Something in throat?

Dr. Marie replied:

Oh dear, I am sorry to hear that Abbey is having these problems. She really sounds unwell.

Any time a cat does not want to eat it can be a sign of a serious problem.

With the symptoms of hacking and then blood there are a few possibilities as to what is going on. It is possible that she has an upper respiratory tract virus. If so, if we can get her to eat then she may pull through this on her own. Some things you can try in order to get her to eat include:

-heating up some canned cat food.
-making a soup by adding water to canned food.
-placing some food in her mouth to give her the taste
-offering baby food (with no onions or garlic)

However, it's also possible that there is something much more serious going on. When we see blood from the nose and the mouth I wonder about the possibility of a foreign object lodged in the mouth or nose, or an infection affecting the mouth or nose. A tooth root infection can cause bleeding in the mouth and nose. Unfortunately if this is the case, she likely will not improve without vet care and may need to have the tooth removed.

Sometimes when there is bleeding in the mouth and nose this can mean a cancer affecting the nasal cavity. This is a little unusual in a cat of this age, but still possible. Unfortunately there is no good treatment for this.

Will she let you have a good look at her mouth? Try to look as far back as possible on the roof of her mouth to see if you can see any penetrating wound (like a stick stuck in there). Also, if possible see if you can look under her tongue to see if there is any string or thread in that area.

Pneumonia is also possible but shouldn't cause bleeding in the mouth.

Another possibility is exposure to rat or mouse poison. This can cause bleeding from multiple areas.

Ultimately, as we both know, this cat really needs to see a veterinarian. In some areas, the humane society will help out if there are financial concerns. You can also look into some of the following resources:

http://askavetquestion.com/blog/need-help-paying-for-veterinary-bills/

I really hope she is ok!

Dr. Marie.



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