My Cat Choked On Her Food, And I Need Some Advice

[brdwybaby]

Okay, so stay with me here because I feel like a basket case. About 30 minutes ago my kitty jumped off my bed to eat some of her dry food. Not seconds into it I hear her gagging. Sounded like she was doing her typical eating-too-fast vomiting, but she didn’t stop. So I looked down and there in the dark and saw she had choked up 4 or 5 full kibbles of food. They were covered in saliva and cakes together like they had been lodged in her esophagus. She kept making a slight coughing/gurgle noise and cowering. Then she started tilting her head, so of like a dog does when it hears its favorite word. I called my vet’s emergency line, it they took forever to answer and I was in PANIC MODE. So while waiting for them to answer I Google’d what to do for a choking cat. I laid her on her side and gave about 3-4 quick sharp jabs in and up with my fingers around the bottom of her ribs, and she made squeaks like it really hurt. So I stopped. I’m not even sure my fingers were in the right place. I talked to the technician and we don’t know what to do. I have ZERO money. Absolutely nothing. Especially not to pay for an X-ray. My kitty ran from me for a while, scared of the betrayal of jabbing her like I did. But now she’s playing and yawning and no longer cowering. There is no panting, drooling or labored breathing. Now here’s where I need assurance... you see, I have severe Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. My obsessions mainly focus around my cat’s safety since witnessing the horrific death of another beloved cat in my life. I’m second guessing that she’s still choking even though I no longer see any signs. I am also concerned I could’ve caused internal bleeding when jabbing her like I did. Because I had no idea what I was doing or where to press and she made the most pathetic noise I’ve ever heard come out of her. I just picked her up and she squealed, but she usually does that when I pick her up. She always acts like I’m hurting her tummy when I scoop her up. But I stood her on the couch and massages her whole underbelly and she didn’t whine at all. Can someone tell me what to do or what to look for or ease my mind at all? Because I don’t have a way to pay for the vet right now at all! So I don’t want to go unless absolutely necessary. I don’t know if I should be legitimately concerned, or if my OCD is causing more worry than necessary.

 

[brdwybaby]

Her meow sounds different too. Sort of struggled. Like a person with a sore throat. But that could be from irritation of what happened, I would think? Not necessarily choking.

 

[brdwybaby]

Update: She’s now playing like crazy, her meow seems back to normal and she burped and is grooming. I’m not concerned so much that she’s choking anymore. I’m more concerned with whether or not I should be concerned about the hard jabs to her tummy.

 

[di and bob]

Yes her throat could be sore from having the food lodged there. My cats do this same thing once in a while, usually with popcorn. It IS alarming. First thing, I would research on what to do if another situation like this ever arises so you are better prepared, this would calm your panic. Most vets have a small flashlight handy to look down the throat to see where it is lodged. If it can be seen, get a small plastic tweezers, like a cooking one to get pickles out of a jar. Or a very blunt edged metal one, you don't want one with sharp edges down the throat. Of course this is to be done ONLY in an emergency, like when the cat has passed out or almost passed out, and remember, if there is coughing or any sound at all, air IS getting through. Eventually you will have to bring your cat in for a checkup, vaccinations, etc. RIGHT NOW, write down questions you have, like how to expel something lodged in a cat's throat, how to preform CPR, etc. and keep it handy to write in further questions. You might want to keep it in your cat carrier so you don't forget. We always watch our cats very closely after something like this and always see something concerning and start to have doubts, Perfectly normal. As long as she is playing, eating and drinking, and going to the bathroom, everything is all right. You may have bruised her a little bit, so she may be sore, just watch her to make sure there are no behavioral changes, like hiding, or stop eating, and she should be fine.
I want to thank you for bringing this up, we should ALL be better prepared in case of an emergency, we should all ask our vets what to do in a situation like this when minutes can count. Bless you!

 

[brdwybaby]

Yes her throat could be sore from having the food lodged there. My cats do this same thing once in a while, usually with popcorn. It IS alarming. First thing, I would research on what to do if another situation like this ever arises so you are better prepared, this would calm your panic. Most vets have a small flashlight handy to look down the throat to see where it is lodged. If it can be seen, get a small plastic tweezers, like a cooking one to get pickles out of a jar. Or a very blunt edged metal one, you don't want one with sharp edges down the throat. Of course this is to be done ONLY in an emergency, like when the cat has passed out or almost passed out, and remember, if there is coughing or any sound at all, air IS getting through. Eventually you will have to bring your cat in for a checkup, vaccinations, etc. RIGHT NOW, write down questions you have, like how to expel something lodged in a cat's throat, how to preform CPR, etc. and keep it handy to write in further questions. You might want to keep it in your cat carrier so you don't forget. We always watch our cats very closely after something like this and always see something concerning and start to have doubts, Perfectly normal. As long as she is playing, eating and drinking, and going to the bathroom, everything is all right. You may have bruised her a little bit, so she may be sore, just watch her to make sure there are no behavioral changes, like hiding, or stop eating, and she should be fine.
I want to thank you for bringing this up, we should ALL be better prepared in case of an emergency, we should all ask our vets what to do in a situation like this when minutes can count. Bless you!

Goodness, I hope so! She’s acting fine now. She wants to eat, but I haven’t let her. I don’t know if I should wait or not. I’m still highly concerned I could’ve really hurt her insides without knowing. She made a squeal I’ve never heard before.

 

[LTS3]

You might be able to get some help with vet bills from these organizations:

No Money For Vet Care? How To Find Help And Save Your Cat's Life
Financial Help For Cat Care.

Also seriously think about what to do if a future similar (or worse) situation occurs and your cat needs immediate treatment. Setting aside money weekly or monthly in a jar or bank account works for many people. You can also look into pet insurance. Can you borrow money from your parents, relatives, friends, etc to use in a pinch if necessary?

Don't take what Dr. Google gives you as expert advice. There are many web sites out there on a myriad of veterinary issues and many are just web sites put up by Average Joe who has zero veterinary medical training. People mean well but oftentimes information is just wrong or even downright harmful. There are web sites with reliable veterinary info like PetMd.com and VeterinaryPartner.com and vet school web sites.

 

[di and bob]

If you truly hurt her, her behavior will change. She will start hiding and will stop eating/drinking. I would start her out on wet food, eating is a good sign of no injury. Make sure she is going to the bathroom too. Kitten food is smaller, and some certain brands, you might want to switch to that to help. Kitten food has extra calories though so watch her weight.