Monty's missing meow

[givemushypeasachance]

I've realised over the past few days that Monty seems to have somewhat lost his meow. He's usually got quite a bossy meow if that makes sense - most often spotted when food is nearly but not quite ready to be served. It's always had a bit of a whiny/growly undertone, but very insistent and quite loud. I don't know when it disappeared or started to disappear but Rolo was being quite vocal and I just thought 'huh, haven't heard Monty doing that much lately'. Today I was particularly paying attention when giving them their evening meal and Monty made a few attempted meows - but they were just the squeaky and growly element, there wasn't any real 'body' to them if you see what I mean. It didn't seem to be a particular strain or anything but it's different to how he used to meow.

He's otherwise absolutely fine in himself - eating, drinking, sticking his nose into things, happy to play and off out adventuring for most of the day. I did see him coughing like with a furball the other day, but as a semi-long-hair who's been moulting lately that's not much of a surprise. He has only been wearing a collar in the past month since we moved house and I wanted him to wear a loc8tor tag, but I can get two fingers under comfortably and it's quick release so shouldn't have constricted his neck at all (he's lost two that way already!).

Should I be worried do you think? Vet Google obviously brings up everything from it's just a cold/strain and will pass in a week to sign of thyroid disease get to vets stat. He gets super stressed and has to be put in a crush cage at the vets so that's really more for the this is definitely a problem times rather than a quick lookover. I'm just slightly more worried as one of my childhood cats lost his meow completely one day, combined with a regular hacking cough like stuck furballs, and that was vocal nodules he had to have steroids for which gave him steroid induced diabetes and eventually finished him off.

Is he a big hunter? (Or thief.) I'm wondering whether he could have scratched his throat with bones or similar.

I have seen him catch a bird once, and it wasn't brought in as a present so he may be off killing things but I just don't see any evidence. I actually feed them both partially raw - as in part of their diet is raw, not just part-cooking things! They get bones sometimes usually chicken legs or wings, but Monty's actually not very good with them - he will have a go and a bit of a nibble but he's not that bothered and would usually prefer to hang on and wait for the biscuits to be put back down a few hours later rather than making an effort. I don't think he has teeth issues as he has occasionally crunched, he just prefers not to have to - even with day old chicks which aren't exactly tough going, while Rolo merrily chomps them all up and eats chicken legs down to the nobbly ends. Monty's very good with eating chunks of meat that still require scissoring into bite size pieces, just not bigger and bony items. So he might have maybe had more of a try at something like a chicken wing and got into difficulty with it causing scratches, but I'd think any sort of physical scratching to his throat would make him reluctant to swallow as well as affecting his meow? He's just inhaled a pouch of Whiskas which was a substitute supper as I only got a small portion of raw chicken liver out for them earlier - his appetite is definitely hearty!

Happened to our boy, vet was perplexed as his chest etc. sounded fine but he had a raised temperature so infection suspected. We administered antibiotics he recovered quickly and the meow was back!

Before that he didn't seem at all ill which is very common in cats - please take him to see the vet.

I'm not sure the vet would be able to take his temperature without sedating him, or getting a couple of nurses with gauntlets to pin him down! (There was an incident involving him wriggling free from the vet and nurse trying to look at him, and getting under a bench where he had to be extracted by the three of us and a window pole... his card is now marked and crush cages are the order of business. In his defence he was practically feral when I adopted him and still finds anyone other than me terrifying.) Makes you wish for some sort of NHS 101 for cats! Though that would probably still come out with go to A&E, as it always does.

I may give them a ring tomorrow and try describing the situation, see what they say. If it's something that definitely needs looking at then I don't want to risk making him worse by delaying vet attention, but I'm concious that he finds it incredibly stressful and don't want to put him through it if they'll just say 'oh keep an eye on him and come back in a week...'

Hmm difficult one. Just me personally, (and I'm one to rush them to the vet at the first sign of anything unusual) I'd probably give it until Wednesday/Thursday and see if his miaow begins to reappear, because of the stress of a vet appointment for Monty. Then keep a further eye to see if it changes again.

I know what you mean about the demanding miaow though. When MCat's waiting for his food, it sounds as if he's saying, " naow, NOW!?"

It definitely used to be the cat version of "now, now!". Very demanding!

This morning Monty ate some biscuits just before I got up and went downstairs, then when breakfast pouch approached he did a couple of the throaty croak-meows and he ate his half fine. When he was finished he did scratch at his neck for a few seconds but I don't know if that's a sign of anything irritating his throat or if it was just an itch or the usual collar-scratching thing he does pretty regularly. He then went off outside for his usual adventures. Will see how he is this evening...

Thought I'd just give a bit of an update as I know I hate browsing for similar problems/issues on forums and seeing a story that sounds familiar but doesn't have an ending! Basically aside from the squeaky quiet meows Monty continued to seem absolutely fine in himself - actually he was especially chirpy and friendly, and has recently decided he absolutely loves being brushed and now jumps up on a footstool every evening which is his signal for "come and groom me now, slave". A couple of days after those first posts he seemed to have a little bit of a crusty nose, so I reckon it probably was a cold or something like that which affected his meowing volume. It's taken a while to come back but this morning I was quite loudly berated for the rain, which was lovely - he seems pretty much back to his usual volume now. I was told off for not putting the dinner bowl down quickly enough too this evening. Thanks Monty, many apologies of course but good to hear once more!

Glad he's fully recovered!