My cat is throwing up, gagging, and struggling to breathe. What to do?

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I'm sorry to hear that Mittens has been vomiting and is now coughing. Cats can vomit for a number of reasons, including trying to vomit a hairball, eating something they shouldn't have, gastrointestinal obstruction, infection, inflammation, or even cancer. From the information you provided, my concern is that Mittens may have aspirated (taken fluid into the lungs) during one of these vomiting episodes, and is now coughing as a result. Aspiration pneumonia can be a scary thing in cats, and especially if Mittens is not acting himself or wanting to eat, I would recommend bringing him to your veterinarian to be examined. If your veterinarian determines that he has abnormal lung sounds, he/she may recommend blood work and chest x-rays to look for evidence of pneumonia. If present, they will likely start Mittens on some antibiotics. There are other possibilities for Mitten's cough including bronchitis or an upper airway infection, which should also be managed by a veterinarian. I hope this is helpful!

Vader might have eaten something spoiled that is causing this. withhold food for 12 hours then offer him boiled boneless chicken and rice every 6 hours in small portions. if he is eating and not vomiting, continue with this diet for 2 days. After 2 days, you can put him back gradually on his normal food. If he continues vomiting or is not eating, take him to the vet to get treatment.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Poor Elvis! I wonder if Elvis is actually coughing. When cats are coughing they sound like they are going to bring up a hairball or vomit but don't or white foam comes up. Coughing in cats commonly indicates asthma. Check his breathing when he is at rest or asleep ideally. If he is breathing with belly effort or his respiratory rate is greater than 40/min he should go to a Vet immediately. I am worried about Elvis, if he is truly trying to vomit possible causes are: foreign body obstruction (requiring surgery to remove), pancreatitis, metabolic condition like kidney failure, viral or bacterial infections, intestinal disease (IBD or cancer). Since he is not eating and is lethargic I recommend taking Elivis to the vet for an exam, blood work and possibly X-rays. If you can video tape the attempting to vomit episodes it may be helpful for your Vet. I hope this helps and I wish Elvis a speedy recovery!

I understand that, but Mimu is having trouble breathing so it's a medical emergency. This will be very distressing to him, and it may be he is having heart problems such as heart failure. Heart failure will cause fluid to build up back in his lungs, causing labored breathing. If he does have this and it's left untreated, he will literally drown in fluid in his lungs. You do not want to do that to him, so you need to bring him into a vet immediately. If he does have heart failure, there are medications that can be prescribed to make him more comfortable and diminish his symptoms. Please take him into a vet now. Best of luck.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian as soon as possible as it looks like a severe upper respiratory infection. Sometimes when untreated, they can result in pneumonia. They are likely going to start him on antibiotics right away. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sometimes when we, or animals, vomit, as cats sometimes do with hairballs, this can put pressure on a nerve that runs through the stomach that can cause us to become weak and defecate due to changes in blood pressure. If this was the case then Blaze should have returned to normally very quickly after the episode and be 100% normal now. The other possible cause is that Blaze could have an underlying heart condition that is causing a weakness, or could have aspirated (some of the vomit went into his lungs). If Blaze is still breathing up, or acting abnormally, or if the collapse episodes occur again, I would have him into the vet right away. If he is completely normal now then I would just monitor him and have your vet check out Blaze's heart at your next exam for vaccines. Best of luck with Blaze.

I'm sorry that Mo isn't feeling well! I recommend having him seen by a vet as soon as possible to determine what is going on. Trouble breathing is considered a medical emergency, and Mo should be seen immediately if you believe this is happening. Labored breathing in cats can be caused by pain, lung issues, or obstructions. I hope this helps and that all is well with Mo!