Dear Dr. John,

I have a new cat not quite a year old and another that is 13. I brought the kitten in to keep the old guy company. Things are going OK but the kitten is always trying to play with the other cat and grooms him a lot. As a result, sometimes the older cat wants nothing to do with the youngster.

I have two concerns. The younger cat has taken to having some coughing fits. I looked it up online and it looks like asthma. Could he have asthma at his age? What do you recommend that I do? The older cat has taken to eating a bit less and has lost a fair amount of weight. He has always vomited a lot of hairballs and is currently vomiting once or twice a day. Could he be sick and what might cause a fair amount of weight loss at his age? Could the kitten be causing this problem? D.A.

Dear D.A.,

New kittens introduced into a household sometimes work out well and other times not so well. While a young cat could develop asthma, it usually affects cats starting at a few years of age, so it is unlikely that asthma is what is going on. Coughing is not the only sign as these cats often wheeze a lot too. If he grooms the other cat a lot and the older cat is also prone to hairballs, then the kitten may be coughing at the hair or something else he is getting into. Depending on how long you have had him, he might have been exposed to a viral cough previously.

If the cough goes on for more than a few weeks, I would have him seen by your veterinarian and chest radiographs might be in order for proper diagnosis. As for asthma, it can be treated effectively with corticosteroids.

Your older cat’s frequent vomiting and weight loss concerns me though. He may be stressed enough by the kitten that his appetite is lower, but the vomiting makes me think of a foreign body, an unresolved hairball, or something like a mass or inflammation in the stomach. I would have radiographs, ultrasound, or endoscopy done to see if there is anything abnormal going on. I suggest you have him seen soon. Hopefully everything will be an easy fix.

Dr. John de Jong owns and operates the Boston Mobile Veterinary Clinic. He can be reached at 781-899-9994.