My talkative cat lost his voice. How can I soothe his sore throat?

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.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Ollie. Upper respiratory infections (URI) in cats is extremely common. Kittens get infected from their mothers who start shedding the viruses thus infecting the kittens. Many cats live their whole lives carrying these viruses. They will occasionally develop signs of upper respiratory infections during times of stress at any point in time. We vaccinate for a few of these upper respiratory viruses but we still see many many cases. The vaccines should provide some protection and usually adult cats develop very mild signs. Signs of URIs- loss of voice or harsh sounding meows, sneezing, runny eyes/nose, fever/lethargy, decreased appetite, etc. Treating these infections can range from very simple to very complex cases that take weeks to months to improve. Possible treatment involves monitoring only or more in-depth treatment with antibiotics, antiviral medicines, a good deworming program and vaccination program, eye drops/eye ointments, nose drops, a nutritional supplement called L-lysine added to the food may help, and probiotics are all things to try. If Ollie continues to act normal (eats, drinks, goes to the bathroom and doesn't develop more signs or a worsening of the signs present), you can just monitor him. Hopefully, the change in the voice is self-limiting, but if not have your vet evaluate him. Good luck with Ollie.

If the cat has laryngitis it will usually resolve on it's own over time with no treatment. Cats are very sensitive to medications so it is not recommend you give him anything over the counter. If the laryngitis is just from overuse of the voice box or a temporary illness like a URI no treatment is needed. If the laryngitis is due to an underlying condition then he will need an extensive workup to figure out what is going on. I suggest you do nothing but monitor him for a couple weeks and if no improvement, then you should get him to your vet for an exam. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Hi there. Thank you for using PetCoach! Great question! Most likely Toby has a mild upper respiratory infection. Sometimes all you notice is a hoarse meow or a change in the sound of the meow and nothing else (like sneezing, ocular discharge, etc). I would suggest you give him a lysine supplement to help boost his immune system. https://www.amazon.in/Optixcare-L-Lysine-Chews-60-count/dp/B00F410QHW/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1516116386&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=lsyine If this doesn't help or he gets worse then I would recommend you get Toby to your vet for an exam. Hope this helps. Best wishes!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This sign is often secondary to an upper respiratory tract inflammation/infection or possibly to a pharyngitis (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!

I’m sorry your normally chatty cat is now quiet! It’s possible that some of the fiberglass may have caused some irritation/inflammation in the back of Trigger’s throat. If he is eating/acting normally otherwise, and no changes have been noted in his breathing (no noise when breathing, no increased effort with breathing) then this is not an emergency. However I would Recommend that you get him to your vet when you can for a thorough physical exam. They may recommend a sedated oral/ pharyngeal exam to see if they can identfy a cause for the voice change. At home, you can try using a humidifier to keep moisture in the air which may soothe his airways a bit. I don’t see any reason why the new kitten would contribute to this particular issue. If he isn’t eating, seems lethargic or has any increase in his respiratory effort, please seek emergency care for him. Thanks for asking Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, I would recommend a check up as medications will speed recovery up. In the meantime, you can encourage Cocoa to eat by offering small amount of soft food slightly warmed up, try white fish, pilchards in tomato sauce, tuna in water, or plain boiled chicken. Hope Cocoa feels better soon !