Hairball

• If the cause of your cat's coughing is a hairball, the cough will be dry and hacking and the cough should eventually cause the hairball to be expelled. It may help to comb the cat frequently to keep her from consuming too much fur in her normal grooming. Administering the cat a daily dose of about 1/2 tsp. of petroleum jelly for a week will also help to move the hairball more quickly through the cat's system. After a week, give the petroleum jelly once or twice a week as a preventative. Many cats will lick the petroleum jelly right off of a spoon or out of their dishes. If your cat will not do this, rub the petroleum jelly on one of the cat's front paws and he will lick it off.
  
  

Upper Respiratory Infection

• Some cats will develop a cough when they are suffering from an upper respiratory infection. In most instances, this infection is similar to a cold in humans. Keep your cat warm, wash her eyes and nose out a few times a day if mucus is present, and provide her with specially smelly meals while she is sick. Cats' appetites are stimulated by the smell of food and if your cat has a stuffy nose, the aroma of dry kibble will not be enough to entice her to eat. Canned fish or canned cat foods slightly heated will be more likely to convince her to eat.
  Humidity can also be especially helpful to a cat with an upper respiratory infection. Try placing a humidifier in the room where the cat sleeps, or run a hot shower and place the cat in a steamy bathroom for a half hour.
  
  

Other Conditions

• Other conditions that may cause a dry, raspy cough cannot be treated at home. If you believe your cat's cough is not the result of a hairball or upper respiratory infection, you should take him to a veterinarian. Chronic bronchitis is the most common cause of coughing in cats, according to Cat-Health-Guide.org. Other conditions that can result in coughing include asthma, heartworms, intestinal parasites, heart disease, tracheal irritation, tracheal collapse, larynx or esophagus diseases and lung cancer.