Senior Cat Dry Heaving/Gagging

Please, before I begin, I politely ask for a judgement free response. I have hesitated to post, worried that someone will assume I am not able to care for my pets - this is one of my largest fears because I'd give my last meal to them if it meant they survive! However, I am writing here with what I don't believe to be an emergency, before resorting to the vet. I am in a situation where I just had COVID and am not doing well with my own health, I ended up having to miss over a week of work as a result, and am worried about rent/bill payments due to my unexpected illness. With this being said, I could pull out the stops needed to get my girl to the vet if best directed, my isolation is up tomorrow and my car gets fixed in the morning - but I am trying to exhaust the 'advice' option first, in the case that it might be an easy fix or remedy that I haven't tried yet - because although I can take care of her in what way is needed, I'd like to save money where possible. Suggestions here are welcome, I just kindly request a lack of judgement or comments 'frowning upon' my question. Thank you so much, in advance, for your tips, support, and guidance. Below are some details... I am writing to inquire about my senior cat. Yesterday I noticed she was sporadically dry heaving/gagging. As directed online, I tried a throat massage & that's when I realized that this caused her to do the heave (alongside when she was doing it a few times an hour, naturally). Her appetite seems normal, she does not seem in pain, stomach feels normal as in it doesn't feel harder than what I consider normal, she is sleeping fine etc. However, she is still heaving. I tried a home hairball fix, a teaspoon of olive oil in her wet food, she ate the works of it this morning - but hasn't seemed to help. I am unsure if it is a hairball or worse and I am psyching myself out by reading all the various forums online about organ failure or cancer, blockages, or another serious issue. I know there is no way for certain to know what's truly wrong by an internet post, so I am just looking for some tips and/or kind encouragements. I do have a video of her heaving that I was able to get upon giving her throat a soft massage, that shows really well what her heaving looks/sounds like. If you'd like me to provide it, for a clearer "picture", I'd be happy to post it in the comments upon request if the website allows (I am new so am unsure of the bells and whistles until I make this first post!!). This cat is my everything. I know I am a hypochondriac when it comes to her, which is another reason why I don't just automatically jump to taking her to the vet. If I did that, she'd be there on a weekly basis (or more). She is getting old, I want the best for her, and to give her the best - I need to try and gather feedback to make decisions without overthinking or getting too emotional about her health. However, I also need to try and do this without dishing out hundreds of dollars each time I worry. I truly welcome any and all comments that could help me gain insight, give me some ideas of remedies to try, or even some possibilities of what this could be/what you suggest next steps should be. Should I wait a couple of days? Go to a vet ASAP? Try another remedy? etc. Again, I thank you in advance and appreciate the time you've taken to read and respond to my post.

Hello!   First off, here's a huge hug.  That's a lot of of worrying you're going through.  You sound worried and upset about your cat, worried about the financial situation (that's really, really common) and about the possibility of being judged.  That's a lot of worrying you're doing - and worried cat owner, we see you.  I hope that you don't think we've been judging other people who've written in or that there's a culture of judgement on these talk-boards, because I know that the editors work very hard to avoid that.  If you do have concerns about anything you read on here, in response to your own post or someone else's, please let me know because if problems do spring up then we'd like to address them.

So... causes of gagging.  Hairballs are a common one.  Hairball cats are usually repeat offenders;  it's unusual (but certainly not unheard of) for them to start out of the blue in an older cat.  Below is an article about hairballs (you may have to cut and paste it into your browser) but the most important part is actually the bottom line:  that many 'hairball' coughs are actually caused by something else, so a hacking cough in a cat should be looked into, especially if you have already tried treating for hairballs and it hasn't gone away.   https://vethelpdirect.com/vetblog/2014/09/18/hack-hack-hack-hairballs-invaluable-advice-for-cat-owners/#:~:text=Your%20vet%20may%20prescribe%20various%20medications%2C%20which%20can,them%20to%20pass%20through%20the%20intestines%20more%20easily.

Other causes of hacking coughs in cats can vary from the benign to the severe.  Examples include foreign bodies (I removed a thick, flat blade of grass from the back of a coughing cats' throat once), a large throat goitre from hyperthyroidism (not usually the first sign - these cats are usually very thin with racing hearts), cancers (benign or sinister), polyps (lumps that 'out-pouch' from normal throat or nasal tissue, that are benign but get in the way of swallowing etc), heart disease or lung disease (these are two very broad terms each covering a lot of possibilities), infection and nausea (the cat gagging to be sick, for example in pancreatitis or stomach disease) and so on.   This seems to have been going on for a few days now, so we would advise booking that appointment I'm afraid (the case may well be triaged and if deemed to be non-urgent, it can take a few more days to get to the front of the queue in any case.  If you do have to wait, your vet may recommend that you try feeding wet or damped-down dry food to try to ease the throat).  Because there are so many possibilities across so many different body systems, the examination is crucial and it is not uncommon for a vet to ask to do tests before they have a definite answer.  Wishing you the best of luck in taking this case forward.

Cats gagging is a common problem that many cats are suffering from. There are many reasons behind your cat gagging. It could be due to a throat infection, Hairball blockage, Constipation, or Diarrhea. In this article, we have discussed some of the possibilities due to which your cat is gagging Continuously and it's treatments. Dry heaving ( or retching ) can sound like a minor cough or a significant episode of cat gagging and stomach contractions. Sometimes, it may just be a simple case of a hairball or tickle in the throat, or it could be a severe issue such as intestinal blockage or organ disease. Visit: https://downtownanimals.com/cat-gagging-continuously-reasons-and-treatment/