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Old October 30th, 2007, 02:35 PM
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phoozles phoozles is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Southwestern Ontario
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Question cat coughs while purring - Answered by Dr. Van Lienden

Hi there,

I've got a nine year old cat named Jake who is remarkably good natured (and pleasantly plump at 16.5 lbs). About a month ago, we got a new kitten from a rescue shelter. Jake wasn't too happy about the addition, but aside from not sitting on our laps as much as he used to, he was pretty much the same guy.
Suddenly he stopped eating as much as he usually did, and walked sluggishly around the room. Also, when he purred, he would cough, and as the purring continued, he would make a noise as if he was going to vomit, but wouldn't. (Kind of like a really bad cough).
We took him into the vet, explaining his symptoms, and they put him on an IV saying he had a fatty liver problem. We've got him back home now, where he is eating and moving like he used to, but the cough while he purrs still persists. It only happens when he's purring.
I called back the vet, and they said they didn't treat it, but that I should just wait on it. It breaks my heart to see him like that, and know that by making him purr I could be making him feel bad.
Any idea what this might be, and how to alleviate it? It seems as though the new kitten has ear mites - could this be related somehow?

I'd appreciate any information you might have.

Thanks,

Julia
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