PLEASE HELP!!!

You guys might find this stupid but I'm really worried.
There's something really wrong with my cat. Every night he starts like coughing, it sounds like, and this gurgling sound is in his throat and it seems like he can't breathe and then foam and mucous start coming out of his mouth and he like twitches. He gags so hard that his whole body like jerks and sometimes peices of food comes up. He looks like he's in a lot of pain and he's been losing weight. But every other time he's fine until a certain time at night...
I got him as a kitten from a feral cat and I'm wondering if it could be some birth defect (which is common in feral cats i.e. inbreeding, etc.) where his food goes into his lungs or something.
I'm afraid to take him to the vet because first off it costs about $200 for a check up that I don't have to spend on a cat and if they tell me I have to put him down I'm gonna cry my eyes out. I love him...
Has anyone experienced this? Can someone please tell me what's wrong with him???



[edit on 11-10-2008 by shockme]

reply to post by shockme


If you are that worried, take the cat to the vet. Most vets will allow you to pay over time if you can't afford to pay up front. If yours won't, find a new vet.

If he is choking and foaming at the mouth and is losing weight, it is a serious problem. Also sounds like he could be having seizures. I'd take him into the vet.

Thanks I know i should take him to the vet it'll just be a lot of money but jesus if i have to put him down i'll be sad

Gosh so sorry to hear this, I have a few cats so i understand your feelings,

He may have a throat infection that could cause it also, Is the kitty eating and drinking ok other wise?

And runny eyes or nose? Weight loss? (can look pretty bad)

he could have a very high tempture which could be the reason for the twitchs or even Epilepsy,

It may just need a course of anti biotics,

You do need a vet to really get anything fixed, Maybe you could look around for a pet charity that may be able to help with some of the cost ?

But really hate to say it but if the kitty looks in pain you either have to give it up or take it to the vet Its not fair to leave it,

Hope all works out for you and kitty, My thoughts are with you


[edit on 11-10-2008 by asala]

reply to post by shockme


Will they not let you pay over time?

When I got my dog, about 6 years ago, she had a serious problem. She was a shelter puppy, very young (although I didn't know it at the time I adopted her), and also unknown to me, she had some sort of intestinal bacteria. It caused a rectal prolapse. Basically, her intestines started to come out her....well, you know.

I had had her only a few weeks when this happened, and I couldn't afford to pay all at once. Since this was a serious thing, and my vet understood, I was able to pay the $350 for the surgery, the slip knot, and the medication over 6 months. She's been fine ever since, I am with the same vet, and she loves that place (I think I have the only dog in the world who wants to go to the vet).

I mean, if the cat was just trying to hack up a hair ball, I'd tell you to slip a spoonful of mineral oil into his food. But, with seizures and weight loss....call the vet and ask if it would be possible to pay over time. Most will work with you.

REPLY TO ASALA:
Thank you a lot
he was eating and drinking ok before but now that i really watch him he wont eat very much and he gets very short of breath when he runs or jumps i'm thinking maybe a lung infection but i loked some symptoms up and it seems like congestive heart failure...

REPLY TO SKEPTIC:
OMG that's horrible what happened to your dog i would've been so scared!!
There are charities actually i was looking it up and there's one close to me that will give you a discount if you took the animal in from outside but i've done this before because my cat hasn't exactly been healthy (he's had parasites, urinary tract infection and deformed reproductive organs so that he can't be fixed [he's a hermaphrodite, sounds wierd but he still looks normal]) and it still cut way into my budget which is not extensive to begin with.

all that said though i think it's worth the money because this seems serious and i dont want him to die a painful death if he has to die at all

Now isn't the time for me to tell you about "responsible pet ownership".

Feline Distemper

Has the cat had diarhea too? Those shakes are convulsions.

HYDRATE HYDRATE HYDRATE

RUN buy instant gatorade and instant jello (unflavored, uncolored).

Spoon feed the cat the gatorade.

Mix up the instant jello but feed it to the cat in liquid form (not the wiggley refridgerated gelled form) the moment it cools to room temperature.

You'll have to do this every 15 minutes for WEEKS ... up to 6 weeks.



[edit on 11-10-2008 by Trexter Ziam]

reply to post by Trexter Ziam


he hasnt had diarrhea just the puking and foaming and coughing
i dont think its dehydration he drinks enough but i think him ingesting anything makes him start having these problems

reply to post by shockme


farout... I am taking my cat to the vet on Monday because he has just started doing that too.

The gurgling sound in his stomach is awful. His breathing is very noisy... I am hoping it is just an infection of some sort.

My poor Le Stat...

Let me know how you go and I will post again on Monday after seeing the Vet.

reply to post by Thurisaz


thanks i definitely will post what happens
i hope it's not anything bad for yours and my sake

HI again

well took Le Stat my cat to the vet and he is fine. He has a stomach infection... ?

(that can generate a lot of noise) so hopefully your cat has something as simple as that?

all the best

My cat was vomiting, but not very much. None of my cats ever seem to have problems with hairballs, either, so it was really very unusual. On top of that, her appetite had always been healthy, but she started losing interest in food. I suspected an intestinal blockage.

My husband took her to one vet, they gave him antibiotics for her and sent them home. No x-rays or other testing. She got worse over the next 24 hours, so we brought her to a different vet. Sure enough... X-ray showed an intestinal blockage.

If this is what it is, it can kill your kitty. You need to rule that out quickly, because it is only going to get worse.

Also, the coughing and vomiting, and congestive heart failure-like symptoms could be cause to worry that your kitty has contracted heartworms. I would hate for that to be the case... But it is a possibility.

I hope your kitty feels better soon! My girls are my babies, and I can't eat or sleep or concentrate if something is wrong with one of them. People tell me that I will worry about a human baby more than I worry about them, but I am not sure that my nerves could take more than I have now! I wish you the best in finding out how to help your little one!

Originally posted by shockme
You guys might find this stupid but I'm really worried.
There's something really wrong with my cat. Every night he starts like coughing, it sounds like, and this gurgling sound is in his throat and it seems like he can't breathe and then foam and mucous start coming out of his mouth and he like twitches. He gags so hard that his whole body like jerks and sometimes peices of food comes up. He looks like he's in a lot of pain and he's been losing weight. But every other time he's fine until a certain time at night...
I got him as a kitten from a feral cat and I'm wondering if it could be some birth defect (which is common in feral cats i.e. inbreeding, etc.) where his food goes into his lungs or something.
I'm afraid to take him to the vet because first off it costs about $200 for a check up that I don't have to spend on a cat and if they tell me I have to put him down I'm gonna cry my eyes out.

I love him...
Has anyone experienced this? Can someone please tell me what's wrong with him???



[edit on 11-10-2008 by shockme]

google "how to make a cat hok up a a hairball"

Sorry i disappeared. lost my password for bts.. but i guess it was the food i was feeding him like the shredded cat food he couldn;t swallow it and it was getting stuck in his throat so i have to feed him the patte kind instead. now i feel stupid...lol

With pets you never know... not like he could tell you what was bothering him.

It is good to hear he is alright now.

On the hairball thing- I feed my cats indoor formula food, and they don't get hairballs that they have to cough up (Thank God!). It goes through their system into the number two, I think. This is a dry food- mine cannot eat canned food, period. I have tried all varieties. Weird because they are not the same kind of cat or siblings, but neither are able to tolerate the can food.

I buy either the cat chow or the Special Kitty indoor food. It is inexpensive and comes in very large bags. We buy at least two 20 lb bags a month. We have 4 house cats and we feed the outdoor strays and neighbor cats. We also have a permanent outdoor kitty- a stray who decided to stick around. I know this is not really on the original topic, but the information may help other cat owners. Hairballs are nasty and it would be horrible to get one stuck.