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Husband won't let me take cat to vet..childrens pet. Cat stopped eating a few days ago. She acts like something is stuck in her throat and keeps trying to hack it up. It sounds worse than trying ot get a hair ball out it's almost a hack with a hiss if that makes sense. Last night blood was coming from her nose and mouth but still with us this morning. No food or water in at least a day. Girls are begging me to help her. I did notice she had been eating birds lately.
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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:
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Disclaimer: Although Dr. Marie is a qualified veterinarian, the information found on this site is not meant to replace the advice of your own veterinarian. AskAVetQuestion.com and Dr. Marie do not accept any responsibility for any loss, damage, injury, death, or disease which may arise from reliance on information contained on this site. Do not use information found on this site for diagnosing or treating your pet. Anything you read here is for information only.
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Veterinarian, Dr. Marie created this site to be able to provide quick, accurate veterinary advice online. She would love to help with your pet's problem!
Dr. Marie is a veterinarian who practices in a busy animal hospital in Ottawa, Ontario. She created Ask A Vet Question as a resource for good, accurate veterinary advice online. Dr. Marie treats dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, and rats. She has been a vet since 1999.
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