Cat Choking

Question
Karen, my cat chokes everytime he eats to the point where he almost throws up.  He also has respiratory problems.  They give him an antibiotic and that doesn't work well.  A year ago I had him at the emergency clinic and they vet that night felt something in his throat.  But the our vet said just keep giving him medicine.  Are you familiar with polyps in the throat.  Could he have a nasal or throat polyp.  I have never put under anestic and I am afraid he will not come out of the procedure so I hesitate to ask the vet to look.  But he is getting worse.  

Also we have a smaller cat and beats up on Blackie all time and he is always so scared.  We bought a home up north and we take them up there on weekends and Blackie just hides under the bed all weekend.  We will be moving there in two months and I"m afraid with the throat problem, the mean little cat and move that he will not survive.  Do you have any advice.  Thanks.

Karen

Answer
Hi Karen,

You have your hands full there. The choking sounds more like the cat is coughing. If he has respiratory problems this sounds more reasonable. He can also have throat polyps. This would cause coughing. I know this sounds simple but have you changed his food? He could have an allergy to what he is eating. Try switching him to a high quality grain free wet cat food. Something like Wellness, EVO, or Nature's Variety. See what happens.

Coughing can also be asthma in cats. It could be IBD. Putting your cat under anesthetic to check for polyps shouldn't be a problem. Just make sure you are comfortable with your vet. Get a second opinion if you have any doubts.

I have two cats here who are scaredy cats like Blackie. You need to give him extra attention. When you are doing this keep the other cat in a different section of the house.  Part of why he hides is he is confused by the trips up and back. Give Blackie his own area where he can feel safe. Make sure you spend extra time with him.  Once you get settled in he should be okay.

Good luck and let me know what happens.

Ciao, Karen