommend taking some chest x-rays and blood work.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat dry heaves frequently, but only vomits on occasion. When he does, it's usually food and not a hairball. He doesn't seem to have any issues eating or using his litter box, but he just dry heaves a lot. (3+ times per day, for about 2-3mins)
I would wonder if the dry heaving is actually a cough - the two can sound very similar in a cat. Feline asthma, some infections or parasites like lungworms can cause a cough. I would recommend making an appointment to see your vet - they may recommend a chest x-ray to look for evidence of asthma. If you can take a video to show your vet it could help!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Why does my cat cough and voimating and can still eat and drink
Your cat maybe trying to regurgitate a hair ball. Cats who suffer from hair balls often cough and then regurgitate food or fluid and hopefully a hairball as well. If she is otherwise happy and eats and drinks and does not appear ill, then you do not need to worry. You may want to get some Hair Ball Remedy and give that to your cat as prescribed on the tube. Your vet or a pet shop should be able to sell you some.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Why is my cat gagging, coughing and vomiting so much the last few days?
Hi, thanks for your question. It's unusual to see vomiting and coughing at the same time, although it's possible. Typically, though, the cat is just retching and nothing is coming up. It's likely, especially if your cat is bringing up stomach contents from time to time, that this is solely a GI problem. Vomiting can have a number of causes. Depending on how old your cat is, whether it goes outside, etc, one possibility might be more likely than another. Here are some possibilities: parasites, food intolerance/dietary indiscretion (eating something that made her sick), exposure to a toxin, a blockage either in the stomach or intestines, kidney disease, liver disease, diseases of the pancreas, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancer. As you can see these are all very different diseases. Your vet can help you figure you what's going on with a good physical exam and some tests, probably blood work and x-rays to start with. Get your cat seen as soon as you can.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is a out side cat he can move his neck but I notice he dry heaves sometime but a cough sound also he acts like it hurts he is eating excellent a little active but not like usual
There could be a few things causing this. Moomoo could be coughing,?trying to vomit or trying to cough up a hair ball. The coughing can be due to infection, allergies or an enlarged heart. Vomiting can be due to many reasons and this can range from parasites to kidney disease. Hairballs can be related to excessive grooming, long hair or inappropriate diet. It’s important to figure out the underlying cause. Try to record an episode and then have him examined by his veterinarian. Take in a stool sample for testing. This is the easiest and the fastest way to get things figured out. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Dear vet, Our cat (male, 8 years) is choking as if he is going to vomit. But he does not vomit. He seems very tired and does not eat. He does not seem to have pain. The abdomen seems normal. He is urinating and going to the toilet regularly. What cou
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Elvis! I wonder if Elvis is actually coughing. When cats are coughing they sound like they are going to bring up a hairball or vomit but don't or white foam comes up. Coughing in cats commonly indicates asthma. Check his breathing when he is at rest or asleep ideally. If he is breathing with belly effort or his respiratory rate is greater than 40/min he should go to a Vet immediately. I am worried about Elvis, if he is truly trying to vomit possible causes are: foreign body obstruction (requiring surgery to remove), pancreatitis, metabolic condition like kidney failure, viral or bacterial infections, intestinal disease (IBD or cancer). Since he is not eating and is lethargic I recommend taking Elivis to the vet for an exam, blood work and possibly X-rays. If you can video tape the attempting to vomit episodes it may be helpful for your Vet. I hope this helps and I wish Elvis a speedy recovery!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I'm worried about my cat syrus. He's been doing the coughing dry heaving reciently. He's never coughed up a hairball in his 12 years. He streches his neck out every time almost like he's trying to get something to come up... he does it anytime I pick
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Poor Syrus! What you are describing sounds like how cats cough. When cats cough they extend there neck and it looks and sounds like they are trying to bring up a hairball but they don't. The most common cause of coughing in cats is feline asthma. Cats can go in to respiratory distress with asthma. Predisposing factors to asthma are: obesity, breed (Siamese cats), using dusty litter, burning fragrant candles or people who smoke in the house. There are other causes of coughing as well. I think you should make an appointment with your Vet this week, before the weekend, because in sounds pretty severe. They will listen to his heart and lungs and may take chest X-rays to see if it looks like asthma. They will then discuss treatment. They do make inhalers for cats! Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is gaggging a few times a day for the last few days, he was throwing up, and he has a cough with a raspy meow as well. Any idea what's wrong, and what I should do?
Hello and thank you for reaching out to Boop by Petco. I'm sorry to hear that Mittens has been vomiting and is now coughing. Cats can vomit for a number of reasons, including trying to vomit a hairball, eating something they shouldn't have, gastrointestinal obstruction, infection, inflammation, or even cancer. From the information you provided, my concern is that Mittens may have aspirated (taken fluid into the lungs) during one of these vomiting episodes, and is now coughing as a result. Aspiration pneumonia can be a scary thing in cats, and especially if Mittens is not acting himself or wanting to eat, I would recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to be examined. If your veterinarian determines that he has abnormal lung sounds, he/she may recommend blood work and chest x-rays to look for evidence of pneumonia. If present, they will likely start Mittens on some antibiotics. There are other possibilities for Mitten's cough including bronchitis or an upper airway infection, which
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 5mo old kitten, neutered, finished all shots, has had a cough for the past two weeks or so, no other symptoms. No runny nose, no boogers in eyes, very active, same sunny disposition as always, eating/drinking well. Should he go see the vet or is i
There are several things it could be, first of all hairballs, especially of it is only occasional, in this case a hairball paste supplement should solve the problem. The other options are feline asthma or a respiratory infection. If the hairball paste does not resolve it, I would recommend taking him to the vet in order to get it checked.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat has been vomiting randomly for the past few weeks and it's usually chunks of food and hair. I read that cats can develop food allergies, so I switched her food about a week ago and she hasn't vomited again until today, which was also accompan
It still may be the food. Any sudden changes in diet can upset their stomachs. I would recommend having her checked by a vet to make sure there is no infection and she does not get dehydrated. If there is no more vomiting or diarrhea tonight you can wait to have your regular check her, but if it continues or you notice blood in stool then you should get her seen as an emergency
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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