feline asthma

Question
My 3 year old female cat has in the last 6 months started coughing when she runs or jumps down from someplace , and much recently even when just being still. Nothing is excreted, she rarely upchucks when coughing, (she does throw up fur balls and I give her the medication for that). Her bowel movements are normal and everyday. Her appetite is normal and she drinks a fair amount of water each day.
I take her for regular vet visits and my vet said it could be just fur balls, but never mentioned asthma. My cat doesn't seem to have breathing problems, she does snore on occasion, so perhaps it is some other form of respiratory
problem. I would appreciate your take on this and give me some questions to ask my vet on her next visit.
Thank you.  

Answer
Coughing is often the only sign of asthma.  However, if she is getting winded during exercise she could have underlying heart disease.  I would recommend a chest x-ray at your next visit.  You can also try to take her heart rate at home.  A normal resting heart rate would be less than 180/minute for a cat.  Some cats will have increased lung sounds and true asthmatics will actually have wheezes.  A complete blood count and chemistry screen should be done as well to rule out any underlying problems because if your cat does have asthma, steroids are often prescribed and they should not be used if there is an underlying infection.  Some cats may respond to a just course of antibiotics due to secondary infection in the airways.

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