What noise is this?

jahzara

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My cat has been doing these little almost micro sneezes for the past several days.

If it's not a sneeze, then the closest thing I could find on youtube was a hiccup.

He has been doing this all day long for several days, with no other behavioral or health changes. He has made this sound before, but super infrequently. I was told when he was a kitten that he has an enlarged heart due to a congenital condition. Not sure if it is related in any way. He is only 5 (will be 6 end of the month.)

 

Maurey

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Coughing can be related to heart issues, but this doesn’t look like coughing — with coughing, a cat will usually be hunched over and unable to sit up. Just sounds like he’s trying to get something out of his nose. Could have gotten into some dust somewhere, or have a bit of a kitty cold. Could theoretically be due to a nasal polyp, but he’s a bit young for that, and he’d be doing it more often if it was due to that.

if it keeps going on for over a week, or gets worse, would be worth a vet trip, though.
 
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FeebysOwner

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I noticed he licked his lips afterward, does he do that every time he makes that noise? If so, maybe something coming up in his throat that he is swallowing back down? If he gets hairballs, is it an entirely different sound/behavior he makes/does? Feeby makes some strange noises that I think are when she has a hairball, but it can be days before she throws up one, if ever. Sometimes, I swear she is somehow 'dislodging' them and then they pass on through her system. Can't prove it, but she is 16+ yo and has done this for years - with no associated medical condition ever being identified.

When was his last check up? I am guessing with him having an enlarged heart, he has regular check ups with the vet. If he hasn't, now might be a good time to have him looked at. You could also send this video to the vet and ask their opinion. They might be able to recognize it, especially if it were related to his heart issues. They also see so many cats, they might recognize it otherwise as well.
 
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jahzara

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Coughing can be related to heart issues, but this doesn’t look like coughing — with coughing, a cat will usually be hunched over and unable to sit up. Just sounds like he’s trying to get something out of his nose. Could have gotten into some dust somewhere, or have a bit of a kitty cold. Could theoretically be due to a nasal polyp, but he’s a bit young for that, and he’d be doing it more often if it was due to that.

if it keeps going on for over a week, or gets worse, would be worth a vet trip, though.
Yeah, I think I will keep my eye on it this next week and if it persists, take him to the vet.
I'm wondering if it might be allergies? The entire outside is blanketed in a green pollen. But I thought that cat allergies tend to come more as skin issues. And he doesn't produce any mucus or have watery eyes or seem to be itching his face. But perhaps there is a bit of snot there; another commenter pointed out that he licked his lips afterward. Maybe he was trying to lick off snot?

I noticed he licked his lips afterward, does he do that every time he makes that noise? If so, maybe something coming up in his throat that he is swallowing back down? If he gets hairballs, is it an entirely different sound/behavior he makes/does? Feeby makes some strange noises that I think are when she has a hairball, but it can be days before she throws up one, if ever. Sometimes, I swear she is somehow 'dislodging' them and then they pass on through her system. Can't prove it, but she is 16+ yo and has done this for years - with no associated medical condition ever being identified.

When was his last check up? I am guessing with him having an enlarged heart, he has regular check ups with the vet. If he hasn't, now might be a good time to have him looked at. You could also send this video to the vet and ask their opinion. They might be able to recognize it, especially if it were related to his heart issues. They also see so many cats, they might recognize it otherwise as well.
Good catch on the licking the lips. I didn't really notice that. I am not sure if he licks his lips every time, so will keep my eye on that. I'm wondering if its snot that he's licking off his nose and lips. And if he is having allergies. We've had a lot of pollen outside, and it's coincided with the pollen uptick.

Yes, when he gets hair stuck in his throat, he does the typical cough. That deep throaty sound with his neck extended and hunched over. Like in this video:

He doesn't get hairballs all that often though. And doesn't always produce a hairball with the sound. I was looking up coughing reasons in cats for another post last night and saw it can be asthma. Found this video:

Does Feeby make this noise when having a hairball?

My last cat did this fairly frequently actually, but she always had a hairball within a day or two of making that noise. So now am wondering if he has asthma too. But these little sneezes I think are unrelated.

I think I will monitor these little sneezes for the next week and take him in the following week if it doesn't resolve. We actually don't do regular check ups with his heart stuff. They actually found that accidentally. When he was still my feral foster kitten, I made the mistake of vacuuming near his pen. He got an panic attack and was breathing a mile a minute. At the time, we didn't know that was what it was, so the vet did an ultrasound suspecting it was lung worms or something and found the enlarged heart. His heart actually hasn't ever given him any issues thankfully. Without that accidental discovery, I never would have known about his heart cause he is normal in all other ways. And I have never suspected that his coughing was related to his heart cause it's so infrequent.

He got a check up back in October because I wanted to get his teeth cleaned. I always tell the vet about the heart thing and they just listen to it and it hasn't been a concern for them. Though they are unaware of the coughing at times. So perhaps it would be worth mentioning. For all I know, it is actually related to the heart.
 

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Does Feeby make this noise when having a hairball?
Feeby probably looks more like the first video - only because I don't recall seeing her laying out flat during one of her sessions as the cat in Video #2 did. I have seen Feeby look like your cat too, but that is more when I pretty much know she isn't going to throw up a hairball. She, btw, has done an occasional hiccup too, but generally right after eating.

Just ask the vet if/when there is a point that his heart should be checked since he is getting a little older. I don't know about cats, but I do know most humans are monitored for changes if they have an enlarged heart.
 

stephanietx

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It kind of looks like a reverse sneeze. It's really a thing in cats.
 
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jahzara

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It kind of looks like a reverse sneeze. It's really a thing in cats.
Today started in with them being accompanied by full sneezes.
So I think either he is getting a cold or has allergies.
 
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