Grass Stuck in Throat

Juniper_Junebug

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I think Juno just ate some dried grass while out on my deck (she usually just chews on it without eating it), and it seems like she got some stuck in her throat. She's gagging and wretching, like she's trying to expel something, but only saliva comes out (so different than vomiting from grass). Only after googling it did I learn that grass can get stuck in a cat's soft palate. Does it ever resolve on it's own or does it always require veterinary care? Because it's Sunday, I can't call my vet to check; only option is emergency vet. She's currently eating so it doesn't seem like an emergency, though if it's something that will inevitably require a vet trip, I'd actually rather do it today, when I'm off work.
 

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Hi
Is there any way she'll let you look? Lift her up on a kitchen counter so you can have a better angle/view .. ..
 
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Juniper_Junebug

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Hi
Is there any way she'll let you look? Lift her up on a kitchen counter so you can have a better angle/view .. ..
First effort unsuccessful. Resulted in growling then hiding. Juno does not tolerate restraint well. Maybe when she's sleepy?
 
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Juniper_Junebug

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poor sweetie!
Thanks for your help and support. I finally managed to get her mouth open and couldn't see anything, but her tongue was very much in the way of the back of her throat and i couldn't manage to compress it while also holding her down and keeping her mouth open. (She was still so good about it. She hated it, and growled, and got a paw free to push at my face but she still didn't try to scratch me, bless her).

She's still occasionally gagging like she's trying to bring something up that's stuck but she's resting on her window shelf, so it doesn't seem urgent. Emergency vets are reporting 6-10 hour wait, which I would absolutely do if I thought it was urgent, but it will wreck her to spend that long in a strange room with a bunch of other animals, so I'm now hoping we can wait until tomorrow and see how she does. Online I still can't figure out if this is something that ever resolves on its own.

She's eaten less of her lunch than normal but she drank up the broth and ate a Churu, lil' soup, and some rotisserie chicken, so hopefully she'll keep eating enough until we can figure this out. I do have some plain baby food and several soupy/gravy foods I can give her, including one that's a complete cat food.

Would a hairball remedy be worth trying? Not sure if those grease the throat or just break up the hairballs (she doesn’t seem to get hairballs so I don't keep anything on hand or know how they work). I could pop over to Petco and grab one.
 

fionasmom

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If this does not completely resolve itself with something conclusive like a big piece of grass being spit up, (and even then there could be pieces to what she chewed) I would recommend calling the vet tomorrow so that he can make the final determination as to whether or not this is cleared from her system. Bring a piece of the plant that she chewed so that he can see what you are dealing with.
 
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Juniper_Junebug

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We went to our regular vet today and they couldn't find anything. Suggested that maybe it dislodged on its own but Juno's throat is still sensitive. Gave meds to coat the throat. At least I was able to get her yearly physical / rabies vax done at the same time (we were already scheduled for that next week).
 

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We went to our regular vet today and they couldn't find anything. Suggested that maybe it dislodged on its own but Juno's throat is still sensitive. Gave meds to coat the throat. At least I was able to get her yearly physical / rabies vax done at the same time (we were already scheduled for that next week).
Hello ,just joined this forum and read your post , just wondered how your cat got on after the suspected grass blade ? Our cat had one removed along with a grass seed from her soft palate ,it caused inflammation in her throat , she is eating ok and on steroids but has the occasional noisy breathing abit ,just wondered if your cats throat took a while to recover?
 
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Juniper_Junebug

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Hello ,just joined this forum and read your post , just wondered how your cat got on after the suspected grass blade ? Our cat had one removed along with a grass seed from her soft palate ,it caused inflammation in her throat , she is eating ok and on steroids but has the occasional noisy breathing abit ,just wondered if your cats throat took a while to recover?
It took at least a day or two because I remember I kept watching her and half wondering if the vet had just missed something. Juno just seemed uncomfortable. But she was fine after a couple days. (Of course, my cat always has noisy breathing because of a bad infection as a kitten).
 

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Oh glad she got better! My cat seems to eat ok etc ,I hope she doesnt have to stay on steroids long but I dont want the symptoms to come back if she comes off them too soon. The noisy breathing is now and then and when she sleeps she seems to have a slight snore but not all the time.
 
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