My cat is retching and has a swollen windpipe. Should I see a vet?

This is an emergency. Your kitty could have a severe allergic reaction, or a snake bite or serious injury (maybe because of a collision with a car). He needs to be seen by a veterinarian right away. Please take him to a PetEr right now as this sounds life-threatening.

If she has been swollen around her bladder, then this could just be an actually problem like a hernia or something benign like a fat pad. Since she is vomiting and then swelling has been there for awhile now, I would have her checked out at least once to ensure it looks okay. Your vet will be able to tell you whether it is anything to worry with or just to continue to watch. The vomiting could be a complication of a hernia or a different problem like hairballs, eating food too fast, an infection, etc. I hope this helps!

I would be as concerned as you at this point. I don't think I would wait 2 days before bringing Milo back in (or consider another vet) to have x-rays taken. It does sound like there could potentially be something stuck in the esophagus. I hope not, but if there is, and you wait 2 days to recheck, there could be perforation of the esophagus, which can be quite serious. If you have access to a veterinary specialist in your area, I would consider going. They can anesthetize Milo and use an endoscope to look down into the esophagus and retrieve anything that could be stuck there.

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.

He likely knocked his throat hard enough that eating or swallowing is irritating the vagus nerve and causes retching. You should monitor this and if it does not get better by tomorrow or if he has breathing problems, he will need to be seen by a veterinarian or at a petER. In the case of respiratory problems this is an emergency and he needs to be seen right away.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Coughing after eating is not normal and can have several medical causes such as an upper respiratory infection, feline asthma or bronchitis, or a heart condition. If he has swollen lymph nodes, there may be something infectious or inflammatory going on. I would recommend Susie see her veterinarian again for an exam to make sure there is nothing more serious at play. Your veterinarian may take chest x-rays to help with making a diagnosis. I hope this helps and I hope Susie feels better soon!

This definitely seems suspicious of an airway blockage. If this was the first time you've seen this, then it would be good to try and check inside his mouth to see if anything is visible. It's best to do this with two people - where one holds a flashlight and looks, while the other holds the mouth open. If you see something, then I recommend taking him to the vet to get it removed, because if you attempt to remove it at home, you have a chance of pushing it further into the throat. If he has had something like this happen before, then I would be suspicious of a nasopharyngeal polyp (a soft mass that can develop in the throat), which can cause them to choke every once in a while. This would have to be diagnosed and treated by a veterinarian. The other possibility is that he got his claw stuck in his collar. This happens sometimes when they are scratching and can cause them to panic like this. If he is getting better, then I would not worry too much right now. It wouldn't hurt to get him checked-out by a vet sometime in the next week, to make sure that this won't happen again. I hope that helps and all goes well.