cat hiccups and coughing

Question
QUESTION: Hello, I have a 16 wk old cat I just got a week ago. Not too sure what shots he has had, at least a 5 in 1 but not sure when. Has sneezed just a few times since day 1. About 4 days ago, a tiny amount of eye discharge in each eye. Yesterday, after high energy playing, running and jumping (cat wand toy), he stated with hiccups, swallowing after each one. Then coughing. Then things got better and later in the day seemed the hiccups were not as severe as before, shaking his whole body, but still there. And more coughing. This morning vomiting and not as active, but still playing, and a few coughs. What do you suggest? The vet last night said post nasal drip. With the repeated swallowing, sometimes couching and one time vomiting, I thought he had something in his throat or indigestion.... Thank You. p.s. I also have another cat 2 years old, no problems.



ANSWER: Darlene,

At this point my recommendation would be to have this kitten assessed by your family vet to be sure that there isn't anything more serious going on that may require medical treatment. My concern at this point would be the potential for the kitten to have been ill when you got him and that he is beginning to show signs of a viral or bacterial infection that he could possibly pass on to your older resident cat. It's very important to keep the new kitten separated from the resident cat for a couple of different reasons, firstly isolation behind a closed door minimizes the risk that the kitten could pass on any type of infection that could affect your older cat negatively. A second good reason to isolate a new feline family member is the fact that it allows you time to get to know the kitty and his regular habits, routines, appetite, litter box habits, etc as well as preventing fighting and aggression caused by your 2 year old kitty feeling jealous or even like his territory is being invaded. Cats are very territorial and new cat introduction questions are very common so for further information on proper new cat introductions I would recommend that you have a look at my past answers on this subject. I would be concerned about the possibility of an upper respiratory infection or other serious viral and bacterial infections that may potentially cause one or both cats to become ill and require medical treatment. I'm not so sure about post nasal drip being an issue that doesn't require treatment, cats don't normally have nasal discharge that could drip into the back of the throat unless they are sick. I would be worried about the possibility of an upper respiratory infection, a chest infection, pneumonia and other serious issues which should be ruled out prior to assuming that everything is okay. I would suggest that you have your vet draw blood for a complete pre-anesthetic profile which would indicate the presence of infection as well as tell the vet how this kitty's internal organs are functioning. Unlike human beings cats don't normally sneeze or have nasal discharge as a result of allergies, cats usually react to substances that they are allergic to by becoming itchy and even losing hair as a result of scratching too vigorously. If this kitten has something in his throat that is an urgent situation that could potentially become life threatening if the object somehow shifts to entirely block the airway this is something that requires immediate medical treatment to remove an foreign body if there is one.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello again, thank you for your detailed response. Monday he had a lot of swallowing and a few coughs. His coughs sound like a snorting in air and coughing. Between Sunday night and Tuesday morning we believe he has thrown up 3 times, all food (no mucus as if he was swallowing post nasal drip). When I took him to the vet on Sunday night, he checked heart, lungs, stomach, and throat with the stethoscope, and looked inside his throat. All was well. With the vomiting if something was lodged wouldn't it be out by now? The weird thing that happened Monday is he has been siting kind of scrunched up instead of the usual lounging stretched out, well he stretched out at one point and his stomach was moving and twitching with some sort of muscle spasms that looked like jumping beans. So I took him back in to the vet and different doc said just early signs of uri, can't explain the vomiting or stomach twitching. He has shown no fever and has been active, just maybe not as much. The only thing I know to do is take him to the family vet and ask for an xray and blood test. Any further help you can provide is appreciated! p.s. he has already mixed with the older cat and they play and chase and the older one has been grooming his face, etc...

Answer
Darlene,

For future reference it is important that new cats not be allowed to mix with resident cats for at least 2-3 weeks. The reason that this is recommended by veterinarians and behavioral experts is because of two specific things, firstly it's always possible that a cat has been exposed to a viral or bacterial infection for which he isn't showing symptoms yet and isolation reduces the risk of making your resident cats sick when you've brought a new one home. The second reason for isolation is to avoid fighting caused by jealousy, territory or the resident cat feeling as though his home is not safe any longer.
The upper respiratory symptoms can certainly lead to a contagious infection that could affect your resident cat depending on whether the cause is viral or bacterial infection. The stomach issues almost make me wonder if this kitty has swallowed a foreign body or has a large fur ball that may need to be surgically removed as it could be blocking the opening from the stomach to the intestinal tract. I would suggest that this kitty have an x-ray to try and rule that out, but an x-ray isn't conclusive, especially if this kitty's swallowed something that doesn't show up on x-ray. The other possibility is that this kitty is constipated or showing signs of a partial or complete blockage of the urinary tract. I think that it would be good to have the vet rule out these and other medical issues prior to letting this issue rest. This kitty is obviously unwell from what you describe of his behavior and it's important to find out what could be causing him to feel ill. Some of the possibilities that I've mentioned require urgent treatment and can become life threatening if not treated promptly so I would suggest that you consider seeking a second veterinary opinion fairly shortly.