Kitty question...

[nscrbug]

Hey everyone...my male kitty Harley (roughly 8 or 9yo, neutered) has recently had an abrupt change in his voice. This all started a week ago, while out in our backyard with my hubby he encountered another neighborhood cat that must have been sitting in one of our shrubs. According to my hubby, our cat let out "the most blood-curdling screech" that he has ever heard as a result of this encounter. My kitty has met this other cat before, but he obviously does not like it (we think it's a male). The next day following this incident, my Harley could no longer "meow" like he used to. Let me add that he is normally a VERY vocal kitty...he "talks" a lot! So to have him go from a clear-sounding "meow, meow, meow"...to a very hoarse, raspy-sounding "errrgh" is sort of heartbreaking. I miss his constant meows...it is what defined him. We brought him to the vet that we had been taking him to, and they really sort of dismissed it. The doctor did a quick exam (felt him all over, checked his heartbeat, temp, ears, etc) and asked US what we wanted to do! I was kind of taken aback by that. She recommended starting him on a low dose of prednisolone oral suspension for several days to see if that would improve things. I wasn't really on board with that idea, but honestly, we didn't know what else to do at that point...so reluctantly we agreed to it. We managed to give him 3 doses, before he made it so difficult to administer...that we just gave up. He seemed to improve for a few days, but this morning he was clearly not himself again (very quiet, moping around, not his normal "active" self). We have an appointment with a different vet (2nd opinion) tomorrow morning at 9am. I'm a little worried that it might be something more serious. Has anyone else encountered a larengytis-type of issue with their cat?

Linda

[lor]

My cat, Boden, used to "meow" and as he got older he started to say a very raspy "myAT". He kind of sounded like a duck-dog. It didn't seem to bother him, and it certainly didn't stop him from talking to us. He didn't have any lethargic issues, though.

That doesn't really help, sorry.

I hope your kitty is okay.

[indysteel]

Cats can get sore throats. Perhaps your cat strained his vocal chords when he screeched at the other cat. Is he eating and drinking normally? Running a temp? You might see if there is a pain reliever that can be administered or a shot of short acting cortisone. Otherwise, hopefully it will heal in due time.

[nscrbug]

At the first vet visit last Thursday, the doctor said he was running a slightly higher temp, but attributed that to the stressful car ride (he doesn't travel well). I did not see him eat this morning, but DH said that he did eat/drink a bit this evening. Yeah, I'm truly hoping that there is some other option of administering any meds that he may need, because he is rather defiant in allowing us to give him anything. FWIW...DH thinks that it is strained vocal chords, too...and that it is just tender and sore which is keeping him from "talking" much. I hope that is all it is.

[IBrakeforPastry]

My cat, Boden, used to "meow" and as he got older he started to say a very raspy "myAT". He kind of sounded like a duck-dog. It didn't seem to bother him, and it certainly didn't stop him from talking to us. He didn't have any lethargic issues, though.

That doesn't really help, sorry.

I hope your kitty is okay.

This is exactly how my cat sounds! I've described it as a cross between a quack and a bark. Sometimes he just squeaks. He, too, is a talkative cat. He was already about 10 when I got him, and I don't know what he sounded like when he was younger, so I wonder if chatty cats ended up a little hoarse after a while?

I'm not any help, either, but I just wanted to share

[zoom-zoom]

I have no specific treatment advice, but our Thor BEGS for prednisone...because we mix it with a packet of FortiFlora and a tiny bit of water. He licks the bowl clean. That might be one way to sneak it into him.

Cats voices do seem to change with age, but I'd be concerned by the abrupt change and change in temperament, too. Hope it ends up not being anything major.

[nscrbug]

So we had our appointment with a different vet this morning, and I liked her SO much better than the previous place we were taking him. Right off the bat, I noticed how calm he was in the waiting area and in the exam room. Then I realized, that there were NO other animals in the facility at the time that we were there...which made for a very peaceful, stress-free environment for our guy. They do this deliberatly. They only schedule 1 patient at a time, so that the doctor can give her full attention and focus on that one patient...and it also ensures a stress-free atmosphere for animals that might be skittish or anxious around other animals. I absolutely LOVE this concept!

Anyways...the doc did a very thorough exam on Harley. No temperature, heart and lungs sounded excellent, overall he is in very good health. Based on the information we gave her, she firmly believes that these sudden and odd behavior changes in him are a result of seasonal allergies. My Harley is an orange short-haired tabby, and the vet told us the orange tabbies do tend to suffer from allergies (more so than other varieties of tabbies) once they hit midlife. So she gave him an injection of prednisolone and also gave us doxycycline (25mg) chewable treats. We have noticed that just today, he has started sneezing a lot and now has watery eyes. So it does sound like this is allergy-related, just as the doctor thought...we just don't know what he is allergic to yet. DH just tried to give him the doxycycline treat with his dry food, and the little bugger spit it out...LOL! We cannot get anything past him...he is one smart kitty.

[nscrbug]

You could grind the treat into a powder, and mix it into some wet catfood, peanut butter, or anything else that he likes.

Unfortunately, the ONLY food he will eat is his dry cat food...weird, I know. He won't eat people food, or wet cat food. My DH cut the doxy treat into smaller pieces and mixed it into his bowl with his normal dry food. He eats one piece at a time, and when he got a piece of that doxy treat into his mouth, he immediately detected that it tasted different and spit it right out. He actually spit it OUTSIDE of his bowl, so that he would know not to eat it again. He's a clever one.

[zoom-zoom]

Based on the information we gave her, she firmly believes that these sudden and odd behavior changes in him are a result of seasonal allergies. My Harley is an orange short-haired tabby, and the vet told us the orange tabbies do tend to suffer from allergies (more so than other varieties of tabbies) once they hit midlife. So she gave him an injection of prednisolone and also gave us doxycycline (25mg) chewable treats. We have noticed that just today, he has started sneezing a lot and now has watery eyes. So it does sound like this is allergy-related, just as the doctor thought...we just don't know what he is allergic to yet. DH just tried to give him the doxycycline treat with his dry food, and the little bugger spit it out...LOL! We cannot get anything past him...he is one smart kitty.

Awww...our orange and white shorthair tabby is always miserable in Spring, too (he is ~15 and has been like this for probably 5ish years). He scratches around his face and ends up with sores around his already irritated eyes. Pretty much when pollen is kicking my butt it's also kicking his. Next year maybe we'll ask his vet about it and see if we can head things off when they start up in April.