[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference misery::feline

Title:Meower Power - Where Differing Opinions are Respected
Notice:purrrrr...
Moderator:JULIET::CORDES_JA
Created:Wed Nov 13 1991
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1079
Total number of notes:28858

564.0. "Throat Swelling Problem" by MKOTS3::NICKERSON () Thu Jul 08 1993 14:15

    I'm not sure if there is a topic for this subject.  Mods, please move
    if necessary.
    
    I have a two year old cat, Dude.  Yesterday morning she came home and
    was acting as if she had something stuck in either her mouth or throat. 
    She was kind of gagging and pawing at her mouth.  I left her for a
    second and when I came back there was this long piece of slime hanging
    from her mouth.  I rushed to get a paper towel to wipe it off but when
    I got to her she had swallowed it.  I then gave her her regular
    breakfast of dry food which she ate with no problem.  She drank water
    ok and seemed to be doing all right.  
    
    Last night she woke me several times with a gaggy noise.  (As if
    sleeping weren't difficult enough with the heat!).  So, this morning I
    called our vet and they said to bring her right in - it sounded like it
    could be something with her teeth.  (I mentioned the slime and they
    were concerned about her getting into thread but I keep all that stuff
    well away from the animals).  Dude fought me getting into the cat
    carrier - she usually doesn't.  As we headed for the vets who is 20
    minutes away, I heard her making this wheezing type noise as if she
    were having trouble breathing.  I got really scared and raced her to
    the vet in town instead our regular vet.  She continued making this
    scary noise all the way so by the time I got to the vet I was
    hysterical.  (NOTE:  I STRONGLY recommend the Merrimack Veterinary
    Hospital - I've never been there before and they treated an hysterical
    woman with caring and compassion).  The vet - Lisa Anderson (I think)
    checked Dude over immediately.  She said that her pharynx was very red
    and swollen and there was alot of mucous (sp?).  She couldn't see
    anything in her mouth but said that since this came on so suddenly that
    Dude probably did have something in there which she was able to get out
    - but not after she really irritated her throat.
    
    The vet gave Dude a shot of prednisone to reduce the swelling in her
    throat.  The scary noise was Dude crying - she has laryngitis.  I also
    have amoxicillin to give her (liquid because her throat is so sore). 
    The vet said to keep her in and call either her or my regular vet if
    she shows any more signs of distress.  When I called my vet to let him
    know what was going on his assistant said the same thing and that this
    sounded like an unusual thing.
    
    Questions:  has this ever happended to anyone else in here?  I still am
    concerned that Dude may have something stuck somewhere - what should I
    watch for?  What if it is now stuck further down in her?  
    
    Should I give her something special to eat?  What about babyfood?  Like
    I said, she seems to be eating all right but with a sore throat it must
    hurt (at least the dry food).
    
    How long should I worry?
    
    Thanks!
    
    Linda
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
564.1NETWKS::GASKELLThu Jul 08 1993 15:1410
    Could it be a bee sting?  I had a cat who used to love to chase bees
    and the first, and only, time she caught one she ate it and got stung 
    on the lip.  I suppose it would be possible for kitty to have swallowed 
    a bee and it stung on the way down.
    
    It's more usual for a cat to get stung on the paw as they poke at a bee
    or wasp but with cats anything is possible.  
    
    Hope Dude get's better soon.
    
564.2MAGEE::MERRITTKitty CityThu Jul 08 1993 15:2718
    It really could be a sore throat....because my cats have had
    them in the past and they make a coughing type of noise and keep
    their mouth open so they can breath better.  The noise almost sounds
    like they have a hair ball stuck in their throat!!
    
    The only difference is when my cats get this...they only nibble the
    food and barely eat it...because it must hurt!!
    
    Since Dude is still eating and you will be giving him amoxi....my 
    guess is that you should see an improvement within a few days!!  If
    not...I'd bring him back to the vets.  
    
    Poor Dude...hope he feels better.
    
    Sandy
    
    
    
564.3That's a thought...MKOTS3::NICKERSONThu Jul 08 1993 15:3110
    I would put nothing past Dude - she's a real hunter and loves to play
    with her catches!  I did see some bird feathers by the house - I'm
    thinking she may have gotten some feathers stuck in her throat - the
    feather "spine" can be quite sharp.  Whatever happened was during the
    night - she was fine right before I went to bed Tuesday night, wouldn't
    come in for me but was acting like her normal, bratty self.  I thought
    maybe of some type of poison although I would think that she'd show
    some other signs besides her mouth/throat area.
    
    Linda
564.4Watch what comes back out, either end! 8'DISLNDS::FALLONThu Jul 08 1993 18:0214
    Linda,
    What you may want to watch now is her stools.  Make sure they are solid
    and normal colored.  (ANyone still have the Catbox Cookies recipe,
    seriously?)  If they start to become loose, mucoid or bloody, then
    something has surely passed down into her intestinal area.  This would
    warrant a check or exray at the vets to see if anything is stuck or has
    done any damage.  You should really notice a difference in 2-3 days on
    the Amoxi.  It needs time to work in the system.  For comfort sake,
    just give her canned food. A litle gerber/meat mixed with some baby
    rice cereal and canned evaporated skimmed milk, and just a tad of kayro
    (to prevent diahrhea), is a nice mixture that should sooth yet nourish
    her.
    Good luck to Dude and you! I wouldn't worry too much.
    Karen
564.5JULIET::LANE_BEThu Jul 08 1993 18:308
    
    Last year my Maxwell had the same symptoms you described.  Lots of
    coughing and wheezing like he had something stuck in his throat.
    It turned out after several trips to the vet and the Animal Hospital 
    he had bronchitis.  Took several weeks of medication to get him back to
    his normal purring self...
    
    Becky
564.642266::EVANSGGwyn Evans @IME (769-8108)Fri Jul 09 1993 09:004
      Not too long ago Abby got some long grass stuck in her throat. That 
    needed removal by a vet but while it was in there it scratched her
    throat and she caught some sort of infection which gave her cold/flu 
    symptoms.
564.7Dude Update...MKOTS3::NICKERSONMon Jul 12 1993 12:108
    Just an update on Dude:  she seems to be back to her old self!  She can
    actually cry now and is all loving and happy again.  She's still taking
    the amoxycillin but that's almost gone.
    
    Thanks for the suggestions here.  We did stick with the canned cat food
    for a couple of days but now she's back to eating everything in sight!
    
    Linda