My cat is gagging, wetting lips, and can't meow anymore. What's wrong?

These signs could be compatible with an inflammation infection of the gastrointestinal system and surrounding organs (like pancreas and liver). He may experience nausea at this stage. A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is immediately essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics and possibly further investigations (like abdominal imaging as ultrasound or radiographs) may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

Vomiting and increased vocalizations can sometimes indicate pain or distress. This could be due to GI upset, underlying illness, etc. If the symptoms continue, worsen, or you see additional issues such as increased vomiting, attempting to urinate or defecate but can't, loss of appetite, etc, then it would be best to seek veterinary care ASAP to find the underlying issue.

Hello, sorry to hear about Willy, it certainly does sound as if something could be going on. With his clinical signs, you may choose to investigate any abnormalities within the GI tract but also diseases outside of the GI tract. This can be done with baseline bloodwork, x-rays of his belly and even an abdominal ultrasound. Most likely rule outs would be a viral or parasitic infection, inflammatory bowel disease, dietary indiscretion, liver disease, or pancreatitis. Have your veterinarian evaluate Willy if these signs persist as soon as possible. Hope this helps and best of luck

Your cat may have laryngitis, which is an inflammation of the larynx or "voice box". Signs of laryngitis include hoarseness and/or loss of voice. The most common causes of laryngitis are excessive vocalization and chronic[ coughing](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/coughing). Both put strain on the vocal cords. Laryngitis can also be due to other underlying medical conditions such as throat infections, [allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/feline-allergies/), tonsillitis, [pneumonia](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/pneumonia-1/), tracheobronchitis, foreign bodies and rarely tumors. Since it has been three days since your cat's symptoms began, I recommend having him evaluated by your veterinarian to check for throat infections or other sources of irritation of the larynx. You may need to feed a soft, bland diet and keep him as stress free as possible during his treatment and recovery.

Sometimes a viral upper respiratory infection can affect the back of the throat and cause swelling that could affect your cat’s ability to meow. Difficulty swallowing can also occur when something is lodged in the esophagus or if there is a problem with a tooth. I’m glad Lily ate some chicken, but if her normal appetite does not return soon I’d recommend seeing your vet for an examination.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I'm sorry to hear Nacho is having issues. A decrease in vocalization can be due to a variety of reasons, including an upper respiratory infection, a growth in the back of the throat, tracheal irritation, or another underlying issue. I would recommend having him evaluated by your regular veterinarian to determine what the underlying cause may be, and to determine a treatment plan if needed. Good luck!

Sometimes a raspy voice in a cat could be due to a respiratory infection. It’s sounds like Barney is getting better, so I would hold off on a vet for now. If the raspiness gets worse or he develops other signs such as lethargy, anorexia, coughing, or sneezing, then I would take him into the vet. I hope this helps!