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My cat's wet hacking sounds congested. Is it serious or hairballs?

Updated on September 23, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Male | neutered | 2 years and 8 months old

My cat Lenny has always “hacked” but it’s been getting more frequent and recently it sounds like his “hacking” is wet or he has congestion. He never gets up a hair ball but he “hacks” multiple times a day and maybe one or two days out of the week he doesn’t “hack” at all. My question is should I be concerned that his “hacking” sounds wet or congested and could it be something other than trying to get up a hairball. He is 2 1/2 years old and medium length in hair.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA

Veterinarian

Published on February 12, 2018

Lenny is quite handsome! I am sorry that he is hacking. This certainly could be due to hairballs. It could also be due to something else like allergies, heart problems, an upper respiratory infection and more. If you haven't already I would get him on a regular hairball treatment. I would buy some catlax, laxatone, or something similar and give him a 3/4-1 inch strip every day for 3-5 days then if it is helping, I would give it to him 3 times per weeks long term. You can also start benadryl twice a day to see if there is an allergy component. See link below. If he isn't improving/worsens or if his behavior changes in any way (decreased appetite, lethargy, etc), I would have your vet take a look at him. Your vet will be able to see if there is anything additional going on and get him started on the proper meds to help him feel better. I hope this helps!

https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/#!

2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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