Cat Larynx

A dry, hot nose or a moist, cold nose is not a reliable way to determine your pet's health, but the discharge, if any, might be an indicator of illness. Normally,there is a slight, clear, watery secretion from your cat's nostrils. A bloody or thick yellowish, white, or greenish nasal discharge is abnormal.

A light pink color to the gums indicates that your pet is getting enough oxy-gen. A blue or muddy red color to the tongue and gums indicates a serious problem in the respiratory or cardiovascular system. Pale gums may indicate anemia.

The larynx (Adam's apple or voice box) can be felt as a hard structure at the top of the windpipe - the same location as the human voice box. The larynx pro-duce's your cat's snarls and meows by vibrations of the vocal cords. The purr is thought to originate from vibrations of the "false" vocal cords.

Air passes through the larynx into the breathing tubes - the windpipe (trachea) and its smaller divisions, the bronchi. The air is warmed and filtered of dust,bacteria, and viruses by the microscopic hairs and mucus in these tubes until the air finally reaches its destination - the lungs. Your veterinarian uses a stethoscope to hear the passage of air in the breathing tubes and lungs. Percussion of the chest is useful in an examination of the respiratory system.

All that dirty air passing down the breathing tubes must be cleaned. The mucus that traps the dust, bacteria, and viruses is expelled through your pet's cough reflex. Occasionally, your cat will cough up some mucus. Although owners frequently confuse this with vomiting (expelling food from the digestive system),it's just normal "housecleaning", so don't get alarmed.

The lungs don't have any muscles. They expand only when your cat's chest expands and the diaphragm (a muscular divider between the chest and abdomen)moves backward. This creates a slight vacuum in the chest, and air is sucked into the lungs. When your cat exhales, the lungs collapse and blow out the carbon dioxide. If air leaked into the vacuum chamber (a condition called peculator),or if a tear in the diaphragm allowed intestines to enter the chest cavity (a condition termed diaphragmatic hernia), your pet would have a very difficult time breathing. These conditions happen frequently when pets are hit by cars.