Hi all...first time poster, and for that matter, first time cat owner (always been a dog owner). I recently got a 7 month old kitty from a local animal rescue shelter, and had a few cat newbie questions.
The first is my cat's meow. He has this raspy, almost grating meow that is both quiet and uneven. A lady at the shelter mentioned it, so I know it's not a recent thing (I've only had him for 3 months). Poor little Cheddar almost always has to open his mouth real wide, almost as if he is hissing, just to get some volume to it. What comes out sounds almost like a human "Ack" with the little "ow" on the end (the closest phonetic version I can give is "aeeeruh"). Additionally, his purr sounds like he's hyperventilating, and his whole body usually heaves a little bit.
I'm tempted not to be bothered by these problems and just shake them off as personality traits...but I think they're connected to what his real problem is. Cheddar has a fair amount of congestion it seems, which has been confirmed by my vet. He said that it's a herpes-like kind of virus that Cheddar is likely to have his whole life off and on. The only other symptoms is he usually has a small amount of brown goo in the corner of his eyes, not much different than what we all get. Other than that, he is happy and healthy from what I can tell, and has warmed up nicely to his new home and me.
I guess my question is, even if this affliction can't be cured, isn't there something I can do about his congestion? I'd hate to think it's merely something he has to live with forever, and if it's related to the other two problems, that just says to me that it's affecting him in many ways, which would seem to indicate it's not completely benign.
Any thoughts? Is there a connection between these? Is it not unusual for a cat to have a different meow? The animal shelter woman said it was almost if he had never learned to do it right. Love to hear what you guys think.
The first is my cat's meow. He has this raspy, almost grating meow that is both quiet and uneven. A lady at the shelter mentioned it, so I know it's not a recent thing (I've only had him for 3 months). Poor little Cheddar almost always has to open his mouth real wide, almost as if he is hissing, just to get some volume to it. What comes out sounds almost like a human "Ack" with the little "ow" on the end (the closest phonetic version I can give is "aeeeruh"). Additionally, his purr sounds like he's hyperventilating, and his whole body usually heaves a little bit.
I'm tempted not to be bothered by these problems and just shake them off as personality traits...but I think they're connected to what his real problem is. Cheddar has a fair amount of congestion it seems, which has been confirmed by my vet. He said that it's a herpes-like kind of virus that Cheddar is likely to have his whole life off and on. The only other symptoms is he usually has a small amount of brown goo in the corner of his eyes, not much different than what we all get. Other than that, he is happy and healthy from what I can tell, and has warmed up nicely to his new home and me.
I guess my question is, even if this affliction can't be cured, isn't there something I can do about his congestion? I'd hate to think it's merely something he has to live with forever, and if it's related to the other two problems, that just says to me that it's affecting him in many ways, which would seem to indicate it's not completely benign.
Any thoughts? Is there a connection between these? Is it not unusual for a cat to have a different meow? The animal shelter woman said it was almost if he had never learned to do it right. Love to hear what you guys think.