My spayed kitten is wheezing and gagging a week later, should I worry?

Hi. The tube that go down the throat for anesthesia can cause irritation to the throat area for a few days, but not this bad. It may be something totally unrelated. She could have an upper respiratory infection, allergies, hair ball, cardiac disease, and more. If it has been 4 days, i recommend that you see your veterinarian as soon as you can. If they aren't open, I would recommend the ER

Some animals can have increased respiratory noise after anesthesia from the endotracheal tube. However if the noise does not go away, she seems to have difficulty breathing, has an increased breathing rate or effort or seems lifeless/lethargic then your cat needs to be seen by veterinarian as soon as possible because this could indicate serious complications such as pneumonia.

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. It sounds as if her pain is not well controlled. I would contact your vet about this and have additional pain medications prescribed. Rapid breathing and trouble urinating could be signs of pain especially after a spay procedure. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

It sounds like possible side effects due to the anesthesia, the raspy voice and the fact she is eating pureed food might be because of the intubation done during anesthesia. the sleepiness might be because of the pain killers if she is taking any. if she is the same on Monday you should take her back to your vet just to make sure everything is fine.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I would say that occasional episodes of rapid breathing are not necessarily a cause to panic. Do take note of the timing though. Does it seem to be when the pain medication is wearing off or has it started since stopping pain medication? If so, talk to your vet. Some cats just need a few extra days of pain medication. Certain medications are also ok to give more often but ALWAYS ask your vet first as some of them are very UNSAFE to give more often. Of course, always watch attitude and appetite and if anything else seems amiss (coughing, difficulty breathing, etc), head to the vet right away. Best of luck to you and Sophie!

Let your veterinarian know what she's doing, if you can get a video of it to show them that would be extremely helpful as well. That way they can opt to examine her throat for any abnormalities that might interfere with her safety during anesthesia, either ahead of the appointment for spaying or the day of surgery and decide if it is in her best interest to proceed..

It may be unrelated to her surgery, but this sounds like her respiratory function is compromised. This could be due to feline asthma, bacterial pneumonia or something similar. Respiratory distress in cats can be dangerous so I would bring her in to a veterinarian ASAP. They will likely do some chest x-rays and possibly some blood work to look for signs of infection. Good luck!