Hiccups in cats: harmless hiccups or cause for concern?
A funny hiccup, a strange growl or a silent twitch - when cats have hiccups, it can sound and look very different, just like in humans. But what should you do if your furry friend is struggling with hiccups? Hiccups can be annoying, but they are usually harmless and pass as quickly as they came. Sometimes, however, the breathing disorder can have serious causes and indicate that something is wrong with your four-legged friend. In the following, we will take a closer look at the cases in which you should take action and how hiccups can be treated.
How do hiccups occur?
If you look at the phenomenon from a medical perspective, hiccups are nothing more than a minor breathing disorder . When you breathe in, the diaphragm suddenly cramps and contracts abruptly. This causes the glottis, which sits between the vocal cords in the larynx, to close reflexively. The inhaled air cannot escape because of the closure and instead hits the vocal cords. This creates the typical hiccupping sound . The contraction of the diaphragm and the closure of the glottis are triggered by irritation of the diaphragm, for example. The hiccups only subside when it relaxes again. However, if your cat keeps getting them, or if they seem excessively intense or long-lasting to you, it may be worth looking for the cause.
Harmless causes of hiccups
What causes the cat's diaphragm to become so irritated that it suffers from hiccups? symptom If it occurs occasionally and only lasts a few minutes, there is usually no reason to worry about your four-legged friend. Just like with humans, cats can also get hiccups from time to time, and the cause cannot really be explained.
But does your cat have If you are struggling with this more often , there may be various causes for the respiratory irritation. These range from harmless habits up to serious If there is a harmless cause behind the hiccups, it can often be easily remedied. For example , fast eating, hairballs in the stomach or Lack of fluids be.
Fast eating
Do you have a little sweet tooth at home who can't eat fast enough? Then this could be the reason for recurring hiccups. Kittens in particular gobble up the food often just go down – and swallow a whole A lot of air . The solution: chew thoroughly and swallow slowly. If your kitten has difficulty doing this, the following tips may help:
- First try with smaller portions . This way the cat can satisfy its hunger little by little throughout the day and it is more difficult for it to gorge itself.
- If that doesn’t help, your cat might be helped by a small obstacle Place an object, such as a ball, in the middle of the bowl and drape the food around it.
- With a stretched neck, it eats more slowly – even a raised feeding bowl could therefore help.
- Maybe your pet needs to internalize that he doesn't have to worry about not being full. For example, it can help to always have a little food in the bowl, so that theoretically always something there But be careful: a stomach that is too full can also cause hiccups.
- If the cat cannot be stopped from gulping down food despite these measures, a change in diet could ultimately make sense in order to prevent constant hiccups. Because: Wet food is easier to swallow than dry food.
Hairballs
Another, albeit rare, cause of hiccups can be a swallowed foreign body or a bothersome hairball in the abdomen. When cats groom themselves – and they are known to love doing this – hair gets caught on the barbs of their tongues, which the cats then swallow. This is completely normal and harmless, because the kittens simply expel the swallowed hair naturally: via their feces or by gagging and Vomiting . However, if a certain amount of fur accumulates in the stomach, it can form lumpy, solid hairballs that irritate the diaphragm. As long as the cat vomits after the hiccups and gets rid of the troublemaker, everything is fine.
Especially with Cats with long fur However, hairballs can become a problem if they occur frequently.
- What can help is Regular brushing . Support with coat care is particularly useful during the coat change.
- If you feed smaller portions several times a day, you can also counteract the formation of hairballs, because stimulates digestion and quickly removes the fur from the body.
- Also certain Food activates the intestine or even encourage the cat to gag or vomit. If the problem is not too acute, natural remedies may be sufficient. While outdoor cats usually find what they need themselves, indoor cats, for example, Cat grass help.
Too little water
If your cat has to hiccup more often, it may be because it does not drink enough water in everyday life. In general, cats are considered to be lazy drinker - but adequate fluid intake is important for feline health. Since cats get most of the fluid they need from their food - unless you primarily feed them dry food - a deficiency can often only be detected when symptoms appear. Too little fluid intake, for example, has a negative effect on skin elasticity. We show you how to find out whether your cat is affected in our guide on the topic of " Cat doesn't drink enough ". To encourage your cat to drink, you can, for example:
- Drinking bowls in various locations Set up in the apartment and always fill it with fresh water.
- Experiments regarding the Shape and material of the water bowl dare or even on a Drinking fountain resort to.
- On alternative Liquid food While cow’s milk is strongly discouraged because cats are usually lactose intolerant, specially developed foods for cats Drink the optimal solution. This way, even sweet tooths can get a taste for it and are playfully introduced to liquid intake – pieces of meat and rich nutrients included. Depending on the taste of your four-legged friend, you can choose between different varieties choose.
Hiccups as a symptom of illness
If your pet frequently has hiccups without it being caused by gulping food, hairballs or laziness to drink, you should immediate medical attention Because in some cases hiccups can also be caused by illness. Depending on which Accompanying symptoms If your cat has any of these symptoms, serious illnesses may be behind them – for example:
- asthma
- Heart disease
- Allergies
- Worms or other parasites
Tumors, Gastrointestinal diseases and other problems can be the reason why your furry friend keeps suffering from severe hiccups. So you see: The reasons are very varied and difficult for laypeople to identify. That is why Self-diagnosis is generally not recommended . Nevertheless, it can be helpful to get an overview of potential causes in order to be able to better assess your own concerns as an owner and also to keep an eye out for other symptoms that may not be noticeable on their own.
Asthma in cats
If your cat's hiccups are accompanied by other respiratory symptoms, caution is advised: it may be feline asthma. Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory tract , which manifests itself through acute attacks. Asthma attacks occur suddenly in cats and can vary greatly in intensity. Typical symptoms include hiccups and:
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing or whistling noises when breathing
- Cough, dry or with sputum
- Mouth breathing with head stretched forward and tongue sticking out
Depending on the severity of the attack, the tongue may also turn bluish or the pupils may dilate, as the cat is in a extreme stress situation and is afraid.
It is important that you immediately consult a veterinarian if you suspect asthma, who will examine the symptoms, classify them correctly and, if necessary, begin treatment. Even if only individual symptoms occur, an illness may be present. At the same time, the signs described can also indicate other acute illnesses such as pneumonia or bronchitis. If your cat is actually suffering from asthma, a drug supply and plenty of rest will still give her a beautiful cat life into old age.
Heart disease in cats
If a cat's heart is no longer working properly, quick action is required. The symptoms, which can rarely be clearly attributed to heart failure, often only appear later in the disease, when the Cat already weakened With appropriate medication, the vet can at least alleviate the symptoms and help the cat live as long as possible, even if a cure is not possible.
Heart problems are particularly common in older cats, but can also be congenital, caused by malnutrition or as a result of Kidney , thyroid or viral disease. Symptoms ranges from discolored mucous membranes to breathing difficulties and fatigue and listlessness. Nausea, water retention and, last but not least, hiccups can also indicate that your cat's heart is no longer beating properly. A visit to the doctor is therefore essential.
Allergies
Allergies are a risk that should not be underestimated in cats, as they can be attributed to a variety of triggers and possibly secondary diseases such as asthma. If your cat is restless, has problems with the skin – such as rashes, inflammation or itching – or suffers from gastrointestinal complaints or Loss of appetite , an allergy may be behind it. Coughing, a A stuffy nose and hiccups can be symptoms of an allergic reaction. Cats are particularly prone to Contact or Food allergies or intolerances .
For example, if your cat shows symptoms after you have eaten something in the daily routine changed Are you using a different cat litter than usual or have you changed your laundry detergent? Have you moved or is your cat moving to new areas recently, so mites or pollen could be a trigger?
If there is a food intolerance, an exclusion diet can provide information about which ingredients your house cat cannot tolerate. For cats with sensitive stomachs, there are also particularly well-tolerated food .
Worms and other parasites
Finally, hiccups can also be caused by a parasite infestation. Parasites are very small animals that live inside or on the skin and fur of the animal and Animal as host Mites, ticks and fleas, for example, feel at home on the cat's body. However, outdoor cats in particular can also become infected with so-called Endoparasites that nest in their body and multiply. These are usually worms that are transmitted through the Consumption of birds, mice, etc. ingested and infect the cat’s intestines.
Most of the time, we humans do not notice the worms themselves, for example in the cat’s feces, but recognize based on behavior of our pet that something is wrong. Hiccups can be accompanied by various other symptoms. The following problems often occur individually or in combination:
- Diarrhea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite and Weight loss
- Fatigue
Similar symptoms also cause Giardia which are also endoparasites. If a parasite infestation is already present, treatment with ointments or tablets will help with a little luck. However, it is also particularly worthwhile to good precaution Anyone who regularly treats their cat Worming treatment makes infection at least unlikely.
How to help your cat with hiccups
Although you will surely have some tips and tricks in mind that are supposed to help people against hiccups: Please do not try home remedies or other experiments on your cat . There is one thing that helps to make the hiccups disappear as quickly as they appeared: rest. To calm breathing, the diaphragm must be able to relax. That is why Stress should be avoided at all costs when hiccupping .
If nothing helps and you can't shake the feeling that your kitten needs some human assistance, you can try the following:
- Eliminate external stress factors.
- Make sure that there is some water available so that your furry friend can help himself when he needs it.
- In severe cases, you can try to help the animal return to regular, calm breathing - for example, by gently massaging from the throat towards the head. This will allow the trapped air to find its way out of the body and your cat can finally relax again.
However, if the hiccups last for several hours or have been occurring particularly frequently for some time, they may also indicate an illness – for example one of the above. In this case, you should definitely seek medical attention. Veterinarian you trust Keep an eye on your kitten and have it checked thoroughly.
