# Hoarse & gagging



## kfny (Feb 12, 2004)

I brought home a kitten a week ago who immediately fell in love with my 2yr old female Sweetie, who has not had any relationships with cats perhaps since she was a small kitten. She seemed ready, and is slowly transitioning as she finds Lily's disposition irresistable. Although she does hiss and growl at times still.
Here is the problem: She has never used her throat this much before (she's usually quiet as a mouse) and now her voice sounds terrible and she is gagging. I gave her hairball remedy but it appears that her throat is just very sore :catsm .
Is there anything I can do for her to help relieve these symptoms?


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

it could be a cat "cold" (upper respiratory infection, or "URI"). is there any sneezing? any discharge from nose or eyes? it could be she caught something from the new cat.

has she been vaccinated? if she has, she should get over it in a week or so. if not, and esp. if the symptoms get worse, you probably should take her to the vet. some of these URIs can be quite serious.

I really don't think she's hoarse from meowing. if that's her ONLY symptom, it's one I haven't heard of YET for an upper respiratory infection, but hey, humans get laryngitis, why not cats? but you mentioned "gagging" and I've got a cat who just got over his "new cat" cold, and "gagging" is one of the things he was doing. Neither of my other cats did this when they had their colds. I took him to the vet, and she said it wasn't a hairball.

keep us posted, please. I'd like to know how this turns out. and good luck!!

Tim


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## kfny (Feb 12, 2004)

Thank you Tim. Sweetie isn't showing any cold/respiritory symptoms, and she has been vaccinated. My thought has been the same as what you mentioned about laryngitis. She really has been straining her throat and may have caught something of this sort (my personal experience with laryngitis had me gagging). But I will keep a close eye on her and am prepared to shuttle her to the vet. Meanwhile I wish I knew if there was something that might help her throat rawness.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

yes, something caught in her throat is the other possibility, though it's probably a very low risk. still, if she keeps on doing it, and esp. if she does it frequently, it's worth having checked out. when I went through this with Tommy, he was eating, drinking, and sleeping normally, which inclined me to think it was a symptom of his cold. and the vet visit eliminated all the other risks. and in the end, it's improving on a daily basis, which is what counts.

Tim


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## jbeanie10 (Dec 15, 2004)

I have read that overuse of the voice can cause hoarseness. I have heard humidity (like running the shower or a humidifier or vaporizer) and soft foods are important for a kitty with a possible sore throat.


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

giving her some humidity therapy in the bathroom with the door closed and the hot shower running would be good home therapy you can do over the weekend before you can get to the vet. if she's not used to the noise, though, you may want to be in there with her to calm her and comfort her. twice a day for 10 - 15 minutes or so each time.

Tim


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## kfny (Feb 12, 2004)

As of yesterday Sweetie found her voice and is no longer gagging (since the day before). I ran a humidifier over the rest of the weekend, and it really helped.
Thank you so much for your suggestions. I'm so glad to have found this forum! :luv


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## coaster (Dec 1, 2004)

sounds great!! glad to hear Sweetie's voice is again sweet!!

Tim


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