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Hi
marko !
I would say it's unusual for this to be happening
only at those times.
Is it possible that
- she is coughing throughout the night....but, no one's awake to hear it?
- she is coughing through the day....but, no one is home to hear it?
(this is not one of those "if a tree falls in the forest..." questions
)
However, for a moment, let's forget the time frames you've described. The
only coughing that cats really do that's
not concerning is the coughing that allows for the expulsion of a hairball.
Cats don't cough with upper respiratory infections, as humans do. They will sneeze.
So, a cough in a cat that's not hairball-related is a cause for some concern.
There are coughs/coughing actions that accompany heart issues, for example. Cancer in the lung will cause coughing. An obstruction in the airway...etc.
Vets are pretty good judges in selecting appropriate drugs for URIs, so I wouldn't offer anything there.
There is, of course, the problem of throwing antibiotics at something that's not actually identified (
"the owner expects something" syndrome) which is part of the antibiotic resistance issue that's
au courant. There's the common issue of throwing an antibiotic at something unknown that
is really there, but, the 'something' is a
virus which will laugh and waive at the antibiotic.
There is a growing problem in Canada of Vets prescribing an NSAID, meloxicam (Metacam, Loxicom etc.) for issues for which it is totally inappropriate. This practice is rampant in the UK and is growing here.....Rusty is certain it's aggressive marketing by the manufacturer - probably including a little palm-greasing - and questionable prescribing practices by less-than-scrupulous practitioners. Meloxicam has a very narrow margin of safety in cats as it destroys kidney tissue. I would politely decline it, unless there were a cogent reason for its use.
IF there's a fever and IF it's known to be bacterial, then fine for an a/b.
If you're given an a/b, it would be advisable to also give the cat a probiotic, because the a/b can kill off the gut bacteria and cause diarrhea.
Sugarcatmom, who used to be a fixture here, used to recommend a human pro-b, Natural Factors Ultimate Multi. I use that - about 1/3 cap mixed in with a teaspoonful of any wet food they like - dosed at least 2 hours after each a/b dosing.
sheesh.........I thought this would be a quik-n-dirty post
Let us know what happens.
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