TL;DR: A cat crouching low and hacking is often a sign of respiratory issues like feline asthma rather than a hairball. While most cases require a vet visit within 48 hours, symptoms like open-mouth breathing or blue gums are life-threatening emergencies.
What does it mean when my cat squats low and makes a hacking or wheezing sound?
When a cat squats low to the floor, stretches their neck out, and makes a hacking or wheezing sound, it is often a sign of a lower respiratory issue. While many owners mistake this posture for a cat trying to hack up a hairball, it is actually a specific coughing stance used to help open the airways. Common causes include feline asthma, chronic bronchitis, or secondary respiratory infections.
When should I seek emergency veterinary care for my cat's coughing?
- Medium Urgency: If your cat is coughing but otherwise acting normally, eating, and playing, you should schedule a veterinary appointment within the next 24 to 48 hours.
- High Urgency: If the coughing is accompanied by open-mouth breathing, blue-tinged gums, or extreme lethargy, this requires immediate emergency care.
How does providing a video of the coughing episode help the veterinarian?
- Visual evidence is one of the most powerful tools you can provide because cats often hide symptoms or stop coughing due to the stress of a clinic environment.
- A clear video allows the vet to evaluate the intensity, the sound, and the specific abdominal effort involved.
- Recording the episode is crucial for differentiating between a hairball, cardiac issues, and primary lung disease.
Clinical Context (Merck Veterinary Manual)
Coughing in cats is an attempt to remove mucus and exudate from the respiratory passages. When evaluating a cat that is squatting low and coughing, observe for increased respiratory rate and effort, and changes in respiratory pattern. Cats in respiratory distress may sit crouched on all four limbs with the sternum slightly elevated. Cyanosis indicates significant loss of pulmonary function and impending pulmonary arrest. Diagnostic steps should include a thorough history, assessment of clinical signs, elimination of other causes of coughing, and chest radiographs, which may reveal increased linear and peribronchial markings, or bronchoscopy to reveal inflamed epithelium and mucopurulent mucus.
Chapter: Respiratory
Source: The Merck Veterinary Manual, 11th Edition (Page 1491)