My cat choked, struggled to breathe, then collapsed. What happened?

It could be Larz vomited so hard that he passed out. Certain stimuli (such as vomiting like Larz did) affect the vagus nerve which has receptors in many areas of the body including the esophagus and stomach. This, in turn, causes an overload to a part of the nervous system leading to a rapid drop in the heart rate and blood pressure resulting in fainting. I'd keep a close eye on him, and if he vomits again, have him seen by a vet.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sometimes when we, or animals, vomit, as cats sometimes do with hairballs, this can put pressure on a nerve that runs through the stomach that can cause us to become weak and defecate due to changes in blood pressure. If this was the case then Blaze should have returned to normally very quickly after the episode and be 100% normal now. The other possible cause is that Blaze could have an underlying heart condition that is causing a weakness, or could have aspirated (some of the vomit went into his lungs). If Blaze is still breathing up, or acting abnormally, or if the collapse episodes occur again, I would have him into the vet right away. If he is completely normal now then I would just monitor him and have your vet check out Blaze's heart at your next exam for vaccines. Best of luck with Blaze.

This very concerning. Your kitty could have had an epileptic seizure or a so-called syncope. Syncopes are caused by the brain not getting enough oxygenized blood, which in turn causes the cat to get unconscious, or a seizure like episode. These syncopes are often caused by heart disease or, in a case of a young animal, it could be a sign of a congenital defect. I suggest you make an appointment with your veterinarian for an exam, and do mention this episode to your vet. You may want to write down the particulars, so your vet gets as accurate a description as possible from you. This said, it also may have just been a one-time occurrence, with unknown cause.

This definitely seems suspicious of an airway blockage. If this was the first time you've seen this, then it would be good to try and check inside his mouth to see if anything is visible. It's best to do this with two people - where one holds a flashlight and looks, while the other holds the mouth open. If you see something, then I recommend taking him to the vet to get it removed, because if you attempt to remove it at home, you have a chance of pushing it further into the throat. If he has had something like this happen before, then I would be suspicious of a nasopharyngeal polyp (a soft mass that can develop in the throat), which can cause them to choke every once in a while. This would have to be diagnosed and treated by a veterinarian. The other possibility is that he got his claw stuck in his collar. This happens sometimes when they are scratching and can cause them to panic like this. If he is getting better, then I would not worry too much right now. It wouldn't hurt to get him checked-out by a vet sometime in the next week, to make sure that this won't happen again. I hope that helps and all goes well.

Hi, has Carols heart been checked over ? If so and everything appears to be well, it could be that Carlos is suffering with a neurological episode, a partial seizure.A neurological exam and advanced imaging such an MRI or CT scan will be able together with more specific blood tests and spinal tap, to give more detailed information. However since he has random episodes and he other ways may be normal, I would recommend to film him once he has an episode so that his vet can have a look at it and see exactly what is happening. Hope this helps.

Your cat sounds critically ill and should be seen by a vet ASAP. Open-mouth breathing is always an emergency in cats - it is a sign of respiratory distress. It is difficult to say what the cause is without doing some testing, but possibilities include cancer, pneumonia, asthma, or heart failure.

Poor Spice! These breathing problems could be caused by heart disease, respiratory disease, or cancer among others. This is quite a serious symptom in senior cats, as there are a number of severe diseases that can cause this, and I would have Spice seen today for a physical exam, a geriatric blood panel, urinalysis, and x-rays. Once the cause of her breathing difficulties are found, the vet can discuss treatment options.