My baby's lost his meow :(

Regards All,

We're new here and are hoping to receive some kind and informative input, and would like to thank everyone in advance.

My 6 year-old, indoor, 11 pound Joey just lost his voice and seems to have a swelling on his throat/chest area, but seems to maintain a regular purr.

I noticed that his voice was changing on Wednesday the 21st, observed, and decided that he needed to see a vet, which took place this past Monday, the 26th.

She couldn't diagnose what was wrong with Joey since I believe that his eating habits (Science Diet indoor diet formula) has seemed to remain steady and her stethoscope examination seemed normal, but he was running a slight fever with a temperature of 103 so she gave him an injection of feline Convenia (antibiotic).

I know that it's only been two days since his shot, but I don't think Joey's condition has improved. But on the flipside, I don't think his condition has gotten any worse.

He still feels a bit warm to the touch, and would like to pick your collective brains on what this might be - again thanks in advance.

To provide further background, I just adopted an 11 month-old female kitten from PetSmart on the 16th for Joey's feline psycho-social well-being, which may have stressed him out since he's been the only cat in the house for the past 2-years. However, that doesn't rule out her possibly transmitting an upper respiratory infection to him either since she came with ear mites (which I am in the process of treating with mineral oil and Miticide - congruently), eye discharge, feline acne, a few instances of vomiting, and what seems to be kitty halitosis (lol).

So, what do you guys think? And by that, I mean:

• What could his condition possibly be?
  • What remedies should I take?
• At what point should Joey go back to see the vet?
  • Should I trust this particular vet?
  • Should I order a blood panel?

Any input and guidance will be greatly appreciated since Joey is like a son to me, and I intend to do everything I can to keep him both happy and healthy.

Please advise and thanks again.


Cheers,
Dave

Sorry your guy's going through this. The Convenia shot is a long -acting antibiotic and it tends to make your cat lethargic for the first couple of days up to a week. The stress of a new house member could indeed have contributed to the problem. Stress in kitties manifests itself in many ways, but one is illness. If you have a Feliway diffuser or access to one or two, that might be a wise investment for you for right now. It has natural pheromones that help calm kitties down.

You mentioned swelling in the neck/throat area. Did the vet investigate? Did s/he do an x-ray to rule out any type of foreign object or some kind of mass? When was the kitty's last blood panel done? Is he eating, drinking, and using the box normally? Is he congested, sneezy, or snotty? How long have you been using this vet and do you like her?

It could be calici virus, for one thing. It's pretty common, and can cause throat and mouth inflammation, including sores and laryngitis. One of our cats suddenly lost his voice, and that's what it turned out to be. He caught it from our new kitten. Our vet did a quick throat endoscopy and said it looked terrible. Some cats also start limping, coughing, and have more typical URI symptoms. Your new cat may be carrying the virus and not showing signs.

I agree with stephanietx that Joey's throat should have a thorough investigation and some blood work should be done since he's not improving.

It's typical for new cats to bring viruses, parasites, etc. into the house, often infecting the current residents. Once it all settles down, I hope Joey will be delighted to have a new friend for company!

My Tigger got that for some reason around February the last 2 years. She had trouble swallowing, and lost her voice. Last year they gave her antibiotics, but this year there wasn't a fever, so we didn't get antibiotics. She got some subq fluids (because she was 20, and not eating could be a big problem) and was ok in less than a week. Hope your guy gets well soon!

Originally Posted by stephanietx

Sorry your guy's going through this. The Convenia shot is a long -acting antibiotic and it tends to make your cat lethargic for the first couple of days up to a week. The stress of a new house member could indeed have contributed to the problem. Stress in kitties manifests itself in many ways, but one is illness. If you have a Feliway diffuser or access to one or two, that might be a wise investment for you for right now. It has natural pheromones that help calm kitties down.

You mentioned swelling in the neck/throat area. Did the vet investigate? Did s/he do an x-ray to rule out any type of foreign object or some kind of mass? When was the kitty's last blood panel done? Is he eating, drinking, and using the box normally? Is he congested, sneezy, or snotty? How long have you been using this vet and do you like her?

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Hi Stephanietx,

The new vet (have never seen her before) did note some tenderness in Joey's chest/throat area, but did not request for an x-ray.

I was worried about him potentially swallowing something that he wasn't supposed to, but I lead a fairly spartan existance and there's not much that he could have wrapped his lil gums around that would've lodged in his throat. But, if that growth doesn't subside, you can be sure that I'll request an x-ray and a blood panel.

I don't believe that he's ever had a blood panel ran, but his eating and drinking seems to be normal, as well as his use of the litter box (I hear him excavating away! lol) - no abnormal wheezing, coughing, or any other mucous discharges noted.

In fact, he was kinda sluggish after his shot, but he puckered up enough this morning to give his new lil sis a bullying (I had to get out of bed to stop them - I might have to get that Feliway lol), and I noticed that the normal eye discharge was gone. His raspy meow also seems a bit stronger as well, but I'm holding my breath while hoping for the best...

Thanks for the input!

Cheers,
Dave

Originally Posted by Bunnelina

It could be calici virus, for one thing. It's pretty common, and can cause throat and mouth inflammation, including sores and laryngitis. One of our cats suddenly lost his voice, and that's what it turned out to be. He caught it from our new kitten. Our vet did a quick throat endoscopy and said it looked terrible. Some cats also start limping, coughing, and have more typical URI symptoms. Your new cat may be carrying the virus and not showing signs.

I agree with stephanietx that Joey's throat should have a thorough investigation and some blood work should be done since he's not improving.

It's typical for new cats to bring viruses, parasites, etc. into the house, often infecting the current residents. Once it all settles down, I hope Joey will be delighted to have a new friend for company!

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Hi Bunnelina,

Thank you for the vibes!

Oddly, when the vet looked into his mouth, she said that everything looked fine - his tonsils and everything. But yes, I totally agree with everyone that if Joey's condition doesn't improve, I'm going to visit the vet again for that blood panel.

I just got back from the vets' office (for a new adoption examination), and this new vet told me that if Joey's condition hasn't improved in 1 1/2 weeks from the time of the shot, that I should go back. Needless to say, I wouldn't wait that long, so I'll see how Joey is come this Monday before making that call.

Gosh, I sure hope that Joey will learn to love his new sis, but I'm just grateful that he hasn't exhibited any alpha-type/territorial behaviors with the litter box haha (which can get quite nasty).

Thanks for your input!

Cheers,
Dave

Originally Posted by kluchetta

My Tigger got that for some reason around February the last 2 years. She had trouble swallowing, and lost her voice. Last year they gave her antibiotics, but this year there wasn't a fever, so we didn't get antibiotics. She got some subq fluids (because she was 20, and not eating could be a big problem) and was ok in less than a week. Hope your guy gets well soon!

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Dear Kluchetta,

That's so awesome to hear that your 20 year-old Tigger recovered . I hope Joey will live that long, so here's to good health for our feline family members!

Cheers,
Dave