When our cats breathe, we usually don't hear any noise if we're not putting the stethoscope on them to listen to how the air goes in and out of their airways. When we notice that the cat is breathing and a noise is heard in the throat area, it can indicate a respiratory problem that we must diagnose and treat, as it can be serious and affect its quality of life and he alth. Of course, you should not confuse the snoring that your cat can emit with strange sounds from the throat, since these are totally normal in some cases, the same as it happens with humans. However, if your cat makes strange noises with its throat at rest and without any apparent justifiable cause, such as purring, having exercised, being very hot or stressed or asleep, you should investigate why.
The main causes that can explain why your cat makes strange noises with its throat are the following pathologies: feline rhinotracheitis, laryngitis, laryngeal paralysis, pleural effusion or masses in the nasopharynx. Continue reading this article on our site to find out what each disease consists of and how to treat them.
Feline Rhinotracheitis
Feline rhinotracheitis is a disease caused by feline herpesvirus type I (FHV-1), a virus with DNA as material Genetic with the capacity to produce latency in the cells of infected cats, being able to reactivate under certain conditions such as stress or immunosuppression. Although it is a virus that mainly affects the cat's eyes and nose, it can also affect the lower respiratory tract, such as the larynx and lungs, causing pneumonia with viremia in the worst cases and sudden death, especially in newborn or very young kittens, as well as signs such as unusual breathing or throat noises.
Treatment
Treatment should be based on the use of antiviral drugs, the most effective being famciclovir, eye drops if necessary and Antibiotics to prevent secondary infections. Some cats stop eating, requiring appetite stimulants or tube feeding.
Laryngitis
The larynx is the cat's speech organ, that is, the one that allows them to meow, it is located at the entrance to the trachea and prevents food from entering the respiratory tract. This structure can become inflamed, known as laryngitis, either due to infection or irritation, among other reasons. Cold is another reason for laryngitis in cats that can cause hoarseness.
The first signs of laryngitis in cats are changes in the tone of their meows, being more hoarse or dry, dry or irritating cough, swelling or sore throat and unusual noises with it. For this reason, it is also common to notice that the cat makes noises as if it were going to vomit, which can also be confused with the cough itself.
Treatment
Generally, laryngitis resolves on its own If it is due to infection, the specific effective drug should be prescribed, although normally cases of laryngitis in cats do not usually need antibiotics or corticosteroids, so it is best to keep them calm and stress-free. Having a humidifier could also be a good option.
Laryngeal paralysis
Laryngeal paralysis can occur hereditary in cats of certain breeds such as Himalayans, exotics or Persians because they are brachiocephalic, that is, having a flat face with a very short snout. In these cases, it is usually diagnosed within a few months of life, while in other breeds it usually appears when they are older.
Among the clinical signs of paralysis of the larynx in cats we find inability to meow, partial blockage of the upper airway, which induce loud sounds or squeaks depending on the degree of narrowing of the larynx, usually accompanied by orthopneic posture by extension of the head and neck, and breathe with the mouth open, that's why we can notice that the cat does strange things with its mouth. The causes range from trauma to the recurrent laryngeal nerve during thyroid surgery or thyroidectomy, damage from collars, bites, lymphosarcomas in the neck, myasthenia gravis, to ankylosis of the cricoarytenoid joint, although it can also be idiopathic or without an apparent cause.
Treatment
The treatment in these cases should be surgical, restoring normality in the larynx. And if the cat is in a severe respiratory crisis, it should be sedated and corticosteroids administered to reduce inflammation due to laryngeal air turbulence that induces laryngeal edema.
Pleural effusion
Another cause that can explain why a cat makes strange noises with its throat is pleural effusion. Pleural effusion consists of an abnormal accumulation of fluid of a different nature in the space between the cat's pleural or pleural space due to a disorder in the elimination or production of the fluid, which affects the correct expansion of the lungs in breathing by limiting its movement.
Pleural effusion in cats can be hydrothorax when it is a colorless fluid, hemothorax when it is blood, pyothorax when it is pus, or chylothorax if the fluid is lymph. The causes vary from kidney or heart disease to feline infectious peritonitis, tumors, penetration of foreign bodies, diaphragmatic hernia, torsion of the right middle pulmonary lobe, chest trauma, coagulopathies, bacterial infections, etc. Among the clinical signs of pleural effusion we find breathing difficulty which can be confused with unusual throat sounds, increased respiratory rate and cough.
Treatment
Within therapy, the effusion will have to be controlled with oxygen therapy and thoracocentesis or puncture of the pleural space for removal of accumulated fluid Also diuretics can be used and act against the cause that is causing the effusion in question, through surgery, the use of chemotherapy or specific medical therapy depending on the case.
Nasopharyngeal masses
Your cat making strange noises with its throat may also be due to a mass in the nasopharynx, either a tumor or an inflammatory polyp, which consist of non-tumorous pedunculated masses that form from the mucosal tissue of the nasopharynx, although the most frequent are those that fill from the tympanic cavity to the nasopharynx through the auditory canal. The cause is unknown, although in young cats it is suspected that it has a congenital origin due to a remnant of the pharyngeal arch, and in other cases it may be due to chronic upper respiratory infections or infections ascending from the nasopharynx or chronic otitis media.
In addition to unusual throat sounds during inspiration, cats affected with nasopharyngeal polyps show signs such as inspiratory dyspnea, wheezing and, if the ear is also affected, signs such as otorrhea, head shaking, ear scratching, Horner syndrome and vestibular symptoms.
Treatment
The treatment will depend on the location of the polyp, but it is always surgical through endoscopy in exclusive nasopharyngeal masses, through auricular surgery with ventral osteotomy of the bulla and surgical removal or simple removal of the polyp when it also affects the ear. After surgery, the use of corticosteroids is usually necessary.
As you can see, all the causes that can cause a cat to make strange noises with its mouth or throat need to be diagnosed and treated by a veterinarian, which is why we must go to the veterinarian as soon as possible. clinic.
