What to Do If Your Cat Is Choking

What to Do If Your Cat Is Choking

Reva Siu-Masset

13 January 2021

This article will discuss in depth: tips for prevention, first responses when your cat is choking, and aftercare. If your cat is currently choking, I recommend watching this video for a quick guide demonstrated by a veterinarian. If your cat is choking on string, refer to this video instead.

Once in a while, your cat may surprise you with a brief gagging episode as they hack up a hairball. Cats do this to expel the fur that they swallow when grooming themselves and, while disturbing, is not usually a cause for concern unless it gets stuck in their throat. To prevent this from happening, it is best to groom them regularly or you can introduce food into their diet which is specifically catered to improve your cat’s fur and minimize shedding. You may also want to restrict their access to choking hazards around the home such as small trinkets and strings, which they might like to play with, or keep these items in the same room as you so you can supervise your cat as they play. Also take care not to feed your cat anything too big for them to swallow, and pay attention to the feeding instructions on the package of cat food.

Though an occasional gagging fit is not unusual for cats, do pay attention if this lasts for an unusually long time. Panicking, panting, drooling, or pawing their mouth are all signs that they may be seriously choking on something. Before proceeding with anything, you want to identify what it is they’re choking on and make sure they aren’t just coughing over something that “went down the wrong pipe.” You can do this by opening their mouths and looking down their throat to check for foreign objects (you might restrain them first to avoid getting scratched).

If you cannot find anything, you should still take them to the vet to have them checked. Do NOT sweep your fingers back and forth as you would for dogs, since their throats might be too small for this. For the same reason, if you do locate a foreign object, try to remove it with tweezers instead of your fingers. If the object they are choking on is string, then you may be able to simply pull it out with a good enough grip on it. If you experience resistance at any point while pulling, stop it immediately--The string has likely caught on something in the stomach or throat and may need to be surgically removed.

If your cat has stopped breathing while on the way to the vet, or if you suspect they might, you may perform a heimlich maneuver to dislodge the object. Similarly to how it is performed on humans, begin by making a fist and placing it on your cat’s stomach below the ribcage and then push in and upwards. Do this two to three times before checking if the object has dislodged enough for you to reach.

Choking can be a traumatic experience for you and your pet. Even if you are able to dislodge the object they were choking on, always take your cat to a vet after a choking incident to ensure that no damage was done by performing a heimlich, CPR, or the obstruction itself.

Bibliography

1. First Aid for Life. “Choking Cat - What to Do | First Aid for Pets.” YouTube video, 02:30. Jan 6, 2017. https://youtu.be/v_wsV8ADwvs.

2. Moore, Arden. “What to do if your cat is choking,” YouTube video, 01:54. May 8, 2019. https://youtu.be/l-pOLrwIY0E.

3. Vets Now. 2017. “My cat or kitten is choking and gagging, what should I do about it?” Last modified January 31, 2020.

4. WebMD. 2020. “What to Do About Hairballs in Cats.”

5. Pet Health Network. 2012. “Gross! Why do Cats Cough Up Hairballs?”