Squawking sound after vomit

[Hannah518]

So my dear Iago is going to the vet tomorrow morning for a follow up and possible follow up xrays. He had them back in November and it ended up being bad news. Little guy has nodules in his organs and lungs so it was assumed he has cancer. He’s been on prednisolone and eating, drinking, stools have been more normal but now there is more coughing and dry heaving with a squawking noise. Has anyone had a cat make this noise? It seems painful He also makes more noise when he grooms and snores more. I have a video but I can’t figure out how to attach it lol

 

[maggie101]

Vet! Maybe you can get a video. Different reasons for heaving

 

[Hannah518]

Vet! Maybe you can get a video. Different reasons for heaving

I am going tomorrow already. I was just curious if anyone had any insight. I have a video I have emailed to the vet. Just can’t figure out how to post it on here.

 

[Jem]

Without hearing the noise you're talking about it's hard to guess what it could be, but, my Chewy had throat cancer and it caused more noises to develop. They became more often and louder as the tumor grew due to airway restriction. He also drooled more as he did not swallow properly, and would cough due to the irritation from eating, drinking...I assume vomiting would cause some pretty intense irritation...
His cancer progressed very quickly (it was a rare and aggressive form - don't remember the exact name).
I'm so sorry about your kitty.

If you want to upload your video. Try posting it to YouTube and then sharing the link.

 

[maggie101]

So my dear Iago is going to the vet tomorrow morning for a follow up and possible follow up xrays. He had them back in November and it ended up being bad news. Little guy has nodules in his organs and lungs so it was assumed he has cancer. He’s been on prednisolone and eating, drinking, stools have been more normal but now there is more coughing and dry heaving with a squawking noise. Has anyone had a cat make this noise? It seems painful He also makes more noise when he grooms and snores more. I have a video but I can’t figure out how to attach it lol

When my old cat did it she end up having a heart condition and was put down. She was 17.

 

[Hannah518]

Without hearing the noise you're talking about it's hard to guess what it could be, but, my Chewy had throat cancer and it caused more noises to develop. They became more often and louder as the tumor grew due to airway restriction. He also drooled more as he did not swallow properly, and would cough due to the irritation from eating, drinking...I assume vomiting would cause some pretty intense irritation...
His cancer progressed very quickly (it was a rare and aggressive form - don't remember the exact name).
I'm so sorry about your kitty.

If you want to upload your video. Try posting it to YouTube and then sharing the link.

Yes I assume it’s a tumor restricted his air. Did they do xrays to confirm?

 

[Hannah518]

When my old cat did it she end up having a heart condition and was put down. She was 17.

I’m so very sorry. Yes I fear thus trip to the vet will come with a difficult decision. My poor baby

 

[Hannah518]

 

[Jem]

Yes I assume it’s a tumor restricted his air. Did they do xrays to confirm?

We did do x-rays, but the only thing they showed was inflammation. When all of this was going on, the vets were suspecting asthma, and the tumor was higher in the throat so it was not visible on the imaging. The thing is, the tumor was also far enough down that it was not visible (at first) with an examination (looking in the mouth). It was also growing in the soft tissue from the back of the throat inwards so it was not palpable by just feeling the neck.
From the first symptom to when we put him down was only 7 weeks. It started with just a bit of excessive drooling an loss of appetite, so vet visit one (our vet) was "nausea". Then it progressed to symptoms of wheezing and coughing, he also has some eye discharge and nasal discharge with post nasal drip, so vet visit 2 (a different vet - same practice) a URI was a thought. Blood work was also taken and the only thing that showed was mildly elevated calcium.

Also keep in mind that at this time we had just put down another one of our cats due to CHF, and Chewy was visibly grieving his loss and also had mild bouts of herpes flair ups throughout his life, so we also thought that this could have been a herpes flair up as well due to the stress of losing his friend. His symptoms started within days of Hanks passing. And during the the final week when symptoms took a turn for the worse, we also had to put down our very senior kitty (20) who had been palliative due to CKD. So yet another stress added to our very empathetic Chewy.
We were also very stressed due to Hank and Toby's multiple vet visits, palliative care and eventual passing. Honestly, last year, was a total show caring for, then ultimately losing all 3 cats in less than 2 months.

Anyway, when symptoms did not improve and worsen with added snoring and louder wheezing and snorting and horking sounds, vet visit 3 (our vet again), x-rays were taken (nothing but inflammation showed) and they were going to send them out including the blood work, for a second opinion to a specialist dealing with asthma. We were sent home with antibiotics, and appetite stimulant. The very next day, we woke up to him gasping for air - so back to the vet. It was at that time that the vet was able to see "something" just at the back of his throat, because Chewy happened to gasp for air with his head at just the right angle, while the vet was shining a light in his mouth. Our only option was surgery to remove "whatever this was". Unfortunately the tumor was extremely vascular and any attempts to remove it would have caused him to bleed out and they were unable to continue, so we had to put him down.
Our vet (the one doing the surgery) had never seen a tumor like this before, nor did she even know what it was, so she asked us if she could perform an autopsy (free of charge). We said yes, and that is why we know that is was a rare, fast growing, aggressive cancer. She said that with this form of cancer, even if caught early and treatment is done, it is so aggressive that even with chemo, 3 months is the longest she has heard of a cat surviving.

 

[Hannah518]

We did do x-rays, but the only thing they showed was inflammation. When all of this was going on, the vets were suspecting asthma, and the tumor was higher in the throat so it was not visible on the imaging. The thing is, the tumor was also far enough down that it was not visible (at first) with an examination (looking in the mouth). It was also growing in the soft tissue from the back of the throat inwards so it was not palpable by just feeling the neck.
From the first symptom to when we put him down was only 7 weeks. It started with just a bit of excessive drooling an loss of appetite, so vet visit one (our vet) was "nausea". Then it progressed to symptoms of wheezing and coughing, he also has some eye discharge and nasal discharge with post nasal drip, so vet visit 2 (a different vet - same practice) a URI was a thought. Blood work was also taken and the only thing that showed was mildly elevated calcium.

Also keep in mind that at this time we had just put down another one of our cats due to CHF, and Chewy was visibly grieving his loss and also had mild bouts of herpes flair ups throughout his life, so we also thought that this could have been a herpes flair up as well due to the stress of losing his friend. His symptoms started within days of Hanks passing. And during the the final week when symptoms took a turn for the worse, we also had to put down our very senior kitty (20) who had been palliative due to CKD. So yet another stress added to our very empathetic Chewy.
We were also very stressed due to Hank and Toby's multiple vet visits, palliative care and eventual passing. Honestly, last year, was a total show caring for, then ultimately losing all 3 cats in less than 2 months.

Anyway, when symptoms did not improve and worsen with added snoring and louder wheezing and snorting and horking sounds, vet visit 3 (our vet again), x-rays were taken (nothing but inflammation showed) and they were going to send them out including the blood work, for a second opinion to a specialist dealing with asthma. We were sent home with antibiotics, and appetite stimulant. The very next day, we woke up to him gasping for air - so back to the vet. It was at that time that the vet was able to see "something" just at the back of his throat, because Chewy happened to gasp for air with his head at just the right angle, while the vet was shining a light in his mouth. Our only option was surgery to remove "whatever this was". Unfortunately the tumor was extremely vascular and any attempts to remove it would have caused him to bleed out and they were unable to continue, so we had to put him down.
Our vet (the one doing the surgery) had never seen a tumor like this before, nor did she even know what it was, so she asked us if she could perform an autopsy (free of charge). We said yes, and that is why we know that is was a rare, fast growing, aggressive cancer. She said that with this form of cancer, even if caught early and treatment is done, it is so aggressive that even with chemo, 3 months is the longest she has heard of a cat surviving.

I am so so so very sorry for your loss. That sounds extremely painful. My heart goes out to you.

I also have another cat who I constantly think is sick because of my Iagos current condition. I just took his urine in to my vet to be tested after negative results on a test strip at home just to be sure. He recently had blood work and tested for diabetes. Everything looks good but I think he knows what’s up or is feeling a bit neglected because he’s been so vocal.

As far Iago goes I’m just wondering if I should put him through the xrays when we knew of cancer spreading throughout his body due to past xrays that showed inflammation and modules throughout.

Is it just time to say goodbye? especially if they may not find anything. I don’t want to do sedation on a sick kitty that could have even more complications during another procedure. I want to be able to say goodbye and tell him I love him as he passes.

 

[Jem]

Well...and this is only what I think I would do based on just the little information I have...
You know for sure he has cancer (I assume). And you also know that cancer treatment (surgery, chemo etc...) is off the table?? Then I would speak to the vet about palliative care. Pain medications, steroids etc...and focus on his quality of life for whatever time he may have left with you. I would feed him whatever he wants and love on him as much as he will tolerate.
I watched the video, and it almost sounded that like he was vocalizing during the last part of the vomiting. Why? who knows, but I will say that I have a cat who makes that noise when he throws up a hair ball that seems stubborn (he's fine). In your case though, with his health history I would ask the vet what he thinks (I know you're going, so just confirming that I would ask about it too).
Only you can decide what you will do for Lago, you know him best, and he knows you love him and have done everything for him. Its never easy, you will question your decisions, and maybe even feel guilty with all the "what ifs" that plague every single person who's ever had to go thru this, but rest assured I know that what you decide will be the right choice, because the choice was made with love and compassion for an animal who loves and trusts you in return.
He's absolutely precious by the way , and thank you for your condolences.

Everything looks good but I think he knows what’s up or is feeling a bit neglected because he’s been so vocal.

That could be what's happening, cats can sense when things aren't right. But of course stress can lead to health issues with kitties so it's always best to err on the side of caution. I'm sorry you are dealing with so much, and of course the uncertainty makes things so much worse. I hope he turns out to be OK.

 

[Hannah518]

Well...and this is only what I think I would do based on just the little information I have...
You know for sure he has cancer (I assume). And you also know that cancer treatment (surgery, chemo etc...) is off the table?? Then I would speak to the vet about palliative care. Pain medications, steroids etc...and focus on his quality of life for whatever time he may have left with you. I would feed him whatever he wants and love on him as much as he will tolerate.
I watched the video, and it almost sounded that like he was vocalizing during the last part of the vomiting. Why? who knows, but I will say that I have a cat who makes that noise when he throws up a hair ball that seems stubborn (he's fine). In your case though, with his health history I would ask the vet what he thinks (I know you're going, so just confirming that I would ask about it too).
Only you can decide what you will do for Lago, you know him best, and he knows you love him and have done everything for him. Its never easy, you will question your decisions, and maybe even feel guilty with all the "what ifs" that plague every single person who's ever had to go thru this, but rest assured I know that what you decide will be the right choice, because the choice was made with love and compassion for an animal who loves and trusts you in return.
He's absolutely precious by the way , and thank you for your condolences.


That could be what's happening, cats can sense when things aren't right. But of course stress can lead to health issues with kitties so it's always best to err on the side of caution. I'm sorry you are dealing with so much, and of course the uncertainty makes things so much worse. I hope he turns out to be OK.

Thank you so much. Yes surgery is off the table because of how much it was visible throughout his body. I never got a biopsy because the internal medicine vet said it would probably only tell us what kind of cancer it was and there were risks with the procedure. He’s been on steroids since I met with her. I also treat with b12 shots and cbd when I can get him to eat it. His appetite changes from day to day but I do have a stimulant when he doesn’t seem hungry. It’s difficult to feed him right now but I think he’s getting enough. I just don’t want to call it too soon and I don’t want him to be in pain.

Thank you he’s a doll

 

[Hannah518]

Vet update.
His breathing sounded fine, Vet didn’t see anything blocking his airways. But we rechecked his chest and abdominal xrays and the cancer has indeed gotten worse. He’s on pain meds but we anticipate having to say goodbye at the end of week or next. I am gutted. It’s all becoming so real. It was a strange household when he was at the vet. I can’t imagine how it’s gonna be when he’s not here all the time.

 

[maggie101]

I'm so sorry. Glad you took him so he wouldn't be in pain

 

[Jem]

I'm so sorry, but glad that he has you. He's in good hands...

 

[Hannah518]

Thanks guys! The pain meds seem to be helping but at this point I think he’s just hanging on for me. I want to make sure I cane say goodbye in the comfort of our home so I may have to decide before the weekend. I’d hate to have to rush him to emergency to an environment he HATES or have him suffer ;(