Cat has hole in throat- any advice?

I trapped a stray I had been feeding and gave him to a friend a few weeks ago.  He is a wonderful cat and she and her husband have really become fond of him.  I had started feeding him wet food, with the thought it was better for him, so she kept on doing wet.  A week or so after getting him, he started coughing a lot.  It kept getting worse so after a few days she took him to the vet.  They did a scope and said he has a congenital defect and has a hole in his throat.  The vet said she has seen worse and he could go on ok for some time but said he should only have dry food because the wet can get through the hole.  He has a bit of infection from the food getting into his lungs (?) so he is on antibiotics.  Anyone else have experience with this type of issue?

Oh my....poor kitty! I have absolutely no experience in something like this, but wanted to offer my support.  

So the hole is in his esophagus? Is surgery an option?     I can see how having wet food get into the hole is definitely a problem. Is water a concern, too?

dahlia said:

 
He has a bit of infection from the food getting into his lungs (?) so he is on antibiotics.

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Hi dahlia !

This type of infection is known as aspiration pneumonia - it is something that must be given utmost attention, for it is not uncommon that it is fatal.

Please emphasize this to your friend - not to stress her - but, to ensure that she is vigilant in following through with the antibiotic and in watching him very carefully for any other signs of changing/worsening.

Here is a reputable link that should be shared with her: Aspiration Pneumonia in Cats - PetPlace.com

There is a further link in the above article - Esophageal Disease in Cats - which suggests that a feeding tube is used under some circumstances with these conditions. If you folks have a Veterinary College nearby**, that might be a consideration (for treatment) to discuss with the Veterinarian: http://www.aavmc.org/Member-Institutions.aspx

**these generally have small animal teaching hospitals, with a full assortment of all Veterinary specialties on staff

Thanks for the responses.  GoHolistic, yes it a fairly small hole in the esophagus.  Apparently water isn't an issue because the vet didn't seem concerned with that, just the wet food because it could get in his lungs.  You can get surgery but the nearest place that does it is a state away and it costs several thousand dollars.  That isn't really an option right now.

White Shadow, thanks for the information on the pneumonia.  I guess the vet gave the cat a shot and didn't send him home with any antibiotics.  My friend is going to double check on that because her husband picked the cat up.  The pneumonia wasn't very advanced so that is good.  He is doing well and apparently went through the night without a coughing fit.

I am glad I got him to a good home when I did or he probably would have died.  I didn't know about the wet food being bad for him so I would have just kept feeding him that and made the pneumonia worse.  With the cold weather, he probably would have gone somewhere to die and I would never have known what happened to him.