Choking cat.. what to do for future?

Couldn't decide if this belongs here or in the care forum..

This morning, Monet started choking on his pork. By the time I got to him, he spat it out (and ate it back up, bleh)

This is why I don't like to feed them raw when I am not home, this is what I am afraid of.

Then, it got me wondering.. how can I help a cat that's choking, if they can't hock it up themselves? I want to know for future reference (knock wood they won't choke!). I will cut the pieces smaller next time.

thanks

How scary!   I don't have any suggestions but good luck and I'm glad your cat is alright!  It's tough seeing something happening and not knowing what to do to help!

The Heimlich Maneuver

http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+1411&aid=3550

thanks for that link!

Kinda IS a scary thought, but one must be prepared

I worry about that a little myself, each time I try to give my little furries Frankenprey.  But since they are refusing chunks still, I don't worry too much .  But it IS a conundrum.  Do you cut the pieces bigger or smaller?  Maybe someone on the raw thread will peek at this and give you their thoughts.  I was thinking bigger, so they can chew, chew, chew, but what do I know since mine are still stuck on the finely ground stuff

They're varied in sizes.. but on average, an inch cube?

When I first offered them meat, not ground stuff, I cut it up pretty small. And when chatting about how to introduce chunks, AC suggested cutting the meat into thin strips, then just gradually make them bigger. So when you prep the meat, I think cutting it into strips is a better idea than cubes, based on this experience!

I had the scare of my life a month or two ago. It was truly one of the scariest things I've had to deal with. :nod: Flowerbelle is up on the counter when I prep their meals. It was duck hearts. They're small, as you describe, maybe 1.5 inches by an inch. I usually cut them in half, just because. For Flowerbelle, I cut them in smaller strips. But I spoon them out of the bag into the bowls to weigh them, then go back and cut them up before putting them down for the cats. But Flowerbelle eats on the counter - I prep her meals first, and then she eats while I fix the other dishes of food.

So she's licking at the hearts before I cut them up. And she obviously tried to eat one without me noticing. But I see her standing there - she looks like she's breathing really hard, or trying to breath - and there is foam forming around the edges of her mouth. I realize - she's choking! She's standing there, and she can't breathe!

Now, she's a little kitty, just 7 pounds. But I grabbed her, put her on the floor, put my hands around her middle just under her ribs, and I PUSHED (I was thinking Heimlich Maneuver, even though I'd never read how to do it in cats). I gave a couple of strong pushes (which caused more foam to come out her mouth), then grabbed her hind legs, pulled them up so her front feet were on the floor - basically had her upside down (I'm thinking GRAVITY now), and I "hit" her pretty hard on the back. I don't remember whether I had to hit her a couple of times or not, but the heart came out.

I knew it was a slippery thing. But MY heart was going about a million miles a minute. She took a minute or two to regroup, then jumped back up on the counter to finish dinner. :lol3:

So long story short... I'd recommend cutting the food into strips, not cubes. And if it ever happens again, knock wood, knowing proper kitty Heimlich Maneuver maybe combined with that upside down thing I did would do it. :nod:

Poor Monet and poor momma!!!! :rub: :rub: :rub:

Wow Laurie, I would've panicked!! SO glad Flowerbelle is OK!

Your  quick thoughts is pretty much what the link that demut provided. Glad to know it worked!

With Monet, it looked like he was hacking up a hairball. Same motions and such.. then he threw up the pork chunk, and wasted to time eating it back up before Cassie got to it 

:lol3: Well, he didn't want to waste food that hadn't even made it to his stomach. :lol3:

I think the strips suggestion will fix the problem. I feed them long and thin. They chew off the end, and just keep making it shorter and shorter - but IF the whole thing goes down, it won't obstruct their throat.

Very scary indeed
Mine are cut in long strips, bigger, rather than small, so they chew it..... Duck hearts..... a little more complicated..... but mine know how to eat I guess.... I don't really cut it - they eat it whole, but they do chew it.
Lucky's pieces are small enough, she has much less risks, I think. Her pieces are tiny - girl is spoiled. :lol3:

:lol3: The funny thing is that Flowerbelle is a good chewer. I think she just picked up that whole heart - which is pretty big (even though it's little) compared to her mouth size - and she couldn't "bite" or chew it well, and it accidentally went down before she'd gotten the chance to chomp it up at all. :dk: But because she's little, it was big enough to obstruct her throat, and cut off her airway.

So long thin strips it will always be for her. :lol3:

OMG, Laurie, how scary .  I can't believe this is the first time you are telling us this.  I would have been on the computer immediately telling everyone about it and advising to "cut up those duck hearts!".  Wow, poor Flowerbelle, and poor YOU. 

Aw... I didn't want to be alarmist, quite frankly, and I think it's unusual for something like that to happen. :nod: