Cat a little hoarse

Our 10-year-old calico, Mellanby, coughed up a hairball or two today and yesterday. Not a problem...doesn't happen too often. But i noticed that, afterwards, she was very hoarse. She tried to meow at me, but it came out as more of a croak. She ate her dinner perfectly well, and seems otherwise normal. Any idea what this could be and, if she's in discomfort, what I can do to alleviate it? Appreciate your input.

Add me to the list wanting an answer to that question. Mitty, 16, has a scratchy voice more and more often lately. Difficult to even discern it as a meow at all. Might just be age, but really, I'm guessing.

In older cats, loss of voice may occasionally be a sign of hyperthyroidism. Since hyperthyroidism is caused by a non-cancerous tumor in the throat region, it can sometimes cause vocal changes. Because of your kitty being a senior, I would recommend a senior panel to rule out medical causes for the voice change.

If everything comes back normal, it's possible the hairball just irritated her throat. Using hairball gels can help prevent your kitty from having to hack up the hairball (instead they pass it straight through).