meow sounds different

[kris10]

I've had my cat Pumpkin since he was 2 months and he's been completely healthy until now (he's now 4 yr. old). He's a pretty vocal cat, and I've noticed lately that his meow, I guess his 'voice' is a different, like he has a sore throat and/or is losing his voice. He seems to swallow more 'dramatically' now, when he's just hanging out, not straining, but enough of a difference that I notice. His meow is quite scratchy and strained. He is completely up to date on all his shots, neutered. The only change is that my roommate brought home a very young kitten about 2 1/2 weeks ago, she said it was too young for shots, which I questioned, but she's not the most responsible pet owner. So they have limited interaction. Has anyone had experience with their cat losing it's voice or throat issues?

Thanks for any thoughts or ideas.

[FerrisCat]

I don't know about 2 1/2 weeks being too young for shots, but it isn't too young to spread infections! You sound like a really responsible pet owner and the kitten would have been your cat's only source for disease.

I brought home a kitten from a rescue center back in July and he brought along an upper respiratory infection with him. All my older boys got sick, I don't regret bringing the kitten in, but the vet costs alone were enough to buy me five more kittens!

The common knowledge is that kittens shouldn't be taken from their mothers until at least 8 weeks old, and that's around the time most shots are given anyways. Your roommate should not have taken away such a young kitty from its mother.