Cat Wheezing/trying To Throw Up? Help!

[Nicole914]

I just rescued my cat from the humane society about 10 days ago. She’s been doing this for about 5 days and has started to eat/poop less. Does anyone know what this could be?

 

[MissClouseau]

Personally I would first suspect of hairball. I would give malt paste right away (I could recommend GimCat Malt-Soft Extra Paste), more wet food than dry, and book a vet appointment - it is recommended to take the cat to a vet after adopting for a general exam.

 

[Maria Bayote]

Or could be URI, which explains why she is eating less. Better to consult with the vet so she be given appropriate meds asap.

I hope she gets better very soon.

 

[rachbu]

I think upper respiratory. my cats are just recovering from the same thing. The coughing makes you think it's a hairball, but my boy also had laryngitis and was sneezing as well. He's not eating because he has a sore throat.

One thing that I figured out was that he would drink the water from a can of tuna (which has tuna chunks in it), mixed with a slippery elm capsule. That soothes the throat, and sometimes, can get you through the days of not eating to stimulate the appetite. My vet gave an antibiotic, but he threw up the first dose, so I decided to give him a few days to see if he got better on his own (viral infection vs. bacterial), which he did.

I also bought this (though there are similar options out there if you Google search), and it seemed to help: https://www.chewy.com/pet-wellbeing-throat-gold-throat/dp/168459

 

[Nicole914]

Personally I would first suspect of hairball. I would give malt paste right away (I could recommend GimCat Malt-Soft Extra Paste), more wet food than dry, and book a vet appointment - it is recommended to take the cat to a vet after adopting for a general exam.

Thank you for your response. I took her to the vet a couple days ago but didn’t have that video. I’ll take her back ASAP and show them that. I have been giving her tablets to help with hair balls but I will switch to the gel. I’m really hoping it’s not a hairball that’s stuck because I read that surgery can be expensive.

 

[Nicole914]

I think upper respiratory. my cats are just recovering from the same thing. The coughing makes you think it's a hairball, but my boy also had laryngitis and was sneezing as well. He's not eating because he has a sore throat.

One thing that I figured out was that he would drink the water from a can of tuna (which has tuna chunks in it), mixed with a slippery elm capsule. That soothes the throat, and sometimes, can get you through the days of not eating to stimulate the appetite. My vet gave an antibiotic, but he threw up the first dose, so I decided to give him a few days to see if he got better on his own (viral infection vs. bacterial), which he did.

I also bought this (though there are similar options out there if you Google search), and it seemed to help: https://www.chewy.com/pet-wellbeing-throat-gold-throat/dp/168459

Thank you so much. She has had eye boogers and I notice some discharge from her nose when she has those wheezing fits. When I took her to the vet her temp was fine but I will take her back and mention that it could be this. She’s not constantly coughing though it only happens about every 1-3 hours.

 

[jen]

Could be anything from URI to hairball to asthma. Keep an eye on it, note if anything ever comes up (vomiting) and watch if it gets worse. She is licking her lips so she may be nauseous. I suspect something will eventually come up. If not, despite the hairball gel and other things you try, consider asthma as a last possibility.

 

[Azazel]

Hi there - any updates on what this ended up being?