gagging.. is it a hairball?

[marysmerrycats]

could anyone tell me what your cats sounds like when they have a hairball? Cassie has been making this terrible sound since yesterday, off and on, she's gagging, it scares me, is that what a hairball is? I have seen the other cats on occasion actually throw up a hairball, but this is just gagging then it calms down and stops... Patches has done the same thing for months.. he was doing that sound alot... i brought him to the vet, test etc. they said it(the test results) idicates an allergy. he stopped for a while , about a week ago he started it again, off and on. now Cassie. I feel bad, like I should know better after having a cat for over 2 yrs... but I am not sure about this. I'm going to give her and Patches the hairball medicine and see if that helps. I just wondered what other cats sound like when they have a hairball, to know if thats what this is?

[slick]

Max will sometimes do that as well, but soon after he throws up the hairball and everything is back to normal. It's hard to describe the sound but it's kind of like a hacking cough sound. The hairball med should help pass the hairball through. If the hacking continues on for any length of time, I'd say time for a visit to the whitecoats.

[marysmerrycats]

thanks! it is like that , a hacking cough. I think thats Patches' problem but should it have continued this long(on/off for months) he may have had an allergy, and that showed in the test, but that does not mean it is not also something else...right? now that I see cassie doing this, I think it is a hairball but I don't understand why it never comes up?

[Miss Meow]

Mary, Mini gets hairballs and makes an awful RRRRRROAWWWWWW sound (so hard to type it!) but we never see them. Maybe they irritate his stomach but the attempt to vomit makes them settle in a less annoying place?

I'd see the vet if it continues just to be on the safe side.

[GoldenRetrLuver]

Yup, sounds like a hairball.

[marysmerrycats]

cassie just did that gaggin sound again...and I saw she had her tongue partly out this time.. the color is ok on her tongue, but does anyone know if that means anything? Im going to call the vet in the morning.

[marysmerrycats]

anyone ever hear of this before, with the tongue out?

[K & L]

No, I've never heard of this...please let us know what the vet says.

[slick]

Oh yea, when Speckles gags her tongue sticks out as well. But just in case, let the vet take a look. Some friends of mine have an indoor/outdoor kitty that was gagging for a day and stopped eating. The whitecoat discovered a blade of grass stuck down poor little Rusty's throat. One pull and it was out. Hope things go well at the vets.

[marysmerrycats]

well I never did call the vet. maybe I should have, but I am just going to see what happens. unless she should get worse of course. I gave her just a taste of the hairball gel stuff and she liked it so I gave her some more. and she hasn't done that anymore... but I didn't give her very much,a drop maybe about the size of a pea? x2 ...2 drops. could that much have helped? I put it on my finger to see if she would lick it off, and she did, so now I know she likes it and she has not thrown it up, so I am going to give more to her. and to Patches.I just can't keep running to the vet.

[slick]

Good. I found that sometimes the hairball stuff can cause diarreha (sp?? I've never known how to spell that...) so go easy.

[boscibo]

It could be asthma. Abby has it (mild, she doesn't need meds), but an asthma attack sounds like the cat is horking up a hairball.