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HCM? Please help

cchloerun

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My little Lillet (about 2 yrs old) began coughing/hacking this am and has been doing it all day. I am extremely worried about her, and remember reading an HCM journal of a poor kitty hacking and basically drowning in fluid:-( She seems a little lethargic and off, but is eating and giving love when I hold her.
I recorded the sound of her coughing on my iphone but can not get the file to play here, so anyone that wants me to send them the sound clip, please pm me your cell #? I know that's an odd request, but I can't think of any other way to let someone else listen to it :-(
She looks like she is going to throw up but nothing comes up, just a semi raspy cough that is gone as suddenly as it comes. Besides the coughing at times, and being a bit standoffish, she is acting normal.


I don't know if I should take her in and if so what I should ask for?
Please, anyone with any advice, I would greatly appreciate it. She is my heart.
776.jpg
 

Mews2much

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Take her to the vet.
There are other other things it could be also.
My Coco does that and she has asthma.
Is she a rescue or from a breeder?
If she is from a breeder you can check her ped for HCM pos cats.
 

ilovemysphynx

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So sorry to hear your Lillet is not feeling well. I would not jump to HCM there are lots of other things this could be.Any other symptoms? Has she eaten anything? Once our Athena did this and it turned out she had eaten a wishbone that I had saved from our turkey. It could be allergies, asthma, a cold.
How is she now? If she is still coughing I would call the vet for a appt. and have her checked out. Please keep us posted on her, and remember we are all here.
 

cchloerun

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Thank you everyone for replying :) She is still doing the same random cough- she's done it 3 times since 8 this am. I have called to make her an appointment but they can't get her in until tuesday :-( I am also curious if I should just forgo the regular vet and make her an appointment with a cardiologist for an echo? I did some research last night and it seems and echo is best for determining HCM- though a variety of tests with the echo is ideal.
I am trying not to freak out prematurely, but my friend lost her Sphynx last year due to HCM and the vets did nothing for her. Nothing. She had to try and do all her own research to find out what was wrong with her.
This is such an awful disease that has robbed so many people and cats of their time and the long lives they should have had together :-(
 

gizmo6370

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It's never bad to make an appoinment for an echo....if there is something wrong....you've got it early....so they can start early treatment...if there is nothing wrong....it's great to know also :ThumbsUp:
 

MissMySphynxBoys

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Unless Lillet symptoms worsen or she starts coughing up lots of phlem or begins panting like a dog, I would wait until you can see her vet. Cats get colds and suffer from seasonal allergies too. I know it's hard but try not to worry yourself too much over HCM. If she does have it, there isn't much you can do but continue to love her with all your heart and make sure she is comfortable. One of my boys lived for 16 1/2 with a mild HCM. Were Lillet's parents screened for HCM? If you're in contact with Lillet's breeder you could ask if her parents are still screening negative or if any of her litter mates ever developed symptoms.
 

susi794

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She could have lots of things--herpes, bordatella, allergies, asthma, etc. You need a vet to tell you for sure--if they even can. I agree with gizmo that it's never a bad idea to get an echo done, but I would also check other things--go to your vet on Tuesday as planned. Do you give your kitty L Lysine? If not, I would start--just in case it is a flare up of herpes--if so it will help, if not, it won't hurt.
 

Nofuratu

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Have you tried looking inside her mouth and especially under her tongue to rule out a foreign body? Someone mentioned a chicken bone prob. with one of their cats.

If they have something stuck in their throat they can just randomly cough for days and gag. Ive seen cats with sewing needles stuck in the back of their throat do occasional gagging coughing, that doesnt appear too serious, and the owners wait a couple of days to get them into the clinic because the cats seem fine other than the cough, til they stop eating.

Also it may sound silly and obvious, but do you have any other pets with fur? Could be a hairball. We feed science diet hairball control and everyone at the pet store thinks its hilarious because they've seen our sphynx....and we have to explain we have a regular hairy cat that Nofuratu grooms.
You can get hairball treatment from the vet or pet store that is like a caramel gel in a tube that they lick off your finger. There are also cat treats with pineapple extract which breaks down hairballs.

Definetely look inside your cats mouth, and best of luck...it may just be something silly. I think everyone is right though, telling you to book an echo, since you will probably want to do one regardless just to check things out..
 

MissMySphynxBoys

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Have you tried looking inside her mouth and especially under her tongue to rule out a foreign body? Someone mentioned a chicken bone prob. with one of their cats.

If they have something stuck in their throat they can just randomly cough for days and gag. Ive seen cats with sewing needles stuck in the back of their throat do occasional gagging coughing, that doesnt appear too serious, and the owners wait a couple of days to get them into the clinic because the cats seem fine other than the cough, til they stop eating.

Also it may sound silly and obvious, but do you have any other pets with fur? Could be a hairball. We feed science diet hairball control and everyone at the pet store thinks its hilarious because they've seen our sphynx....and we have to explain we have a regular hairy cat that Nofuratu grooms.
You can get hairball treatment from the vet or pet store that is like a caramel gel in a tube that they lick off your finger. There are also cat treats with pineapple extract which breaks down hairballs.

Definetely look inside your cats mouth, and best of luck...it may just be something silly. I think everyone is right though, telling you to book an echo, since you will probably want to do one regardless just to check things out..



Good advice on the hairballs, Nofuratu. I almost forgot that one of my boys used to wretch up hairballs on a fairly regular basis. Tanker was a friend to all and would groom our other cats, dogs and even guinea pigs. He never did manage to make it to the linoleum though....​
 

cchloerun

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Thank you all for replying!!! I had been worried sick!!! Our appointment got moved back but she stopped coughing so much so I didn't feel a huge rush anymore.
The vet took a good 5 minutes listening to her heart (she had to keep turning on the faucet so Lillet would stop purring and could hear her heart lol). She said she couldn't hear a murmur and her heart sounded perfect. I know that not all HCM kitties have a murmur, but I have read a lot do, so I got some peace of mind (please if I'm wrong correct me).

She is doing great right now and I think she just got the lovely chronic bordatella bronchiseptica that my Sphynx Moof has had chronically since I rescued him yrs ago. He is the one that is always snotting everywhere and coughing (but in perfect heath otherwise) and all of my other kitties just seem to get bouts of it every now and again. It's weird...
:Dizzy:
 

MissMySphynxBoys

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Thank you all for replying!!! I had been worried sick!!! Our appointment got moved back but she stopped coughing so much so I didn't feel a huge rush anymore.
The vet took a good 5 minutes listening to her heart (she had to keep turning on the faucet so Lillet would stop purring and could hear her heart lol). She said she couldn't hear a murmur and her heart sounded perfect. I know that not all HCM kitties have a murmur, but I have read a lot do, so I got some peace of mind (please if I'm wrong correct me).

She is doing great right now and I think she just got the lovely chronic bordatella bronchiseptica that my Sphynx Moof has had chronically since I rescued him yrs ago. He is the one that is always snotting everywhere and coughing (but in perfect heath otherwise) and all of my other kitties just seem to get bouts of it every now and again. It's weird...
:Dizzy:

Glad to hear Lillet is feeling better! Yeah!
 
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