My cat's meow is hoarse and raspy when he wakes up. Is it serious?

This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a chronic pharingitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics 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.

Voice change can be caused by many things. Cats do not get colds like people do. Most cats are exposed to several upper respiratory viruses over their lifetime that can flare up occasionally causing sneezing, runny eyes or nose, and occasionally voice change. A change can also occur with anything going on with the larynx (voice box) including trauma, masses (benign or malignant), nerve or muscle disorders, etc. Additionally some cats who have asthma or heartworm disease may manifest this with a voice change. So, if your kitty is exhibiting any other symptoms and/or is not feeling well the best plan would be to have your family vet examine her. If upper respiratory virus related and she is otherwise normal it may run its course in a few days to a week. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

If your cat is otherwise happy, healthy, and eating, drinking, and acting normally, I would not be too concerned. If however your cat is not acting like herself she may have an upper respiratory infection or something going on. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign could be compatible with an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a chronic laryngitis (inflammatory, allergic, infective). A clinical examination at your local veterinarian is essential to confirm these clinical suspicions and treat appropriately. Antibiotics 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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

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!

Hello. It sounds like your kitten has a respiratory infection. Kittens are prone to lots of different infections but I would have her seen by your vet as soon as you can because she probably needs medication to clear whatever is causing the raspy breathing. There is also a chance she could have feline asthma and they can check for that with an x-ray. Best of luck to you and your kitten!

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The signs you are describing are definitely concerning. The change in meow and what sounds like difficulty breathing can be caused by nasal polyps, masses, or infections. I recommend having Josie seen by a vet as soon as possible. She may need x-rays or further imaging to determine exactly what is going on. I hope this helps and that Josie feels better soon!