Kitten Diaphragm Spasm During Play- More Likely Hiccups Or Potential Heart Condition?

[Mango the Maine Coon]

Gif of the diaphragm spasm Animated GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

-Stats: Kitten, 8 months, 8.5lb, eats 1/2cup to 2/3cup per 24 hr period, and he drinks plenty of water. He is an indoor only cat.

-Brief History: From adoption at 10 weeks old to now at 8 months he hasn’t had any health issues, aside from something he was on antibiotics for when I first got him(whatever this was, it resolved with one course of the antibiotics) he was neutered with no complications and quickly healed as expected.

~Any advice given will serve as a second opinion to what I have been told by my vet, which is to continue to observe and there is possibly a heart condition but not enough evidence to warrant a test at this time. I would like to have a better idea of what to watch for so any potential conditions can be detected as soon as possible. Thank you for any assistance with this it is very much appreciated~


This movement he makes happens after 2 minutes or so of play, this is a recent development I’ve only seen it twice now. Yesterday during playtime and today during playtime. I brought him to the vet yesterday evening, and they didn’t see signs of anything serious, but to keep watching him more closely than usual. After seeing this happen again I have decided to take it easy on him for a few days so I can monitor his behavior. The vet did not have access to this video because I wasn’t able to capture it the first time it occurred(yesterday). So this has happened 2 times as of now. When it happens It does not happen just once, he did this movement maybe 4 or 5 times with 5-10 seconds in between each. Personally I can’t help but think it could be a hairball in his esophagus causing discomfort, but he’s never had one before and I would hope that the vet thought of that too if it is relevant to these symptoms. He does have loose stools but over the last week and a half I have been easing him from blue buffalo wilderness kitten food over to wellness core grain free kitten food, so the food change could very well be responsible for this symptom. The loose stools happened 2 or 3 days ago so the timing is ambiguous.


Side note: I have done a ridiculous amount of reading about cat behavior and other aspects of cat health, so I don’t feel like I will miss anything obvious, however, he is still my first kitten so I am always working on understanding what degree of these behaviors and quirks are “normal” and what should be concerning. My main issue is that I don’t have previous experience with cats in which I could come to understand the baseline “normal” for a lot of the potential symptoms. I do my best with reading and advice from my vet.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi - what a gorgeous baby!
There are a lot of members here with experience in dealing with loose stools and kitten hairballs who will hopefully have a chance to weigh in.

I'm not a vet but whether hiccup, burp or something else, he looks uncomfortable.

Is that the canned food, or dry? If dry, would you consider getting him on canned food?

Also, if you don't have one, I'd suggest getting a water fountain - cats like the moving water and will often drink more.

If you haven't already, if you could send the video to your vet asap, and also ask them specifically if they thought about hairballs.

Hang in there!!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

He IS gorgeous ! The normal signs that I've seen with a heart condition is coughing. Horrible coughing. This really does look like a hick-up to me. But there is a simple blood test that can be done to check for heart issues. It's called a ProBNP. Perhaps you can ask your Vet to run that for you.

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

Thank you both so much for taking the time to read my long post and I read your compliments out loud to Mango I agree he does look a little uncomfortable in the video and I’m worried because he hasn’t done it before. Maybe it is a stomach issue from switching foods and the play just jostles everything up in his tummy so he has to burp. The vet is not available on the weekend but his condition hasn’t worsened, they basically told me on Friday to monitor him and not to worry about anything immediately serious. But this advice was given based only on my description of the “hiccup” I didn’t have the video at the time. so I don’t feel an urgent need to get in contact with them but I will definitely be emailing them the video I took on Monday when they are back in the office and I just hope that they are able to give me some information. He does have a water fountain and he loves it
The food mentioned in my post was referring to dry food. I would switch him to canned with no hesitation if it was medically necessary, but that hasn’t been recommended by the vet I take him to so thus far I haven’t felt the need to put him through another food switch especially considering the cost difference.

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

He IS gorgeous ! The normal signs that I've seen with a heart condition is coughing. Horrible coughing. This really does look like a hick-up to me. But there is a simple blood test that can be done to check for heart issues. It's called a ProBNP. Perhaps you can ask your Vet to run that for you.

He doesn’t cough so this is a little bit reassuring. Thank you for sharing your experience with this.

 

[Furballsmom]

I'm not a vet, but you could try a little pumpkin if he still needs help getting firmer stools and also to possibly help with any hairball issues.

Aside from the issue you're here for, does he finish all his food to the point that it looks like he'd eat more? He's still in the age range that he needs as much food as he'll eat - you could grab a few cans of fancy feast now and then or Luvsome, or Abound (I don't know your location but stateside most King soopers and Walmart have these), it wouldn't break the bank and would help to give him a bit better diet. I know your vet didn't say it, but most TCS members will suggest that cats need wet food. Granted, there are cats that have lived past 20 years old on only kibble.

Another thought is that I believe I've read there are members here who give their cats a chicken neck or wing? I personally don't do this but it's something you could check into, or even some boiled unseasoned cut up chicken if you're not comfortable with the raw 'thing'.

I'm sending great big hugs to both you and your fabulous feline, let us know what happens

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

What a great idea. I don’t know why I haven’t thought to supplement the dry with some cans so I’m not paying for cans every day. do you think in addition to the dry it would be ok to give half a can per day or 1/4 can (depending on the size I’m not familiar with the amounts in the cans) and put the rest in a ziploc in the fridge so I don’t have to waste it? I’m still not so sure about the raw I have some reservations about it but truthfully I don’t know enough about it. I know I say this too much but thank you!!! love to you and yours too!!

 

[Furballsmom]

I know I say this too much but thank you!!!

Never too much

put the rest in a ziploc in the fridge so I don’t have to waste it?

Yes, absolutely. Hopefully your furry fellow isn't one of the feline types that turns up his nose at refrigerated portions.

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

Lolol I can picture it now

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

Happy to report I finally caved and let mango have some play time and The hiccup/whatever it was didn’t happen!!! and he ran hard! He will be starting wet food in a week or 2 I’ve been doing research I think he’s gonna love it

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

Wasn’t letting him play too hard the last couple days because I’ve been worried but he kept leading me into the room he has his playtime and sprinting around the house so I decided to let him have a play session and he seems fine today

 

[Furballsmom]

This is such good news!!
Hang on to that video, and out of curiosity I'd send it in to your vet anyway.
Also, if the loose stools continue you'll want to talk to them about that, see if the pumpkin helps and what the vet thinks about it...
Hang in there, have fun and let us know what happens!

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

Yes thank you I’m relieved but still watching closely. And I’ll definitely email it to the vet tomorrow when they are back in the office I’ll definitely look into the pumpkin but his stools are firming up! Still not ideal so pumpkin is an appealing idea

 

[Furballsmom]

but his stools are firming up

Awesome news!!

 

[epona]

The hiccuping could simply be due to slight stomach irritation from the furballs, but there is a small chance it could be something more serious - best to mention it to your vet.

It's often a result/symptom of stomach or throat problems, if it happens frequently. My Radar was getting hiccups a LOT (like I'd sometimes wake up in the night because of the sound/motion of him hiccuping when he was curled up near my face) before he was diagnosed with polyps in his ears and throat, it was actually, in hindsight, the first visible symptom that occurred, although by itself was not a diagnostic criteria for anything much as it can be linked to many different things as well as being completely harmless.

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

The hiccuping could simply be due to slight stomach irritation from the furballs, but there is a small chance it could be something more serious - best to mention it to your vet.

It's often a result/symptom of stomach or throat problems, if it happens frequently. My Radar was getting hiccups a LOT (like I'd sometimes wake up in the night because of the sound/motion of him hiccuping when he was curled up near my face) before he was diagnosed with polyps in his ears and throat, it was actually, in hindsight, the first visible symptom that occurred, although by itself was not a diagnostic criteria for anything much as it can be linked to many different things as well as being completely harmless.

now you’ve got me anxious again. Thanks though, it is important information for me to know.

 

[lily.loves.pusheen]

I'm glad your feline is not sick

 

[epona]

now you’ve got me anxious again. Thanks though, it is important information for me to know.

I'm so sorry, I suffer from anxiety myself and should maybe have phrased it differently. It's very unlikely to be indicative of a medical emergency, just if your kitty gets any other symptoms that indicate a vet visit, remember to tell the vet that he has been hiccuping too - although it is probably insignificant, if anything else crops up it could help with diagnosis. That's all. We all hiccup occasionally and it's usually nothing to worry about.

 

[Mango the Maine Coon]

I'm so sorry, I suffer from anxiety myself and should maybe have phrased it differently. It's very unlikely to be indicative of a medical emergency, just if your kitty gets any other symptoms that indicate a vet visit, remember to tell the vet that he has been hiccuping too - although it is probably insignificant, if anything else crops up it could help with diagnosis. That's all. We all hiccup occasionally and it's usually nothing to worry about.

You are so kind to rephrase that for me. That is much, much better. Sorry to get personal for a sec, I have had severe anxiety and depression for a few years now im on a medical leave of absence from college. Mango helps me more than any of the hundreds of meds I tried. Just having him depend on me and having him to take care of keeps me from having too much idle time to get in my head and worry. But when he is potentially sick it kills me. Since adopting him 8 months ago I have made so much health progress it’s incredible I’m getting ready to return to school. Sorry I got off track I just don’t have anyone around to share my experience with. Anyway Thanks again for being so nice it really did make me feel better today.

 

[Furballsmom]

Sorry I got off track I just don’t have anyone around to share my experience with.

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