My cat's making a strange noise

Hi, my kitten is 4 months old and I’ve already heard him making some really strange noises. I’m not quite sure how to explain it, but it’s definitely not his breathing. He meows perfectly well and breathes fine, but this happens every now and then, which is quite worrying. Once it passes, he just goes back to playing as if nothing had happened. Thanks.

My cat's making a weird noise when he breathes – normally you can't really hear him but at the moment it sounds like he's purring strangely, even though my cat never purrs (or you just can't hear it). When he tries to meow it sounds like he's got something stuck in his throat. He tries to gag sometimes but nothing comes out. Please tell me it's nothing serious! 😱😢 (my cat's nearly 2 years old) Hi, my cat had the same thing, but she would vomit every time she ate... we hadn't had her long and we thought she was just eating too fast or that it was the change in food... but one evening we found her lying flat out and she was barely breathing... we rushed her to the emergency vet and they did some X-rays; she had a huge lump stuck in her throat that had probably been building up for a long time and it had eventually got too big. She couldn't breathe and she died during surgery at the vet's 😢... so, I'd really suggest you don't wait and go get some X-rays done as soon as you can!

Hi everyone, a little while ago my cat suffered from severe anaemia, and we only realised how bad it was when things reached a critical stage. Looking back at the signs we might have missed, the main one was the way she was meowing. The anaemia had caused heart failure, which then led to lung issues. I don't want to alarm you, but I’d definitely recommend going to the vet to get some tests done and find out the cause.

My cat’s meowing sounds a bit strange, but we haven’t noticed any other symptoms. I think he’s got a hairball stuck in his throat because he’s trying to cough it up but nothing’s coming out, and he’s grooming himself a lot. Thanks for your replies, I’m going to see the vet soon.

Hi there, More often than not, the main cause of a change in a cat's meow is an infection. In these cases, we usually see other symptoms along with the change in voice, such as eye discharge, a runny nose, coughing, a fever, or sneezing. Have you noticed any other symptoms? For example, any change in appetite, vomiting, nausea, changes in how much they're drinking, a fever, or any changes in behaviour? It is also possible that the cause isn't infectious, as there are many other potential reasons, such as tumours. A foreign body (like hairballs) could also be affecting their meow. For general maintenance, you can use a hairball remedy (such as a supplement gel) which helps them clear them. Since your cat seems to be having some breathing difficulties (audible noisy breathing), it would be best to take them to see your vet. They will be able to tell you exactly what’s wrong and how serious the situation is. Best of luck. Mélissa – Veterinary Student at the Alfort National Veterinary School (EnvA) Junior Consultant for ProVéto Junior Conseil http://proveto.net/

Hi there, since it involves his breathing, don't wait to speak to a vet. It could be anything from a simple hairball to a heart or lung issue. He’s young, so it’s probably nothing serious, but it’s definitely worth getting him checked out. :)

Well, he might have something stuck in his throat, or it could be something more serious, or then again, it might be nothing at all. The only person who can really tell if it’s serious or not is the vet.