Cat chokes when she drinks water

[Moesha]

Hello all. I'm a long time viewer of Cat of the Day and reader of Pet Talk. I just haven't posted before. In fact, I just registered incase I had something to respond to. I have currently have 8 cats and have gone through numerous different medical procedures over the years. I may have things to add in the future, but for the moment, I thought I would ask a question.
Does anyone have a kitty that chokes after drinking water? I rescued a kitten just over a year ago and she has done this almost from the beginning. I've asked my vet about it, and he said that he has heard of cats that do this and didn't seem to know why. He didn't seem concerned about it. I've tried searching online for others that have similiar conditions, but haven't been able to find anything about it. It doesn't seem to bother her and she doesn't necessarily do it every time she drinks, but quite often. It sounds like she is trying to cough up a hairball, but I don't believe I've ever seen a hairball from her. It's nothing serious, but I just thought it might be something I could post about and introduce myself at the same time. This kitty's name is Aroara. (When she was a kitten she would race around like a maniac and then fall dead asleep. So she was named after Princess Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty. But since she is a cat I had to spell it with a ROAR.) ;)

[Catty1]

Is she short or long-haired?

All I can think of is giving her a small dose of Laxatone or a hairball treatment on her paws every so often.

Or maybe she drinks really quickly, and some 'goes down the wrong way'. You could place a medium size rock (depending on the size of the water bowl) in the middle of the bowl, and that would slow down the drinking.

There'll be other ideas showing up here. :)

[Karen]

Welcome to Pet Talk! Maybe, like me, she sometimes just swallows the wrong way? That always makes me cough and sound like I am choking to people around me - annoying but scarier for them than me.

If it gets to seem like it bothers her, I wonder if a smaller dish, or maybe putting ice in her dish, so she's licking the water off the ice ...

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to PT!!!:D Some of my cats also do this and it seems to happen with my shorthaired cats. I give them weekly doses of hairball medicine but I guess sometimes that's not enough. I don't think that you have anything to worry about.

[Freedom]

Hello and welcome to PT!

I was going to suggest the large stone in the middle fo the bowl to slow her down a bit.

Will be get to see photos and meet your 8 kitties? (hint, hint, we LOVE photos!)

If she is otherwise healthy, and has een doing this almost a year, I wouldn't worry about her. Oh gosh, I LOVE the way you named her! With a 'roar' lol!

[Medusa]

This is probably a dumb question but did your vet look in her throat?

[Moesha]

This is probably a dumb question but did your vet look in her throat?
Actually, the vet did not look in her throat. She is due for her annual checkup, I may just ask him to do that when I take her in. And that wasn't a dumb question at all. I'd never even thought about it. She never coughs or hacks any other time, except right after she drinks. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Moesha]

Is she short or long-haired?
She's a short-haired gray tabby.



Will be get to see photos and meet your 8 kitties? (hint, hint, we LOVE photos!)

Here's a picture of Aroara. Forgive the "evil eyes". I uploaded the first one I could find. I hope I got it small enough. I forgot to check to see if there were guidelines about that. I'll attempt to get pictures of the others, along with their stories. Of course each of them has their own story!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v310/schweetmoe/Aroaracropped.jpg

[KittyCrazy]

My kitty does this sometimes and the vet said she may have a congenital condition that affects her trachea. She said that unless it seems really severe or bothersome to her (which it's not), then to not worry about it.

[Felicia's Mom]

I have never heard of this, but want to welcome you to Pet Talk!:)