What to do if a cat is choking - how to help your pet in time?

If a bone or other foreign object is stuck in a cat's throat, the condition is accompanied by severe coughing, drooling, and the inability to swallow food. The owner must be able to recognize when the animal is reflexively coughing up grass or fur, and if the condition is dangerous and first aid should be provided to the pet. And also know when it is necessary to urgently contact a veterinary clinic.

Veterinarians categorically do not recommend giving your pet meat with bones, since bone fragments are the main reason why a cat chokes and can die.

Symptoms and signs.

You can identify the problem by some of the symptoms and signs that the animal exhibits.

• The animal may cough constantly. This will continue until the bone comes out.
• The cat is breathing frequently and heavily. This symptom may also indicate other diseases, but if the pet ate fish or meat the day before, the cause may well be a bone.
• Vomiting. The cat will try to regurgitate the bone. Constant gagging indicates a stuck bone.
• Profuse salivation. The drool may hang directly from the mouth without the cat's mouth being tightly closed.
• The animal tries to pull out the bone on its own. In this case, the cat can move its paw along its face, as if trying to pull out a bone.

Useful tips

Recommendations from specialists will help facilitate the examination of the animal, provide it with more qualified assistance in a critical situation and save a choking cat:

• When examining the mouth, use a flashlight, this will make it possible to quickly detect a foreign object.
• A pet can bite even if it is almost unconscious, so you should be careful.
• A choking cat may die from asphyxia. What the outcome of the incident will be largely depends on the speed of reaction of the pet’s owners.

When calling for help, the veterinarian may administer anesthesia to make it easier to examine the animal and get a good look at the foreign body in the mouth. In some cases, an x-ray, the use of an oxygen mask, and immobilization of the cat are necessary.

What to do if your cat has a bone stuck in its throat?

Naturally, the best solution is to go to a veterinary clinic. Almost every city has at least one 24-hour veterinary clinic. There is always a doctor on duty there. He will conduct an inspection and take the necessary measures.

Some people first try to remove the bone from the animal’s throat on their own. This is not always possible. The animal may show aggression and it will not be possible to examine it carefully. The cat may bite or scratch its owner. Therefore, it is better to immediately contact a specialist. Many people are interested in the question, what to do if a cat has a fish bone stuck in its throat?

What can happen if you remove a bone yourself?

Attempts to independently remove bone fragments always end in a positive response. The most common complications include:

1. Perforation of the esophagus or bronchus with subsequent damage to the mediastinum.
2. Inflammation in the area where it is stuck with suppuration and abscess formation.
3. Traumatization of surrounding tissues.

Due to difficult visualization and technical difficulties of self-harvesting, it is not always possible to remove the bone in full.

If your cat has a fish bone stuck

Despite the fact that the cat's jaw and mucous membranes are adapted to eating and chewing even large fish bones, there are times when the bone gets stuck in the throat. This is why veterinarians do not recommend giving domestic cats heads and tails from fish, as well as vertebral bones. They are the ones that most often get stuck in a cat's throat.

If such a problem arises, the animal will refuse to eat, cough, and try to pull out the foreign body with its paw. There is also regular gagging and excessive salivation.

In this case, you need to contact the nearest veterinary clinic. Specialists will help remove the bone from the throat and prescribe treatment if necessary.

Advice from experts

The most serious problem that can arise from a bone is suffocation . In this case, the cat’s mucous membranes acquire a specific shade, and it becomes extremely difficult for the animal to breathe. This is a consequence of airway obstruction. In this case, it is best to take the animal to a specialist as soon as possible . Minutes can count!

In some cases, a foreign object can cause damage to internal organs . Most often, this problem occurs if the bone is not only quite large and heavy, but also sharp. In this case, any problems may arise.

It should also be remembered that all actions to remove bone from the throat and mouth require professional skills .

Special technical equipment may be required. Without it, it will be quite difficult to get a foreign object, so you should take any action yourself only if there is no time left to call a veterinarian. Then you should start acting on your own, but it would not be superfluous to at least call the veterinarian and find out how best to do this before starting to remove a foreign object from the oral cavity.

IMPORTANT! It is also worth remembering that many cats begin to panic when they are suffocating. This seriously complicates the process of providing assistance. The cat begins to actively break free from his hands and tries to run away.

If you still managed to clear the airways of foreign objects, then after that you need to give the cat artificial respiration. It is best to do this through the nose. Before doing this, it is recommended to remove fluid from the mouth using a clean cloth. You should also place the cat so that its mouth is lower than body level . This will prevent saliva from getting into your throat.

If a chicken bone is stuck

This is the most dangerous type of bone. In nature, cats often catch birds and eat them. Their jaws are capable of crunching hard bones and swallowing them. A domestic cat cannot always cope with such food. Therefore, many veterinarians do not recommend giving chicken bones to pets. Their fragments can get stuck in the throat or scratch it.

If a chicken bone gets stuck in a cat's throat, the animal will exhibit all the signs described above. To remove this residue from the throat, you must contact a veterinary clinic. The specialist will remove the bone from the throat and give recommendations on proper nutrition for the cat.

How does a pet behave if it chokes on some food?

The cat choked on a fish bone

Typically, an animal will get into trouble if its diet contains food that contains hard or semi-solid parts, such as bones. Veterinarians do not recommend giving cats this food. It is better to feed them only soft parts of fish or meat. You can't rely on your pet's teeth.

The first priority for a person is to identify symptoms that indicate that a kitten or adult animal is choking. To do this, you need to take a closer look at your pet. If he chokes on, for example, a fish bone, the following symptoms usually appear:

• The presence of a hard object in your pet's throat is indicated by the urge to vomit. If the bone is stuck deep, then the cat’s attempts to remove the bone by vomiting will increase, but they will not bring success.
• Usually in this state he cannot swallow small pieces of food or drink water. Panicking cat can't swallow his own saliva.
• Signs of vomiting may not appear, but severe vomiting may begin. If its intensity is high from the very beginning, it means that the animal actually choked on a solid piece of food.

Sometimes the owner just thinks that something has happened to his pet. Usually a person is mistaken if a cat begins to tremble, has convulsions, opens its mouth, and coughs. It may just be a wave-like cough, which makes it clear that there is trouble in the pet’s respiratory system.

Therefore, a person must be able to distinguish these symptoms from vomiting that appears in a pet when a bone gets into the throat.

If the cat coughs a lot, then you need to call the veterinarian, as this means that the pet has an infectious lesion or stomach disease. Most often, such symptoms appear in a pet due to a cold or gastritis.

Some cats, quite rarely, have an abnormal throat structure that can cause symptoms similar to choking on a hard object. The same urges (vomiting, choking) appear in cats with an allergic lesion, but other symptoms should also arise.

How to remove a bone from a cat's throat at home.

Many owners try to remove a stuck bone from a cat's throat on their own. If the animal does not show aggression, you can try to do this at home.

The first thing the owner does is try to feed the animal with bread crumbs or soft food. If after this the bone still bothers your pet, you can try to remove it with tweezers. This requires the participation of at least two people.

One should fix the cat's head and open its mouth. Many domestic cats allow their owners to do this. The second participant in the process must shine a flashlight into the pet’s throat and carefully examine it.

If the bone is clearly visible and accessible, you can remove it using tweezers. This must be done very carefully and hold your head tightly. If the animal tries to escape at this moment, the mucous membrane of the throat can be damaged.

conclusions

If it was not possible to remove the object, you must urgently take the cat to the clinic.

If the efforts made do not bring results, and it was not possible to remove the foreign object, you must urgently call a veterinarian or take the animal to the clinic , having first reported the problem to the doctor. It is necessary to transport your pet in the most comfortable conditions. Provide adequate access to fresh air. In a hospital setting, the doctor may inject the cat with an anesthetic for a more thorough examination and procedure.

The cat scratched its throat with a bone - what to do?

A bone doesn't always get stuck in a cat's throat. Passing into the esophagus, it can simply scratch the mucous membrane. The animal's behavior and symptoms are often similar to those of a bone stuck in the throat.

Only a specialist can make an accurate diagnosis. Even if the owner, opening the animal’s mouth wide, does not see the bone, this does not mean that it is not there. Only a veterinarian can accurately determine that the throat is scratched.

If he scratches his throat and doesn’t eat, what should I do? In this case, the animal may refuse food for a short period. The veterinarian may prescribe a throat treatment with furatsilin solution.

This can be done at home or visit a clinic. During the healing period, you can offer your pet soft food in the form of porridge, boiled rice, thick soup or soft food. The scratch does not bother the cat for long, and in a day or two the animal will begin to eat normally.

the cat coughs as if he was choking

A cat's 9 lives is a myth that no owner of a furry creature believes in. Cats get sick no less often than dogs or people. They can catch colds, they have allergies, as well as such “human” diseases as diabetes, gastritis, asthma or pneumonia. Why does a cat cough? - let's figure it out!

Many people mistake a cat's cough as a symptom of a cold . A cat may sneeze and cough when sick. Any conscientious owner knows what to do if a cat has caught a cold: give warm drink and food, avoid drafts in the apartment, do not wash it or let it go outside.

Trichobezoars

Fortunately, such a cough does not threaten the cat’s health in any way. She just needs to be switched to a special food or regularly given a paste to dissolve the fur, and the cough will disappear on its own.

Throat injuries

If a cat is used to eating fish or poultry, it is likely that it can injure and scratch its throat with bones. This also includes toys that a cat can chew into “spare parts.”

Microtraumas and scratches cause soreness and coughing, which will go away on its own as the injuries heal. Do not feed your domestic cat meat with bones!

Viral diseases

• The most common cause of cough in young cats is viral diseases, namely rhinotracheitis (herpes virus) and calicivirus. The virus, multiplying in the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx, causes irritation and, accordingly, a sore throat - hence the cough. In addition to coughing, your cat may develop a fever, runny nose, conjunctivitis, and drooling.
• If the cough does not go away within a day or two, take your cat to the doctor. Self-treatment will not help here. The only means of prevention is not “house arrest,” as many believe, but timely vaccination.
• Cats are quite often exposed to a variety of colds. And a cough shows that there are problems in the respiratory system. Not everyone knows what to do if a cat coughs. First of all, it is recommended to understand the reasons.
• Coughing is a natural protective reaction of the body, which occurs when a foreign body enters the respiratory tract. Accordingly, the cat sneezes and coughs. However, this may be a symptom signaling the onset of a disease.

How much does it cost to remove a bone from a cat's throat?

As a rule, this service in clinics is called something like this: “Removal of a foreign body from the pharynx, oral cavity, mouth.”

In Moscow, prices range from 500 to 1500 rubles. You may need to add the cost of the appointment to this, but this needs to be clarified with the chosen clinic.

Addresses of clinics in Moscow providing these services can be viewed at the link: https://zoon.ru/msk/m/izvlechenie_inorodnogo_tela_u_zhivotnogo/

We found information on the website of the Kursk clinic - price from 1100 rubles.

You need to call and check with each specific clinic.

This procedure may cost differently. The cost depends on the complexity of the operation. The price may be affected by the size of the animal, which affects the amount of anesthesia. Veterinary clinics often have a price list that indicates the average cost of such a service. However, it all depends on the specific case.

Pet lost consciousness

If the bone has blocked the cat's airway and he has fallen into an unconscious state, then you cannot waste a second:

• The animal's mouth must be opened as wide as possible.
• After examining the oral cavity, remove the bone or other object using tweezers.
• In an extreme situation, you can use your hands if the owner is confident that he can remove the obstacle.
• When the item is removed, you need to remove the accumulated liquid from the animal’s mouth with a cloth or other clean material. The victim should lie so that the back of the body is higher than the head. This will prevent salivary fluid from flowing into the throat.
• After removing the cat's bone, perform artificial respiration - blow air from the victim's mouth into the nostrils.

The faster and more competently the owner reacts, the higher the pet’s chances of survival.

• how to feed a cat correctly;
• what not to feed cats;
• Why does a cat's fur fall out in clumps?

If a bone is stuck in a kitten's throat.

This option is the most common. It is kittens who most often choke on bones. Inexperienced owners want to accustom their baby to adult food as early as possible. This leads to the fact that the kitten does not chew well the bones that are too heavy for him, and they get stuck.

If a bone is stuck in your kitten's throat, you should immediately contact a veterinarian. The baby is unlikely to cope with this problem on his own. It is not recommended to remove the bone yourself. The kitten's mucous membrane is still very delicate and can be damaged even more.

Tweet

First aid

If your cat eats fish and chokes, don't panic. Sharp and hasty actions can provoke a laryngeal spasm, which can lead to suffocation. Before you do anything, you need to take the following actions :

• Wrap the cat in thick cloth, just so that the head sticks out;
• Apply gentle pressure to the lower jaw and examine the oral cavity. If a fish bone is stuck between your teeth, carefully remove it with tweezers. It is better if one family member holds the cat between his knees while the other removes the bone. Under no circumstances should this be done with your fingers or hand;
• If the foreign object is far away and not visible, hit the cat between the shoulder blades;
• You need to sit on the floor, turn the animal’s head away from you and rhythmically press with your hands on both sides, which will provoke a cough. The cat's bone will come out on its own;
• If the cat is not conscious, then you need to open its mouth wide and carefully remove the bone with tweezers;
• Then you need to tilt the cat head down and use a damp cloth to remove excess liquid;
• After cleaning the oral cavity, artificial respiration should be given to the cat through the nose;
• If an object is stuck in a cat’s throat, if it is sharp and located very deep, you should not remove it yourself if the animal is conscious. You can damage the mucous membrane and cause injury and suppuration;
• If your cat vomits, the bone may come out with it. Especially if she's stuck nearby. But if you feel that you cannot cope with the problem on your own, the cat will need the help of a specialist who will remove the bone;
• If an animal has swallowed petroleum products, acid or a sharp object, it is impossible to induce vomiting. You can remove a bone from a cat by giving it a few tablespoons of vegetable oil, but if you cannot see the object or it is deep, contact a specialist.

© shutterstock
Since the animal’s larynx is very sensitive, if the bone is stuck very deeply, the doctor will be able to remove it professionally. In some cases, the animal may require anesthesia and disinfection. Doctors often encounter similar problems, so removing even deep bones in a cat’s mouth will not be difficult for them.