How can the veterinarian find the cause of a cats cough?
Most acute cases of coughing will cure with minimum need for interference, except for perhaps a few days of antibiotics. However, if the cough is very severe, or if it has been present for some time, then further investigation may be needed. This usually entails taking a full and detailed history which may help to highlight the underlying cause (e.g. a cat allergic to human skin dust may cough mainly when lying on it’s owner’s bed). The veterinarian will need to know whether the cough has changed over time, and whether the cat has any other medical problems that may be significant. The cat may then be given a general anesthetic, so that it’s chest can be radiographed. While the cat is anesthetized the veterinarian may look down it’s airway with an endoscope. Samples of fluid and cells can be collected from the airway, either via the endoscope, or by flushing a small amount of sterile salt solution into the lungs and then sucking it back out again. These samples can be used to look for
