My cat hacks a lot, but rarely hairballs. Could this be feline asthma?

Question

4-year old medium-hair cat hacks a lot, sometimes producing hairballs, moreso not producing hairballs. Looks like she swallows it back. Xrays confirm no intestinal blockage. She is on hairball food and has laxatone. She grooms a lot. Vet wants to give steroids to test for asthma, after completing $300 blood test to ensure she can take steroids. We are looking for second opinion. Looks like I can't upload the video of her hacking. To us, she doesn't display asthmatic symptoms except hacking. Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 4 years and 3 months old | 10 lbs

Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA · Accepted Answer

Asthma is extremely common in cats and often under-diagnosed. Hacking can be a symptom of asthma in cats. It doesn’t always look like an asthmatic attack in humans. The dose of steroids to treat asthma is very low, especially if an inhaler is used instead of oral medications. A second opinion is always a good idea, but a steroid trial is also worth a try.

My cat hacks a lot, but rarely hairballs. Could this be feline asthma?

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