So, the other day, I was just kicking back on the sofa, my cat, Whiskers, curled up on my lap like usual. He starts doing his little motorboat thing, you know, purring away. But something sounded… off. Not his usual smooth rumble.
First Thing I Noticed
It wasn’t loud-weird, more like texture-weird. A bit raspy? Maybe like a little wheeze mixed in with the purr. Hard to describe, really. It wasn’t constant either, kinda came and went. My first thought was, huh, that’s odd. Never heard him do that before.
What I Did Next
Naturally, I started paying closer attention. You know how it is when you notice something small, then you can’t stop focusing on it? That was me. I put my ear closer to his chest. Still purring, still a bit scratchy sounding. I gently felt around his throat and chest while he was purring. Didn’t feel any lumps or weird vibrations, just the usual purr rumble, but the sound itself was definitely strange.
Then I started running through a checklist in my head:
- Acting normal? Yep, seemed perfectly happy. Still demanding cuddles, still batting at my fingers.
- Eating and drinking? Checked his bowls later, all looked normal. Used the litter box fine too.
- Breathing okay when not purring? This was important. I watched him sleep later that night. Breathing looked totally relaxed, no effort, no weird noises. Just quiet breaths.
- Any coughing or sneezing? Nope, none of that.
Figuring it Out (Sort Of)
Since everything else seemed completely fine, I decided not to rush him off to the vet immediately. Sometimes cats just make weird noises, right? Maybe he had a little tickle in his throat or something. I kept a close eye on him for the next day or two. Listened carefully every time he purred.
And you know what? It just… stopped. After about a day, his purr went back to its normal smooth sound. No more raspiness, no wheezing. Just the good old happy rumble.
My takeaway? Sometimes weird stuff happens. I think maybe he just had a bit of phlegm or something minor going on, like when we humans need to clear our throats. Because he wasn’t showing any other signs of being sick – no lethargy, good appetite, normal breathing otherwise – I felt okay watching and waiting for a short bit. If it had continued, or if he’d seemed unwell in any other way, I would have been straight on the phone to the vet. It’s always worth paying attention to those little changes, even if they turn out to be nothing. Better safe than sorry with our furry buddies.
