Kitty Choking :(

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 21, 2018

My 6yo girl is choking and she’s never done it before. I’ve only had her 5 months and she’s never coughed or choked before. She does lick a lot but she’s short haired and doesn’t shed much so I assumed that’s why she doesn’t get hair balls. She was playing and then started choking pretty hard and it seems to be okay now. I called the vet and said I could bring her in but it’ll be close to $100 and she’s going next week so I didn’t want to bring her and spend the money and stress her out. She really doesn’t like the vet at all and she’s extremely sensitive to the point where my vet gives me meds to give her prior to a visit. What do I do? She hasn’t choked since but I’m soooo nervous! I don’t know if this is related but last night she sneezed for the first time that I’ve ever seen. Could she be sick or could it just have been a hairball? If it’s something more serious, will it resume or should I bring her to the vet now?

kskatt · Feb 21, 2018

All I can say is that if one of my cats was chocking, he or she would already be on the way to the vet. Did the vet listen to the cat on the phone. I'm surprised they didn't say to bring her in. Can she eat and drink?

nansiludie · Feb 21, 2018

I am confused a bit. Do you mean choking in the sense that she cannot breathe and is struggling? Or in the sense like coughing or cleared her throat and is fine now?

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 21, 2018

kskatt said:
All I can say is that if one of my cats was chocking, he or she would already be on the way to the vet. Did the vet listen to the cat on the phone. I'm surprised they didn't say to bring her in. Can she eat and drink?

I called as she started but she stopped and I made the soonest appointment. The lady on the phone said it sounded like a hairball then she stopped after being on the phone for a few minutes and resumed playing. She said I could get the soonest appointment and if she stopped and was acting normal, just to call and cancel. She was coughing maybe 2 minutes on and off total but she’s never done it before so I’m a nervous wreck. She was at the vet a few weeks ago and really really hated it and was distraught for another day or two so I didn’t want to bring her in and upset her. And I have literally maybe $40-50 to my name (poor college kid waiting for my school reimbursement check to get here this week) so I wouldn’t have been able to pay. If it wasn’t just a few minutes of on and off coughing/choking, I would have brought her in and dealed with it accordingly, but not for a hairball. I keep bringing her to the vet for every little thing because I’ve never had my own fur baby so I get nervous about every little thing. I emailed my professor saying I can’t make it to class tonight so I can keep an eye on her but right now she’s sitting on the lawn chair next to me too tired to chase the birds so she’s just watching them intensely. I looked up the Heimlich and CPR for kitties just incase but I don’t think anything is stuck in there at all. But between that and her first sneeze yesterday, I’m nervous she has some type of illness. Luckily, we’re going this week to get her a full check up and shots.

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 21, 2018

nansiludie said:
I am confused a bit. Do you mean choking in the sense that she cannot breathe and is struggling? Or in the sense like coughing or cleared her throat and is fine now?

It seemed like she was trying to get something out of her throat the way when we get something caught we cough hard to get it out. She did it on and off for a few minutes maybe 2-3 and then stopped and has been acting normal since but didn’t cough anything up no hairball, spit, object, nothing.

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 21, 2018

kskatt said:
All I can say is that if one of my cats was chocking, he or she would already be on the way to the vet. Did the vet listen to the cat on the phone. I'm surprised they didn't say to bring her in. Can she eat and drink?

She hasn’t eaten or drank anything but she ate within an hour of this and I add bottled water to her food for extra hydration so she wouldn’t probably be thirsty yet

kskatt · Feb 22, 2018

Ashleyannmerk said:
I called as she started but she stopped and I made the soonest appointment. The lady on the phone said it sounded like a hairball then she stopped after being on the phone for a few minutes and resumed playing. She said I could get the soonest appointment and if she stopped and was acting normal, just to call and cancel. She was coughing maybe 2 minutes on and off total but she’s never done it before so I’m a nervous wreck. She was at the vet a few weeks ago and really really hated it and was distraught for another day or two so I didn’t want to bring her in and upset her. And I have literally maybe $40-50 to my name (poor college kid waiting for my school reimbursement check to get here this week) so I wouldn’t have been able to pay. If it wasn’t just a few minutes of on and off coughing/choking, I would have brought her in and dealed with it accordingly, but not for a hairball. I keep bringing her to the vet for every little thing because I’ve never had my own fur baby so I get nervous about every little thing. I emailed my professor saying I can’t make it to class tonight so I can keep an eye on her but right now she’s sitting on the lawn chair next to me too tired to chase the birds so she’s just watching them intensely. I looked up the Heimlich and CPR for kitties just incase but I don’t think anything is stuck in there at all. But between that and her first sneeze yesterday, I’m nervous she has some type of illness. Luckily, we’re going this week to get her a full check up and shots.

Ok, that first post had me picturing a cat choking non stop. Something caught in the throat, choking, is an emergency, pure and simple. Some coughing, off and on, is something that needs watched, closely and vet checked if it went on 12 hours+. The long breaks, with your girl being perfectly fine, I'd just keep an eye on her. Do you have any hairball lube?When you looked up Heimlick, I hope it noted that as long as the person/animal is coughing, that means air has to be getting in. I smile as I type that, I love your attentiveness to your furbaby. She is lucky to have you watching over her!

lacy2000 · Feb 22, 2018

Cat coughs sound weird, but they aren’t dangerous. My cat will have the occasional coughing fit when she has a hairball or if her throat itches. It’s never hurt her and she’s fine after it.

epona · Feb 22, 2018

Cats sometimes do this hacking noise when they have a furball to bring up - you could try some petromalt.

However, if $100 is a terrifying amount for a vet bill, how will you manage if anything goes seriously wrong? One of my cats currently has a vet bill in excess of £4.5k GBP (around $6.2k USD) - pet insurance is covering a lot of it, but treatment isn't finished yet and our portion of the costs already stands at over £1k.

Neo_23 · Feb 22, 2018

Not trying to scare you, but the coughing or chocking can also be a sign of respiratory or heart issues. I would get your cat to a vet as soon as possible.

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 24, 2018

kskatt said:
Ok, that first post had me picturing a cat choking non stop. Something caught in the throat, choking, is an emergency, pure and simple. Some coughing, off and on, is something that needs watched, closely and vet checked if it went on 12 hours+. The long breaks, with your girl being perfectly fine, I'd just keep an eye on her. Do you have any hairball lube?When you looked up Heimlick, I hope it noted that as long as the person/animal is coughing, that means air has to be getting in. I smile as I type that, I love your attentiveness to your furbaby. She is lucky to have you watching over her!

Sorry! I was panicking so badly and it seemed so bad that I should’ve specified it was more coughing than actual choking. I broke down crying because at first, I really didn’t know what was happening or if it was choking or coughing. Luckily, she hasn’t coughed since but she’s going to the vet next week for her shots and I email with her vet back and forth and she said to contact her if anything else happens. Her vet MUST hate me because I email her for every little thing. A month or two ago I bought her hairball treats ($10 for a tiny bag!) and she hated them and refused to eat them. I really do love her so much and my family rips me apart for being so neurotic when it comes to her but I can’t help it!!! She’s my baby!

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 24, 2018

epona said:
Cats sometimes do this hacking noise when they have a furball to bring up - you could try some petromalt.

However, if $100 is a terrifying amount for a vet bill, how will you manage if anything goes seriously wrong? One of my cats currently has a vet bill in excess of £4.5k GBP (around $6.2k USD) - pet insurance is covering a lot of it, but treatment isn't finished yet and our portion of the costs already stands at over £1k.

As far as not being able to afford her bills? I’m a poor college kid graduating this summer whose waiting to be reimbursed $6k beginning of next week that will be put back into my savings. But I didn’t knowingly go out and get a pet with my financial situation being how it is. She was the neighbors cat who was neglected to the point where we thought she was homeless and sickly. I unintentionally fell in love with her and I am trying to get her legally mine so I can get her pet insurance. She was sick this past month and it cost me $600, which was a big hit for me. But I’m not going to bring her to the vet and spend $100 for 2-3 minutes of coughing, especially when my vet told me not freak out just yet bring her in immediately but to keep an eye on her and email her.

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 24, 2018

Neo_23 said:
Not trying to scare you, but the coughing or chocking can also be a sign of respiratory or heart issues. I would get your cat to a vet as soon as possible.

That was something I was concerned now about bc our older dog kept choking and it wound up being a heart murmur. She’s going to the vet next week and I spoke with my vet and told me if she only had the one little coughing attack not to worry but if it happens again to bring her in ASAP. Luckily, it hasn’t no happened since so I’m hoping it was just a hairball but shes getting a full check up next week!

kskatt · Feb 25, 2018

Ashleyannmerk said:
Sorry! I was panicking so badly and it seemed so bad that I should’ve specified it was more coughing than actual choking. I broke down crying because at first, I really didn’t know what was happening or if it was choking or coughing. Luckily, she hasn’t coughed since but she’s going to the vet next week for her shots and I email with her vet back and forth and she said to contact her if anything else happens. Her vet MUST hate me because I email her for every little thing. A month or two ago I bought her hairball treats ($10 for a tiny bag!) and she hated them and refused to eat them. I really do love her so much and my family rips me apart for being so neurotic when it comes to her but I can’t help it!!! She’s my baby!

It's wonderful to care so much about your girl, but we want our relationships to bring peace and happiness. Take some deep breaths and relax; hold that sweet furbaby in your arms and let her softness sooth you. Cats pick up on our emotions and can get just as worried. Being that she was sick in the beginning does make it hard to believe the hard part really is over, but I believe it is. If your vet thought there was anything to be worried about, she'd tell you! Relax and enjoy your girl. Did I miss hearing her name?

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 25, 2018

lacy2000 said:
Cat coughs sound weird, but they aren’t dangerous. My cat will have the occasional coughing fit when she has a hairball or if her throat itches. It’s never hurt her and she’s fine after it.

It was her r

kskatt said:
It's wonderful to care so much about your girl, but we want our relationships to bring peace and happiness. Take some deep breaths and relax; hold that sweet furbaby in your arms and let her softness sooth you. Cats pick up on our emotions and can get just as worried. Being that she was sick in the beginning does make it hard to believe the hard part really is over, but I believe it is. If your vet thought there was anything to be worried about, she'd tell you! Relax and enjoy your girl. Did I miss hearing her name?

Her name is Arabella! We named her after my late sister. She started coming around two weeks after my sister passed and my sisters alter ego/pen name/name she wished she had wasn’t Arabella so it seemed to fit. We have a million nick names for her but usually call her Ari or Belly. When we first got her she was so thin and had cuts everywhere and scabs covered her ears and her paws were licked bald from anxious licking. We got her healthy and then she got sick with a bad case of FIC, followed by constipation because of her meds. I think that and the fact that I was the one taking care of my late sister and then she passed makes me so nervous. I was never like this with my godson or other pets, but I’ve become pretty neurotic with her to where her coughing up a hairball had me in tears. I just keep reading how great kitties are at hiding ailments and her vet said she’s a very anxious girl which offsets different ailments so I can’t help but get so nervous! She hasn’t coughed like that since and she’s going to the vet this week for a full checkup. I try to remember that she lived outside at least the last few months of her life it seemed like from her condition and cats are tough in general!

You can’t see her cuts or scabbed ears unless you look close or bald paws but you can see just how different she looks and healthier.

maggiedemi · Feb 25, 2018

Hi. Can you look up some videos of cats hacking up a hairball on YouTube? That might put your mind at ease. It's kind of scary. I think it sounds like a train when my cats get a hairball!

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 25, 2018

maggiedemi said:
Hi. Can you look up some videos of cats hacking up a hairball on YouTube? That might put your mind at ease. It's kind of scary. I think it sounds like a train when my cats get a hairball!

Hello maggiedemi! How are you? That’s exactly what I did! Lol! I looked up hairball, choking on an object, CPR and the Heimlich in kitties, and how to get an obstruction out. You’ve seen my posts so you know how nervous I get!! She’s never gagged on a hairball before so I was so scared it really does sound horrible!

maggiedemi · Feb 25, 2018

Hi. I'm doing good. So did it look like the hairball videos? They kinda heave and go chugga, chugga, chugga like a train. It's really ridiculous the way it looks and sounds.

Ashleyannmerk · Feb 25, 2018

maggiedemi said:
Hi. I'm doing good. So did it look like the hairball videos? They kinda heave and go chugga, chugga, chugga like a train. It's really ridiculous the way it looks and sounds.

Yeah I am pretty sure it was a hairball. I was nervous because she had just come in from outside and then we were playing with her and she was upside down swatting her toy so I was scared she had swallowed something outside or had it in her mouth and when she flipped over and was going wild, she got it caught. It sounded horrible!! She was choking/gagging/coughing for maybe 2 minutes then went back to normal. I’ve tried hairball treats but she had zero interest.

maggiedemi · Feb 25, 2018

You might have to try several different brands of hairball treats or pastes. Cats are so picky.

Kitty Choking :(

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