Ragdoll Cat Forums

I'll be taking my almost 16wk old kitten to the vet tomorrow to get some boosters, but I wanted to ask your opinions on this first.

I think my kitten might be developing a hairball? Is this odd, unlikely, or impossible in a kitten this young? (We had a DLH kitten for six months before and she never developed hairballs, nor did we think to do anything to prevent them) But Atrus has been coughing a little and it is freaking me out. It's not really coughing, it sounds more like a hairball type hacking even though I've never encountered a cat with a hairball before. He's only done it like once or twice a day for under a week, and only like one or two coughs at a time, but I'm understandably paranoid about it. He coughs like, once and it sounds like a cross between a cough and a hiccup and then he seems to swallow and maybe lick his muzzle a little. He grooms himself meticulously, but I do brush him usually every day.

I don't think he's "sick" or anything, because he eats well and is alert and likes to play. He'll play for a long time and tire himself out and never seems to wheeze or anything, so I wouldn't think his coughing is related to a respiratory problem? He was vet checked less than two weeks ago and was fine then.

I picked up some laxatone yesterday (he hates it), and he will be going to the vet tomorrow, but I just wanted to see what anyone else thought about this.

Our first kitten, a DLH from a shelter, died when she was only eight months old (we took her in to be spayed, and she unexpectedly died during the surgery), so I am being very overprotective and paranoid about my ragdoll.

I just don't know if it would be a hairball or not. Does he seem to groom a whole lot? Hopefully the vet can help you out. What did he/she say about it?

A hairball is a small collection of hair or fur formed in the stomach of animals that is occasionally vomited up when it becomes too big. Hairballs are primarily a tight elongated cylinder of packed fur, but may include bits of other elements such as swallowed food. Cats are especially prone to hairball formation since they groom themselves by licking their fur, and thereby ingest it. Rabbits are also prone to hairballs because they groom themselves in the same fashion as cats, but hairballs are especially dangerous for rabbits because they cannot regurgitate them. Hairballs are formed when a cat grooms itself and swallows hairs. Since hair is not easily digested, it can compact with undigested food in the stomach and gastrointestinal tract. Impactions are serious business, and sometimes must be removed surgically. In lesser cases they can cause painful constipation, something no concerned caregiver wants to wish on her cat.


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My kitten has been coughing too, I thought it was a hairball and treated it for 3 weeks with no results. Took him to the vet today and found he had an infection in this throat, and the coughing was to sooth the irritation and clear the throat. He got antibiotics for it.

I was told coughing may also be asthma, which is why I took him to the vet, but was relieved it was not asthma. Either way, if you are unsure it is a hairball I would go to the vet.

Hope everything clears up soon.

Also try catching it on video, my vet was very thankful I had a coughing outbreak on video because it helped him see it was his throat and not the lungs.

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