Throat and breathing issues in kitten

Dear vets, This is my boy Astral. He is around 6 months of age. He is a cat. This xray was taken yesterday by my vet. Reason I brought him in was bc I can hear his breathing while he is laying or sleeping. Super loud. Anyways I also get when I scratch his throat his tongue comes out. My vet touched his larynx yesterday and that happened. U see in the xray that it is widened. My vet has never seen this. So he said he needs to do more research and look at more radiographs. He thinks it may be a birth defect. Any advice would be so helpful to us! 💓 thank u so much for your time!!!!!!!!!!! Astral- male around 6 months of age. Got him from Pasadena pound in flint Michigan. I got him oct.8 2022. Threw a picture of him up bc I don't know breed. He did have a hernia repaired when they neutered him.

Hello - and thankyou for posting this interesting picture.  I can see fingers on the plate - was the cat conscious at the time of radiography? I wonder whether a GA, intubation (which may be difficult) and unconscious radiographs / examination would be the next step, although in your vets' position I might hesitate about the intubation stage and might well consult a specialist.  I look forward to hearing what they decide.

Please do let me know how Astral gets on.

Please do let me know how Astral gets on.

Hi! I hope Astral is getting better

Hi! Here is an update. We did a barium xray, and my vet still doesn't k own what's going on. Some of the barium stayed in the throat. he is recommending me to go get a CT scan or mail.  Right now I don't have enough money to do so. Does anyone know what this is by any chance

He was sedated in that first xray. The 2nd (today)(barium) he was not.  What is the intubation and ga? Thanks!!!

Hello!  GA stands for general (full) anaesthetic.  Intubation (which is usually part of the anaesthetic) is putting a tube down the throat to support breathing.  I couldn't see a tube;  now you have told me that that's because there isn't one!

What a fascinating picture!  It makes one wonder wonder whether there is some sort of oesophageal stricture? - perhaps a strap of tissue growing across the oesophagus?  If refering the whole cat is too much, then they may be able to get some advice from a specialist online, or possibly from a discussion forum for vets on social media.  Thankyou for telling us about this interesting case and please do keep us informed!

Hi! Thank u for the feedback! I will let my vet know what your thoughts are. I really appreciate it! When he sedated for the first picture it was by shot, and not super strong,  just enough to have him not fight. 2nd time I was in there and he was good so no sedating lol. Thank u so very much. I will update u here with any new information! ❤️

Please do not thank me;  Im sure that your vet is in a much better position than myself to speculate on or indeed to diagnose from this radiograph, knowing the patient, history and the circumstances as they must.  I look forward to hearing what they find / have found out.