Worried - Gigi is suddenly very congested!

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Sufi-Lynn

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I noticed yesterday that Gigi had very noisy breath sounds when she was cuddling on my lap. Last night, she crawled under the bed covers and was really sounding congested. She's coughed several times but has no nasal or eye discharge, but is still sounding very noisy in her chest. She hasn't been eating much that last two days.

Does this sound like a cold or something else?? Since I've been unemployed since last May, I can't afford any unnecessary trips to the vetty-bean :( Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Hugs,
Lynn
 
Update -

I found a website that has sound recordings of feline respiratory problems. I think what I'm hearing is wheezing in her chest.

My roommate and I have been rearranging furniture and painting her bedroom. I know that my allergies have been aggravated with all the dust and stuff that's being churned up with all the moving. Could Gigi's wheezing be allergy related?

Also, I'm wondering is what I thought was her trying to hack up a hairball was actually her coughing. But the loud wheezing has only been happening yesterday and today.

Thanks again for any insight.

Lynn
 
Sufi-Lynn said:
Update -

I found a website that has sound recordings of feline respiratory problems. I think what I'm hearing is wheezing in her chest.

My roommate and I have been rearranging furniture and painting her bedroom. I know that my allergies have been aggravated with all the dust and stuff that's being churned up with all the moving. Could Gigi's wheezing be allergy related?

Also, I'm wondering is what I thought was her trying to hack up a hairball was actually her coughing. But the loud wheezing has only been happening yesterday and today.

Thanks again for any insight.

Lynn
Click to expand...

Sure could be. Have you ever seen her cough before? Wheezing is pretty bad. How is she now? Wheezing means you should really maybe get her to ER.
 
I wanted to add, is there a room that is NOT painty smelling? (possibly the worst offender here). I think I would put her in a quiet, undisturbed room, and if you can open the window for some fresh air a bit? I'm really concerned if you hear wheezing.
 
Hi, Karen!

The rooms we painted are on the bottom floor in the back of the house. Gigi mostly stays upstairs in my room and in the family room which is at the other end of the house from the painted rooms. She has access to the covered patio outside my bedroom upstairs, but other than that, she's strictly an indoor kitty. She's never reacted to paint fumes before but I guess things could have changed. However she hasn't been in either of the rooms we painted.

She is still wheezing, mostly when she's relaxed like she is right now. I've been searching the web for a good local feline vet to call tomorrow.

Thanks for your responses :)
 
Sufi-Lynn said:
Hi, Karen!

The rooms we painted are on the bottom floor in the back of the house. Gigi mostly stays upstairs in my room and in the family room which is at the other end of the house from the painted rooms. She has access to the covered patio outside my bedroom upstairs, but other than that, she's strictly an indoor kitty. She's never reacted to paint fumes before but I guess things could have changed. However she hasn't been in either of the rooms we painted.

She is still wheezing, mostly when she's relaxed like she is right now. I've been searching the web for a good local feline vet to call tomorrow.

Thanks for your responses :)
Click to expand...

Please do get her in. For it to come on so suddenly, it is concerning.
 
I have seen respiratory issues come up before here and the advice I have seen is to get to a vet. I've had cats with colds before and one with chronic snotty nose, and I have never seen/heard any kind of wheezing. Sorry I don't know any more about it to be much help, but it sounds potentially serious so I think a vet trip as soon as you can manage it is probably in order. The low eating too concerns me, given the timing of the two symptoms. :( Hope she is feeling better soon.
 
http://fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html

Hi Lynn,

The above site is about asthma in cats. I dealt with a severely asthmatic cat for many years. Wheezing can indicate an asthma attack, but it also can indicate heart trouble. Also, if there is any fluid around her lungs, or congestion, that may cause wheezing.

There are too many possibilities for all of us here to guess at, so if you can get her in to see a vet in the morning, it would be the best thing for her. If you put your ear to her chest, do you hear any crackling in her chest along with the wheezing? Sometimes that can indicate bronchitis or pneumonia, but again, I am not a vet, but I have heard a lot of wheezing in several of my cats over the years.

I have a cat now that had surgery in his throat area two years ago, and he is now wheezing, and the vet feels it is due to scar tissue. So, the best thing will be to get her seen as soon as you can.

If she is in a lot of distress breathing, then I would take her to the ER if possible.

You don't think she aspirated any food recently do you? Sometimes what I did in a pinch for my asthmatic cat, was put some Cat Lax or Laxatone on her paw so that she licked it off and it helped soothe her throat. But, if you think Gigi is congested pretty much, don't put any of that on her paw. Is she your diabetic cat? You really don't want to use that stuff in diabetics, due to the sugar.

Please let us know how Gigi is doing. Is she an overweight cat? Also, how old is she? And is she using the litter box okay?

Hope all works out okay for you. Let the vet know about your money situation, and sometimes they are kind enough to work with you, especially when they know how urgent it is for your kitty to be seen.

Jean and Charcoal (GA) cat_pet_icon
 
Hey there Lynn! Unfortunately, I think you're not going to get around a vet trip. My Bandit's going in today in a few hours.. she's been making noises lately.. like gagging? But she's been known to cough & have mild asthma. She also has stomatitis, so I'm taking her in, just to see which may be a better option for her.. inhaled meds (Flovent) or pills (pred). The pred would also help her stomatitis. But wheezing, coughing, gagging.. all that really needs a vet appointment to find out what's really going on. Chest x-rays can also help by seeing asthma or possibly fluid or anything like that.

Please keep us posted!
 
Hi Lynn - just seeing this - sorry your Gigi is having problems - didn't know you were unemployed now too. Sorry to hear that. Jobs are sure hard to find now aren't they?

Mittsi came out of an emergency dental with coughing and wheezing and the vet said she (was a partner with Dr. Dan) thought that Mittsi had some scar tissue from the intubation - seems Mittsi's throat is small (?). Anyway, she wheezed and coughed off and on and I kept taking her back for x-rays and checkups and turned out at a later date she had developed pneumonia. Got her over that and now periodically she gets the cougths - more so in damp weather or weather changes - Dan feels it's a slight form of asthma she may be developing.

I really would get her checked out - could be a number of things.

Sending lots and lots of healing vibes your way. Will watch for your update.

We were planning to leave for your neck of the woods this weekend but had to change our plans. Was going to give you a call.

Emmy & Dude (& Mittsi too)
 
Hi, Everyone-

I'm sorry for not posting sooner...the whole roommate thing blew up in my face and it's been a mess around here that past couple of days :( Thank you all for responding to my post. In answer to your questions, Gigi is an 8 years old short-haired calico with no known health issues prior to this and is at her desired weight. She is strictly and indoor cat and is fed a canned food diet. There are three other kitties in the house; my other cat is Elsie, who is about 13 years old, non-diabetic but about 2 pounds overweight. My roommate has also has two kitties that are in good health.

I spent all day with Gigi yesterday and realized it's her nose, not her chest, that's making the noise. Although she doesn't have discharge coming out of her nose, it is very wet and she licks her lips a lot. She is eating, but she would rather just have her freeze dried chicken instead of Fancy Feast. But she is eating and her litter box habits are normal.

I can tell she doesn't feel well and I'm guessing she has a cold. She isn't struggling to breathe or breathing through her mouth, but she does sound "snotty", just without the "snot". Does this sound like a cat cold? If so, is there anything they can give her? How long do colds in cats usually last?

If she doesn't sound better by Saturday, I'll take her in to see her current vet since they are close by. I'd rather take her to a cat specialist, but the closest one is about 30 minutes from here and Gigi doesn't do well in the car. She gets very upset, howling the entire ride, and gets car sick. I don't want to stress her out, especially while she's feeling under the weather.

Thanks again for all the support :) I look forward to hearing what you all think.

Hugs,
Lynn
 
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