Cat coughs then lays flat on his tummy

My 1 year old domestic short hair cat has a habit, almost daily, of coughing like he is trying to clear a hairball but no hairball ever comes up. (I have had other cats who do this same thing but not so frequently and they never had a hair ball come up either.)

However, this next thing my other cats did not do: After this coughing, which lasts about 20 seconds, he lays flat on his stomach with his two front paws down by his side (it's as though he is trying to stretch his tummy out). He becomes very quiet and shuts his eyes - ignoring me and anything going on around him. After about 2-3 minutes he is his usual self.

Should I take him to the vet?

Answer from KAte
Hi
well it depends on how long this has been going on for. If it is only a few days then it could still be a hairball. But if it has been going on for a period of time then yes it would be a good idea to have him checked out in case he does have some discomfort somewhere.

https://our-happy-cat.com/hairballs.html

Hope he is Ok soon

best wishes KAte

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