Asthma?

Hello, my 5 year old male cat has been doing little coughs every so often straight after he grooms himself. He’s done this about five times in total over approximately the past four months. He coughs a couple of times each time and mildly. He recently coughed and it lasted a bit longer though. This time it was while he was laying down on his side. He did little coughs on and off that lasted in total for about 20 seconds. He also started leaning his neck forward and swallowing when he purrs. This started about three months ago. I have noticed that he also dribbles a little when he purrs now, when he never used to dribble at all. He doesn’t dribble at any other time, only when purring, and not excessively. A couple of days ago, he also gagged a couple of times straight after grooming, which he has never done before. I wondered whether this could be possible asthma, hairballs, or something else? He is a short haired cat, and has never expelled a hairball since I have had him, which is nearly a year. I tried to attach some videos of the coughing, etc. but not sure if the files I have are too large. I will try to add them underneath this post. He is an indoor only cat. He seems fine in himself, and his appetite is good. Thank you for any help!

Hello - and thank you for this description.   A history of coughing and dribbling can be a sign of nausea or sickness which may suggest pancreatitis or some other form of chronic illness, pain or stress.  In such cases it would be common for owners to say that they have never seen a their cat vomit, or perceived them to be stressed; indeed, low-level illness, pain or stress in cats (one of which can lead to the other) can present very subtly, with over-grooming or hairballs.  A  veterinary appointment in the short term would certainly be a good idea.

Okay, thank you. I will get him checked by a vet