coughing cat

Hello,

I have 2 cats and a puppy. One of the cats has started a strange cough/sneeze type thing. Can cats get colds or develop allergies? She is 4yrs old and has never had any problems. Other than the occasional cough she has been acting normally. My other cat hasn't started coughing. My puppy is 3 months old and just got over kennel cough 2 weeks ago... this can't spread to cats can it?.... The puppy has started coughing occasionally as well again. The only thing I can think of for the cat is that we have recently moved and she spends a lot of time in the basement... could the dust be causing some allergies? Thanks for any advice ! Kim

Yes, cats can get colds and allergies. It sounds as if it could be from the dust in the basement.
Keep her upstairs away from it for awhile and see if the coughing goes away. Try to keep an eye on her to see how often she coughs.
If it's an odd occational thing and you are sure that she just isn't trying to cough up a hairball, take her to the vet.
Get a chest x-ray and run blood work to tell if she has developed feline asthma. Steriods are often recommended to control it, if that's what it is.

It does not appear that kennel cough is a risk to healthy cats.