The road can be a dangerous place, with weather and road conditions and potential accidents lurking beyond every bend. It can also be an eerie place at night, a place of lane lines flickering by and the only signs of life the occasional passing headlights and maybe some nocturnal animal prowling about. Yet sometimes this danger and eeriness converge in strange ways to marry and step into the realm of the unexplained and the supernatural. Sometimes it seems that something else is prowling the roads as well. 

The post My Cat Coughing Sounds Like a Duck, What’s Wrong? Vet-Verified Facts by Lorre Luther appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com. If your cat has recently been coughing, you may wonder if something is going on that requires a veterinary examination, particularly if your companion’s cough sounds like they’re channeling a duck. The sounds cats make when coughing can often be difficult to describe, and often confusing, due to a lack of standardization with regards to coughing vocabulary. Some people may further describe it as retching, or hacking, though these terms can mean different things to different people. Coughing can further be confusing due to colloquial terms such as “coughing up a hairball”, which is generally more accurately a description of vomiting. This article will look at some of the more common causes of coughing in cats, and help you determine what to do if you notice your cat coughing. What Are the Common Conditions That Can Cause Cats to Cough? Various conditions can cause cats to cough, including asthma, cancer, foreign objects that have gotten stuck, and respiratory infections. Asthma Asthma is when a cat’s lungs and airways narrow and swell. Although the trigger isn’t always known, the result is an inflammatory reaction within the respiratory system. Signs of the condition are non-specific, and can include repeated coughing, and bouts (or paroxsysms) of coughing. If your cat is coughing but not having trouble breathing, consider contacting your veterinarian and explaining the situation to determine whether they need to be seen immediately or can wait for a regular appointment.  Cats with breathing problems should be seen immediately by an emergency veterinarian. Treatment is usually geared towards controlling inflammation. Cats with asthma typically need anti-inflammatory medication to keep the situation under control long-term. Other conditions should be ruled out before a diagnosis of asthma is made. Image Credit: Prystai, Shutterstock Cancer Cats can develop benign and malignant tumors in their respiratory systems, including their larynxes, tracheas, and lungs. Laryngeal and tracheal tumors are rare in cats, as are primary lung tumors. Primary lung tumors are diagnosed far more frequently in older than younger cats. Cats can also develop malignant tumors when cancer metastasizes from other sites. Signs of laryngeal and tracheal tumors may include difficulty breathing, coughing, or a change in voice. This may be where some people describe a cough as duck like, though it is not the only potential cause. The diagnosis of laryngeal and tracheal tumors usually involves examination of the suspected areas when possible, generally under sedation, along with imaging such as x-rays or endoscopy. Respiratory Infections Viral and bacterial infections can cause lower respiratory problems in cats. Fungi and parasites can also be responsible. Signs can include include coughing, fast or open mouth breathing, fever, lethargy, changes in appetite, and weight loss. Similar to other lower airway diseases, veterinary consultation, diagnostics, and treatment are the common next steps. Image Credit: sophiecat, Shutterstock Conclusion Cats can cough for several reasons, ranging from lower respiratory infections, to chronic conditions such as asthma and diseases like cancer. Coughing in cats should always be evaluated by a veterinarian. If your kitty sounds like a duck when they cough, contact your veterinarian for an examination. Sources https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/respiratory/c_ct_cough https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/respiratory/cat-asthma https://www.msdvetmanual.com/cat-owners/lung-and-airway-disorders-of-cats/cancers-and-tumors-of-the-lung-and-airway-in-cats#:~:text=Tumors%20that%20originate%20in%20the,during%20the%20last%2020%20years. https://vcahospitals.com/know-your-pet/ingestion-of-foreign-bodies-in-cats https://www.petmd.com/cat/conditions/infectious-parasitic/c_ct_heartworm_disease   Featured Image Credit: Suzanne Tucker, Shutterstock The post My Cat Coughing Sounds Like a Duck, What’s Wrong? Vet-Verified Facts by Lorre Luther appeared first on Catster. Copying over entire articles infringes on copyright laws. You may not be aware of it, but all of these articles were assigned, contracted and paid for, so they aren't considered public domain. However, we appreciate that you like the article and would love it if you continued sharing just the first paragraph of an article, then linking out to the rest of the piece on Catster.com.

A Russian submarine and a Russian frigate that are both capable of nuking U.S. cities were both spotted traveling approximately 25 miles from the coast of Florida, but most of the U.S. population did…

The Republican majority in a U.S. congressional committee published a report on Tuesday accusing Wall Street firms of colluding with advocacy groups to force companies to shrink their greenhouse gas emissions.…

The Republican-led House of Representatives is moving forward this week with a contempt of Congress vote against Attorney General Merrick Garland.  The vote is in response to Garland’s refusal…

Former President Donald Trump understands the dangerous path set by the nakedly political prosecution brought against him by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. “What happened to me has never happened…

What’s better than a show that addresses a number of smaller topics that affect your preps? An episode of questions listeners like you actually have. In Episode 292, we answer Patreon questions. We continue answering them in the After Show, available exclusively for Patreon supporters.  Please support our sponsors Survival Garden Seeds, ProOne Water Filters, Gibbz Arms,  EMP Shield, Numanna Foods, Backwoods Home Magazine, and Ammo Squared. We are part of the Firearms Radio Network. Learn more about our podcast at Prepping 2-0.com

“You win battles by knowing the enemy’s timing, and using a timing which the enemy does not expect.” – Miyamoto Musashi The post The Editors’ Quote of the Day: appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.

This weekly Snippets column is a collection of short items: responses to posted articles, practical self-sufficiency items, how-tos, lessons learned, tips and tricks, and news items — both from readers and from SurvivalBlog’s editors. Note that we may select some long e-mails for posting as separate letters. — We’ll start off with a video showing some Old School toolmaking craftsmanship by Timothy Dyck, in Canada: Why I bought this train rail. o  o  o Giant, Venomous, Flying Spiders Coming to U.S. Northeast. (Thanks to reader C.B., for the link.) o  o  o Reader S.H. wrote: “The recent article about the … The post SurvivalBlog Readers’ & Editors’ Snippets appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.

This essay expresses some thoughts that rattle around in my head pretty much every day, lately. There is likely little in it that SurvivalBlog readers are not familiar with in a certain way. However, I would like to express what I feel and perhaps fear is a central theme in virtually all the topics we discuss and the events we witness in today’s world. As a warning upfront, it is entirely possible that I am taking disjointed, some might say random trends of our time and desperately attempting to make sense of the nonsense by packaging them in one neat … The post The War On Human Life – Part 1, by J.B.H. appeared first on SurvivalBlog.com.