Why is my cat trying to meow but no sound comes out for days?

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. Both put strain on the vocal cords. Laryngitis can also be due to other underlying medical conditions such as throat infections, allergies, tonsillitis, pneumonia, 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.