My cat is losing her voice. Is it serious or can I wait to see a vet?

I would wait it out at this point in time because he is eating and drinking normally, using the litter, and acting normally otherwise. He might have a respiratory infection, and losing his voice is the only sign. I would keep an eye on him for the next 72 hours. If he still has no voice at that point, then I would take him into the vet for an exam. Should he develop other signs in these 72 hours, such as stopping eating and drinking, then I would take him into the vet sooner. Hopefully, his voice will return on it's own.

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.

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!

No reason to think otherwise at this point in time if Sgt. Katherine Pepper (LOVE her name!) is acting normally. If other symptoms do appear like ones you mentioned above or her meow does not come back in 48 hours, then have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

Margo could have something lodged in her throat or this could be a sign of nausea. As long as she is eating and not vomiting I think it’s probably okay to wait until Monday. If she has any other symptoms or seems to be getting worse you should see your vet sooner.

If she is still eating and drinking and not coughing, then she may just have a mild laryngitis. I would watch her closely and it will likely heal on its own. Allergies during the changing of season can cause this as well. You can contact your vet for the appropriate dose of children's Benadryl for her to help speed her healing. I hope this helps.

There is not anything specific to do and it should go back to normal with time. An upper respiratory infection or a growth in the throat can also cause a voice change, so if Pickles has nasal or eye discharge, or if she is also swallowing frequently or breathing abnormally I'd recommend having her examined by your vet.