Cats Snoring: Is It Healthy?
Does your cat snore? Should you be worried about it? Well, some cats often snore and for many, this is normal. Nonetheless, cat snoring might indicate an underlying medical disorder.
Snoring usually occurs when the upper airway passages – the throat, pharynx, mouth, or nose – vibrate audibly when the cat is breathing. Snoring and resultant vibrations occur the moment the uppermost airways are at rest during sleep.
When cat snoring indicates a health disorder
Cat snoring can indicate an underlying health disorder. The most common health problem that instigates cat snoring is obesity or overweight. Excess weight often leads to build up of fat on the tissues that surround the inner airways, thereby triggering snoring. This affects both dogs and cats, and people as well.
Cats that have respiratory infections may develop snoring. This audible breathing is caused by mucus buildup or sinus congestion inside the nose airways. Bacterial and viral infections are also major causes of cat snoring, but they are curable with appropriate medication. Nonetheless, fungal infections are more difficult to treat.
What leads to sinus infections
Generally, foreign objects like grass blades can get trapped inside the nose or mouth and ultimately trigger snoring, agitation, and coughing. More often, tumors or masses in the upper airways or the sinuses can lead to snoring. On the other hand, cancers like adenocarcinoma, fibrosarcoma and lymphoma can cause cat snoring.
Ways of determining whether your cat has a health disorder to excessive snoring
There are a few guidelines to help you determine if your cat snoring indicates an underlying health disorder. For starters, light snoring is not related to respiratory issues and that means your cat is absolutely healthy.
Cat snoring often becomes louder with time and is accompanied with symptoms like coughing, sneezing and lack of appetite. If you notice any of these signs, medical emergency is important. If you aren’t sure whether your cat is healthy or not, always consult your vet. Antibiotics can facilitate speedy recovery if your cat is suffering from respiratory infections.
The vet can perform anesthetic evaluation to check for a foreign object inside the throat. Overall, snoring is quite normal and could as well define your cat’s unique character.
Conclusion
If your cat exhibits excessive snoring than usual, you need to visit the vet immediately to diagnose the problem before it worsens.
References: Catster, Animal Friends, The Spruceness
Copyright: Local Value
