Cat advice

Becci

Hi just looking for a bit of advice about my cat. About half an hour ago she made herself really small and low to the ground and made a sound that sounded somewhere between chocking and coughing and was really wheezy, this lasted for about two minutes, after which she got up and carried on playing. This has really worried me, has anyone else experienced anything like this? I will be ringing the vets first thing tomorrow, but would like some advice on what to expect when i go there Thanks Becci

SnowyOwl_2

Sounds like a coughing fit to me. We all get them occasionally!

When you take her to the vet I should imagine she'll examine your cat using a stethoscope to see if there are any obstructions or funny noises in your cat's lungs. She will probably ask you some questions along the lines of your cat being off her food, if this had happened before, any strange behaviour etc etc. And then your cat will probably get an injection of either antibiotics or anti-inflamatory medicine, just to be on the safe side.

Sagz_2

Sounds like she had to cough something up.

If she was mine and did it more tonight I'd go see the vet, if not then I'd just keep an eye on her.

Has she been wormed lately?

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Cats can't cough in the same way we do, I think, something to do with the vocal cords being different, plus the bony bit that makes the purr. So the noise they make is really dry and raspy. So other than illness, there is dust, crumbs of cat food, a not quite dead fly or a bit of fur that can start them off.

Another reason for the sound is either a furball not quite coming up, fur not quite going down or some inanimate object they shouldn't have eaten tickling on the way down.

spike7451

Both Orbit (rip) & now Daisy does it every now & again,I gather it's quite normal.

olias

Hairball?

Olias

Becci

Thanks for all advice, will see if she does it again tonight before deciding whether to not to go to the vets tomorrow, she seems okay now although her breathing still seems quite raspy, she has been running around and playing as normal, is there anything i can do to help her bring up a furball if thats the problem?

Becci

and norbertsmum she was wormed about 3 months ago at the vets, however we havent done it again as she is indoors only

Fire_Fox

Trying to sick up a hairball sounds remarkably like a coughing fit, indoor cats tend to groom a lot more than outdoor cats so hairballs are not uncommon. Watch to make sure her litter tray habits are normal and she doesn't go off her food: if so the hairball might be stuck and need 'evicting' by the vet! You can get hairball treats in pet shops, no idea if they are effective tho.

Furball article on Purrs:
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,26816.0.html

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

The malt hairball treats work like a dream, Firefox! By the following morning, you wonder exactly how they fitted all that fur inside themselves and they look much, much happier!

Fire_Fox

Presumably it all comes out in the litter tray and not onto the carpet? Hairballs look sooooo weird, Noah is white so his look like a really pale pooh!!