Hairball Questions

[Kitty Peon]

I have a question for you: When your cat/s are about to puke up a hairball do they not eat for a couple of days before hand, then do they puke up a few times. My Cleo (who has a liver shunt) has not eaten for a couple of days then last night she ate some cheese and crackers (not a lot) then she puked up the cheese and crackers, then a couple of hours later she puked up a hair ball with very bright yellow liquid stuff, then she puked liquid twice more. The last two times she puked the liquid was whitish with a yellow tinge - not as bright as the first two times. She still has not eaten anything, she's drinking water though and she hasn't puked since last night. I'm very concerned and I'm hoping that this is normal when cats release their hairballs. Please let me know. Thanks.

[aly]

Hmm, I think you might want to talk to a vet about that. It doesn't sound like normal hairball hacking. Hairballs never stop Shiloh from eating and its never yellow when she throws up. Good luck and keep us updated on how Cleo is doing.

[bugmom]

Definitely call the vet! the mucus that cleo threw up could be sign of an infection - like a foxtail could have scratched the lining of her belly.( and then again it could be something she ate that is half digested...) keep the fresh water there for her. give her lots of love.... and tell us what the vet says cuz we'll all be worried.

[Kitty Peon]

Thank you. I will keep you guys updated. Cleo has had eating problems since January - she turned anorexic. She's had a stomach tube in place which we fed her through and it was removed about a month ago when she started eating on her own and now she's stopping.
So I think that she is very susceptible to anorexic bouts. I am waiting for her specialist to call me back and she has an appointment tomorrow.

[Kitty Peon]

Cleo cannot be given kitten food because she has to be on a special low protein diet. Since she has been diagnosed with a shunt she requires medicine twice daily and low protein food. When she first stopped eating we did try kitten food but she didn't eat any.

[wolflady]

Ok, Spencer or somebody might be able to help me out here. My cat Scooter appears to be constipated. My question is can cat hair block a cat's bowels?? He's been straining and can't get anything to come out, and he really started fussing and licking his bottom trying to stimulate bowel movement.

Recently we gave him a bath and he licked himself a lot after that. We also got tons of brush fulls of fur out of that guy after the bath. I tell you what, where does it all come from?? I swear I could just brush forever and it would be a never ending process. This started yesterday evening(but the bath was 2 days ago), and we have been watching him and this morning it was the same way. We've given him the laxitive but it's not helping. Is there some other remedy we could use to help him "go"? Or should a call into the vet be advisable??

[catwoman]

I agree with SpencerTheLion ... call the vet. When he/she gets your cat stabilized, consider brushing with one of those dead hair remover blades Petsmart has (http://www.petsmart.com/products/product_19464.shtml) there is a side for longhaired cats, and one for shorthaired. Really helps with shedding and reduces hairballs in the future.

[wolflady]

Thanks for the input. I did call the vet and she seemed to think it might be a urinary blockage. I was surprised, because it looked to me that he was trying to make a bowel movement. Anyway, he'd going into the vet this afternoon to see if we can solve the problem. I'll keep you posted!

[wolflady]

Well, it turns out that he did have a "raging urinary tract infection" but there were no crystals. Now, I have another question. We have brought this cat to multiple vets for the same problem in the past. Although his behavior this time was definitely different from all the other times, it looked like he was trying to make a bowel movement. Anyway, he's going to give me antibiotic drops and hopefully that will help. My question is, is there any kind of food that I can feed him that may help the urinary tract? This seems to be a recurring thing with him and the vet really couldn't say what would cause that. Plus, taking him into the vet for the same thing over and over is getting really expensive!! All those tests add up!! Yikes! Poor little guy, I know it must not feel too good. What other advise can you give about UTI??
Thanks!!! :D

[catwoman]

Wolflady,

I've read that cat foods with high "ash content" are bad for the urinary tract. I believe Purina makes a dry food specifically formulated for better urinary tract health.

Good luck!
Catwoman

[4 feline house]

Wolflady, unfortunately, this is a question that still does not have a good answer. UTI's are a recurring problem in prone kitties, and males neutered young are particularly susceptible. Diet can definitely help, but it is no cure, and sometimes it doesn't even help. Some cats have to continually have their urethras flushed, and in extreme cases even the penis has to be removed (the narrow urethra cannot pass the large crystals and removing the penis removes the narrowest section of the urethra). You were wise to take him to the vet immediately because a completely blocked urethra can be fatal very quickly. Ask your vet what food he recommends. In most cases, it will not be a grocery store food, but if for financial reasons that's what you prefer, tell your vet that and he will recommend the best. Alot of vets concur that wet food is better than dry, too. Good luck with the little guy and watch him closely - if he starts straining again or begins to eliminate in inappropriate places, get him to the vet!

[wolflady]

Thanks guys! I know, it's such a bad situation for the poor guy. He's had nothing but problems since he was a kitten, which is just really odd, because I've never had any problems with my other males cats. Maybe he's just more susceptible? I didn't realize that wet food may be a better choice than the dry. I may have to start giving him a little of each. Right now all 3 of my cats on on Iams, but I'm going to look into some foods that may be a little better in helping to prevent the UTI from coming back! He's not going to be too please with me squirting that pink antibitic stuff down his throat two times a day I'm sure!! :rolleyes: :o

[auggie]

4 feline is absolutely correct. Auggie had a terrible UTI a few Years ago. Straining and bleeding and trying to eliminate in strange Places. The Antibiotic Drops did not help and neither did switching to a low Ash Diet. After going back to the Vet 4 Times he switched to a stronger Antibiotic in Pill form for about 4 Weeks. She had no UTI since. I still feed mostly wet Food to make sure they get enough Water.I tried so many different Water bowles and now my Cats seem to prefer my Tabletop Water fountain.
I wish Homedics would design a Water fountain just for Cats.
I hope Scooter is going to feel better soon.

[wolflady]

Thanks Auggie. you mentioned a water fountain for cats. Funny, but it just happens to be on the front cover for the Cats only Doctor's Foster & Smith this month! If you're interested in checking it out, go to www.drsfostersmith.com! (http://www.drsfostersmith.com!) :D
I may have to consider giving Scooter some wet food since that may help with the UTI. I'm glad to hear that Auggie is better now...UTI can't be a pleasant experience for the poor kitties. So far Scooter seems to be getting better on his antibiotics :)

[4 feline house]

Wow, my kitties sure would love those big slumber balls!

[LindysMomma]

I need help with hairballs too. My cat, Fred has had hairballs all his life. We have took him to the vet before, and we got him some medicine. His hairballs stopped for a while, but lately they have been worse. In the last 2 days he has thrown up about 6-7 times. We bought him some Purina Hairball remedy, but it didn't work. Does anyone else's cat have that bad of hairballs?

[wolflady]

Wow lindysmamma!! That sounds like a lot of hairballs!! I would say that extra brushing every day would help curb the problem. My Scooter is a short haired cat, but due to his double coat, he has more hair than most short haired cats and I brush him about 3 times a day and get 3-4 brushfulls of fur out each time!!! That's a lot! :eek:
Also, try giving some laxitive if you haven't tried that already. This will help the cat pass the hairballs in the potty instead of throwing it up. Also, Drs Foster & Smith has products that you may be interested in, so feel free to browse in the link above. You might find something helpful there. Good luck!!! :)

[catwoman]

Lindysmom,

My Thelma has a chronic hairball problem too. Occasionally it escalates into multiple times over 2-3 days (like Fred.) This is usually just a hairball she is trying to get rid of and can't. Try laxatone, available at PetsMart, Petco, etc. Also the Pounce Hairball Remedy treats are very good.

If the vomiting continues, see the vet. Fred may have irritated his esophagus and need a dose of steriods to calm it down. (This worked for Thelma.) If he is an older kitty, 6+, it wouldn't hurt to have bloodwork done to eliminate liver problems or irritable bowel syndrome.

Hope this helps,
Dianne

[LindysMomma]

Thanks for your replys. I dug out the laxatone from the last vet visit. The throwing up has gone down, about twice a day. He is really hungry, but we can't feed him because he'll throw it back up.

[ July 17, 2001: Message edited by: LindysMomma ]