Dry Heaves?

[arouetta]

Lately Shadow has been having a lot of dry heaves. It sounds like she's trying to cough up a hairball, that super wheezy "hyuk hyuk" over and over. But there's been no hairball in the past few weeks. Sometimes she spits a little something up, but more often than not she just stops after about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

She did it just now, and there was something totally weird this time. She had been snoozing in the chair on her side and she didn't change position. She didn't get up and hunch over like she expected something to come up, she just stayed the way she was and eventually it stopped. It's possible she's done the same thing before, just lying there, I don't check during the sounds if she's out of sight, I just wait until the sounds cease before looking for the hairball.

We did have an emergency food change, no time to mix, about two weeks ago. So tummy upset from the food change is a possibility.

Is this worrisome? Or is it just old age, new food and being too lazy to get up?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I get panicky over stuff like this because I went through a pancreatitis attack with Hekitty. NO, this does NOT sound like that at all, but feline tummies worry me. Is she normal in all other respects? SIGH...If you can manage it, have her checked. It won't hurt a thing, may be something perfectly simple, and you won't fret over it.

 

[arouetta]

I get panicky over stuff like this because I went through a pancreatitis attack with Hekitty. NO, this does NOT sound like that at all, but feline tummies worry me. Is she normal in all other respects? SIGH...If you can manage it, have her checked. It won't hurt a thing, may be something perfectly simple, and you won't fret over it.

Right now there's more outgo than income and I'm saving for Montressor to be looked at, he has a very slow growing lump near his tail.

Shadow is as healthy as an 18 year old cat who probably has mammary cancer can be. She's slightly overweight (which thrilled the vet, believe it or not), despite severe arthritis she has no physical problems getting on the couch and on chair arms, she's always up for a cat treat or canned tuna, she still claims the dominant cat position in the hierarchy, and she's a demanding....um....intact female dog....about how we must be petting her upon demand until *she* decides the petting session is over with (and she's not afraid to put claw into it if we stop early).

When I saw today that she just lay there, I actually was afraid it might be an asthma attack or something even though she didn't seem to really be bothered by the wheezy heaving. I know she's probably dying but I don't want her to suffer along the way.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Dang, girl, I hate that. About all I can do for you is send a bunch of your way. You know this group, you'll have some more input in short order. Thinking of BOTH of you!

 

[lalagimp]

Two of my cats have asthma. One had it early on and the other later in life. They'll want xrays to look at the lungs for... I'm not even kidding when I say this... "donuts" and "train tracks". That's what I've heard from two different hospitals: One on the west coast and one on the east coast.
Stewart's is managed through an inhalers with an Aerokat.
Amalie's is managed every few months with a short course of prednisolone.

 

[arouetta]

Two of my cats have asthma. One had it early on and the other later in life. They'll want xrays to look at the lungs for... I'm not even kidding when I say this... "donuts" and "train tracks". That's what I've heard from two different hospitals: One on the west coast and one on the east coast.
Stewart's is managed through an inhalers with an Aerokat.
Amalie's is managed every few months with a short course of prednisolone.

Since I've never dealt with an asthmatic cat, would the cat lying there completely chilled be possible? Or would there be some sort of panic from the breathing? She genuinely didn't care that she was making all those horrible sounds, and when they stopped (quite suddenly, like flicking a light switch) she looked at me with the "don't you dare approach with scissors like you normally do" look. Totally unconcerned otherwise.

Whether it was dry heaves or something else, Shadow wasn't distressed by what was going on.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

That's good. If it isn't distressing her, then given her history, I'd just...try not to worry overmuch unless things change. Evidently it is NOT bothering her. Let the grand ole dame just be until it does bother her.