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Kitten having trouble swallowing/gasps while purring
I recently adopted a kitten from a local animal shelter, he is a gray/brown tabby about 13 weeks old now, I got him last week. 3 weeks prior to adopting Gideon my last cat passed away from Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia at only 3 years old, 9 days after diagnosis and this of course with the new kitten has got me thinking the worst...
I already took him to the vet for this issue but am looking for more information, as much as possible. When I got him home from the shelter I noticed that when he purrs he starts swallowing/breathing with his mouth open a little bit. This continued as long as he purrs, which led me to immediately set up an appointment with the Vet to get him checked out. His vet is great, doing a full exam on him and making sure that he was comfortable the whole time. She did all of the routine checks, as well as observing him while he ate some canned food, which when he would go to swallow it looked as she said almost like a spasm while swallowing, keeping in mind while he was eating he was also purring pretty hard.
She did notice a very small amount of nasal discharge inside his nose, she asked if we could get some x rays taken to see if there may be an obstruction or something causing the swallowing/gasping issue. The x ray showed no deformities, masses or even slight abnormalities with the exception of excess air build up in his stomach which she said was most likely due to the consistent swallowing, causing him to swallow quite a bit of air.
She consulted with the other vets there at the hospital and they were all a bit baffled by the problem, their preliminary diagnosis with him being a shelter kitten was to treat for an upper respiratory infection with antibiotics and an anti-histamine. It has been almost 14 days now on the antibiotics, ran out of the anti-histamine a few days ago and the problem is still present. His vet said that if the antibiotics didn't work the next step would be to perform a scope procedure to look further down his throat in order to check for something that could be causing this obviously irritating issue. I have not called or set up an appointment yet but will as soon as I am out of the antibiotics if he is still having this issue as directed by the vet.
One thing I also noticed is that his meow is somewhat congested sounding, it is very quiet and muffled/gravely (if that's a word). Here is what really baffled the vet, he eats very well, drinks water with no problems it seems, his activity levels are higher then many kittens I have seen. He will purposely run from one end of the house to the other just to get a good momentum to launch 1/2 way up the curtains to get on top of the curtain rod in the living room.
My question is, does anyone have any additional insight as to what this problem may be? Has anyone else seen a case similar to this and found a solid diagnosis/treatment plan? Are there other things that I may need to observe in order to assess this a little further?
I already took him to the vet for this issue but am looking for more information, as much as possible. When I got him home from the shelter I noticed that when he purrs he starts swallowing/breathing with his mouth open a little bit. This continued as long as he purrs, which led me to immediately set up an appointment with the Vet to get him checked out. His vet is great, doing a full exam on him and making sure that he was comfortable the whole time. She did all of the routine checks, as well as observing him while he ate some canned food, which when he would go to swallow it looked as she said almost like a spasm while swallowing, keeping in mind while he was eating he was also purring pretty hard.
She did notice a very small amount of nasal discharge inside his nose, she asked if we could get some x rays taken to see if there may be an obstruction or something causing the swallowing/gasping issue. The x ray showed no deformities, masses or even slight abnormalities with the exception of excess air build up in his stomach which she said was most likely due to the consistent swallowing, causing him to swallow quite a bit of air.
She consulted with the other vets there at the hospital and they were all a bit baffled by the problem, their preliminary diagnosis with him being a shelter kitten was to treat for an upper respiratory infection with antibiotics and an anti-histamine. It has been almost 14 days now on the antibiotics, ran out of the anti-histamine a few days ago and the problem is still present. His vet said that if the antibiotics didn't work the next step would be to perform a scope procedure to look further down his throat in order to check for something that could be causing this obviously irritating issue. I have not called or set up an appointment yet but will as soon as I am out of the antibiotics if he is still having this issue as directed by the vet.
One thing I also noticed is that his meow is somewhat congested sounding, it is very quiet and muffled/gravely (if that's a word). Here is what really baffled the vet, he eats very well, drinks water with no problems it seems, his activity levels are higher then many kittens I have seen. He will purposely run from one end of the house to the other just to get a good momentum to launch 1/2 way up the curtains to get on top of the curtain rod in the living room.
My question is, does anyone have any additional insight as to what this problem may be? Has anyone else seen a case similar to this and found a solid diagnosis/treatment plan? Are there other things that I may need to observe in order to assess this a little further?
I'm going through the same thing with my 12 year old cat.Just completed 10 days of Orbax in case there was an infection.Nothing has changed.I thought maybe her vocal chords were possibly damaged or injured because a couple of months ago she had dental work done but if that was the case I would've notice symptoms a lot sooner.From intubation. My vet does not specialize in ears throat and nose scoping but they recommended a couple of places but those places had horrible reviews and its making me so reluctant to make a decision . I just dont understand why vets cannot figure this out I mean they go to school for many many years and they never come across something like this its just baffling to me !
I know this is an old post but it might be if help for someone like me doing Google searches with sane issues. My cat got beat up by another cat on our deck. He started having problems as above. I did take him to vet right away and oddly his symptoms disappeared. She actually asked if I had brought correct cat in..being my other is all black versus grey tabby. He started with a cough at first. Thinking hairball I gave hairball remedy at first. Next day after vet visit breathing with mouth open when excited or happy and gulping like liquid in chest. I came up with a thorax injury and found rutin from health food store helps some. It's been 5 days and he has improved breathing. Too bad cats don't understand the whole anti-bullying thing. He's 11 years old and is always in our screen room safe now. Lit if info on this thorax injury... Being this original post was for a kitten and from a shelter not knowing what kind of troubles he may if had before rescue. Just thought I should share as my vet was baffled...its not too common of injury. She thought heart worms but with research and knowing my cat so well I just kept putting new search terms in. Hopefully he gets better and better. Going to add the Lysine supplement next. Best wishes to all with your fur friend. :)
Did the vet ever find the answer?
My cat has the same thing. Open mouth breathing when purring. Some gulping. The vet doesn't know what it could be.
My cat has the same thing. Open mouth breathing when purring. Some gulping. The vet doesn't know what it could be.
Ask the vet about possible thyroid issues or asthma. I don't have enough experience with either to say that either is the culprit, but the fact it occurs when purring made me think of both. So I wanted to recommend that you ask if this continues.
Melissa
Melissa
I think my cat has the same prob as urs did....did u find the problem?
Mine purrs and gulps breathes with mouth open gasps occassionally and purrs like a squeaky dryer belt. Huge vet bills no answers
Mine purrs and gulps breathes with mouth open gasps occassionally and purrs like a squeaky dryer belt. Huge vet bills no answers
Just to throw out a couple of others possibilities that I don't think have been mentioned yet:
A dental problem, overbite, underbite, etc. that could cause the spastic like movement when eating and open mouth breathing.
A salivary gland issue (not enough or too much saliva causing frequent swallowing.
Polyps or other skin lesions in the mouth or throat.
Regarding the l-lysine, it is not expensive. You can order the powder for about $15/can or you can just by the tablets at any drug store or grocery store and either cut them up or grind them and mix with food. Adding probiotics can also be helpful with immune system support and can counter the effects of prolonged use of antibiotics (such as diarrhea).
Just to clarify though, antibiotics, probiotics, and l-lysine do nothing to treat respiratory viruses. Antibiotics are prescribed to prevent secondary bacterial infections. L-lysine is a nutritional supplement that supports immune system function and is particularly helpful for kittens whose immune systems are not yet fully developed, and senior adult cats whose immune system functioning may be declining. Same thing with probiotics.
A dental problem, overbite, underbite, etc. that could cause the spastic like movement when eating and open mouth breathing.
A salivary gland issue (not enough or too much saliva causing frequent swallowing.
Polyps or other skin lesions in the mouth or throat.
Regarding the l-lysine, it is not expensive. You can order the powder for about $15/can or you can just by the tablets at any drug store or grocery store and either cut them up or grind them and mix with food. Adding probiotics can also be helpful with immune system support and can counter the effects of prolonged use of antibiotics (such as diarrhea).
Just to clarify though, antibiotics, probiotics, and l-lysine do nothing to treat respiratory viruses. Antibiotics are prescribed to prevent secondary bacterial infections. L-lysine is a nutritional supplement that supports immune system function and is particularly helpful for kittens whose immune systems are not yet fully developed, and senior adult cats whose immune system functioning may be declining. Same thing with probiotics.
zodiacqueen, The vet actually said his heart and lungs sounded great, she had to hold him up near the water faucet in order to get him to stop purring long enough to hear without any 'background noise'.
Opus88, That is a really good point, I didn't even think of anything neurological until you posted that, I am going to make sure I bring this up with his vet as well. I am looking up the L-lysine right now as well to see what the cost is etc.
Thank you both for your responses, little guy has been doing circles all over the house yet again tonight, as a matter of fact he just made me have to edit this post due to a random string of letters from running across my hands as i'm typing haha.
I will keep everyone updated on this baffling issue and thanks again!
Opus88, That is a really good point, I didn't even think of anything neurological until you posted that, I am going to make sure I bring this up with his vet as well. I am looking up the L-lysine right now as well to see what the cost is etc.
Thank you both for your responses, little guy has been doing circles all over the house yet again tonight, as a matter of fact he just made me have to edit this post due to a random string of letters from running across my hands as i'm typing haha.
I will keep everyone updated on this baffling issue and thanks again!
boy that sure is baffling, not to mention costly for all the visits and tests/meds and still no answers.
I'm afraid I can't add much other than with us humans after a 'slight' stroke or TBI(traumatic brain injury)....there can be some paralysis of the throat muscles causing some similar difficulty with swallowing. This TBI can be from a slight head injury during or after birth or lack of O2 at some point?
Just a long shot, sorry. I do hope you get to the bottom of this. but happy to hear that kitty does sound very healthy other than that.
If the Vet is suspecting respiratory issues please use L-lysine, this has proven as effective as antibiotics.
Doctors and Vets alike need to be prescribing alot less antibiotic treatment, without a diagnosed need.
Please keep us updated.
ZQ thats VERY interesting about the high b/p and the stone, really does make you wonder if theres a connection.(?)
I'm afraid I can't add much other than with us humans after a 'slight' stroke or TBI(traumatic brain injury)....there can be some paralysis of the throat muscles causing some similar difficulty with swallowing. This TBI can be from a slight head injury during or after birth or lack of O2 at some point?
Just a long shot, sorry. I do hope you get to the bottom of this. but happy to hear that kitty does sound very healthy other than that.
If the Vet is suspecting respiratory issues please use L-lysine, this has proven as effective as antibiotics.
Doctors and Vets alike need to be prescribing alot less antibiotic treatment, without a diagnosed need.
Please keep us updated.
ZQ thats VERY interesting about the high b/p and the stone, really does make you wonder if theres a connection.(?)
How is your cat's heart and lungs? Were xrays taken or was there a heart murmur?
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