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Do we have any vets? Cat health question.

Gypsy

Gypsy

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 8, 2005
Messages
40,357
My Duncan recently has been going limp and falling over when he throws up a hair ball. ONLY when he has a hairball. He never used to do this and he's 9-10 years old. He's a very fastidious cat and last time he had a hair ball he went limp and fell in it and stayed there until I picked him up. He just did it again (didn't fall in it because this time he fell the other way) and we're both freaked out. And so is he, you can tell. He's going to the vet this week and I called the E-vet and they said that if it's only happening when it's a hairball and he just threw one up it's probably not an emergency. And I googled it and there was one person on one post that said when it happened to their cat their vet said it's a blood pressure thing caused by the stress/trauma of hacking up the hair ball. But I'm still upset and so is DH so I thought I'd post and see if A) there are any vets in the house that can tell me what it might be and B) if there are any cat owners who from similar experience know what it might be.
 
Obviously I'm not a vet, but I have had cats all my life. If he only does this while coughing up hairballs, then maybe a good hairball prevention might help. My vet gives my cats Laxatone Tuna Flavored. They get half a teaspoon twice a week. Seems to really help.

Not really sure it is the answer you are looking for. Hopefully a vet will chime in. I think there are a few on here.
 
LAJennifer|1336892270|3194180 said:
Obviously I'm not a vet, but I have had cats all my life. If he only does this while coughing up hairballs, then maybe a good hairball prevention might help. My vet gives my cats Laxatone Tuna Flavored. They get half a teaspoon twice a week. Seems to really help.

Not really sure it is the answer you are looking for. Hopefully a vet will chime in. I think there are a few on here.
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Oh sweetie. If I could I would. I promise you. My Duncan has a supernatural sense for anything that is good for hairballs. The others have no issue with at least a few types of treatment so we give it to them. Anything at all that we've ever tried has failed with him though. And a getting a half a teaspoon of ANYTHING into that cat when he doesn't want it there doesn't happen without a syringe. I haven't tried Laxtone Tuna Flavor but I will as soon as I buy it now. But we've had him for 9 years and we've tried pretty much everything recommended to us. At one point someone gave us the brilliant advice when we couldn't get him to take a particular hairball treatment to put it on his paw so he would have to rub it off. He sniffed it then, he went over to the bed and proceeded to drag his paw all over the sheets until all of it was off. He then stared at us pointedly and left and proceeded to ignore us for the rest of the day for the insult.
 
I just checked Laxtone and it's pretty much the same content of ingredients as Petromalt and apparently tastes and smells the same. He won't take it. That's the stuff he rubbed all over the bed. HATED it. Nothing we could do worked. We even tried an oral medication syringe but he VOLUNTARILY spit it up until he foamed at the mouth then made himself vomit. His determination is awe inspiring.
 
Gypsy,

Have you tried cat food formulated to help with hair balls? I know Iams and Eukanuba make a version. This might provide some relief without having to give him a supplement he hates....
 
I have, he won't eat it and my others have heath issues that are problematic with a lot of food. I feed them grain free Instinct.
 
Sending lots of puuurrrrrzzzzz to you and Duncan! Anything new like this that crops up can be so scary for both of you!!! My Max used to do something similar, please make sure and have Duncan's kidney levels checked out at his appt. this week. Best of luck to you both!
 
My cats are the same with hairball cream.They hate the way we have them take it,but it works and that's all that matters.Usually my husband pick one of the cats up,and keep his paws down with one hand,and his mouth open with the other.Then,I put the cream on my finger and rub it inside his mouth at the very end of his palate,near his throat.Just pay attention not to go too much into his throat or he will throw up.This works because he has no choice but gulp it down.Our vet showed this metod to us once,and we used it ever since.It's not nice (I've been bitten quite a few times),but it works.
 
Gypsy - I'd bring Duncan in to see the vet about this one - although like your car, it could be harder for the vet to diagnose since in all likelihood it won't happen while she can observe it. Some possibilities that come to mind are something pressing the wrong way against the spinals column, or maybe the head movement associated with expelling the hairball throws off his balance (inner ear mechanics). The vet might also want to check to see if there are any blockages that are contributing to the hairballs.

Re the hairball remedies - I hear you! My Squeaky hated petromalt and all its brethren, and always found a way to avoid it too! Have you tried any of the dry foods that claim to prevent hairballs?

I'm not a vet, just a longtime cat owner. Hopefully one someone else with veterinary expertise or experience with similar symptoms will chime in and put your mind at ease. WIthout that knowledge though it seems like what Duncan's going through warrants a visit to the vet.

ETA I just noticed stepcutnut's response - another reason to get Duncan to a vet!
 
if it were my cat, he'd be at the vet sooner rather than later....but then i'm paranoid about these things [with good reason]. i've never seen one of my cats do what your describing when coughing up a hairball violently....i have one that has coughed up blood because it was so difficult but she's overweight and i had her checked out immediately the very first time. i'd take no chances, gypsy.
 
Gypsy...can't give any advice about the toppling over but there is one other remedy for hairballs that works if Duncan will eat it -- egg yolk (no whites). The lecithin in the yolk works as an emulsifier to help break down the fat that constitutes btw 15-30% of the hairball. Laxatone and other products grease the intestinal tract but don't work on breaking up the hairball itself. I give all my cats 1 yolk 1x wk.
 
I will try the egg yolk. And Duncan has an appointment later this week. Thanks all.
 
Have you tried the furminator? I use that on my kitties regularly and they don't have hair ball problems. Maybe that would help to reduce them since he won't eat anything to help for hair balls.

Keep us posted after the appointment!
 
Hi Gypsy! :wavey: I hope everything turned out OK (or at least manageable) with Duncan!
 
Matata|1336940014|3194436 said:
Gypsy...can't give any advice about the toppling over but there is one other remedy for hairballs that works if Duncan will eat it -- egg yolk (no whites). The lecithin in the yolk works as an emulsifier to help break down the fat that constitutes btw 15-30% of the hairball. Laxatone and other products grease the intestinal tract but don't work on breaking up the hairball itself. I give all my cats 1 yolk 1x wk.
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I think I want to try this. Do you give them raw yolk?
 
How is Duncan? What did the vet say?
 
VR was right. It was one of those, well, he's not doing it now so we can't tell but it could be a bunch of different things and here they are, and try not to freak out (HAH!) until we do some tests. Blook pressure freak out was on the list though. I forgot to ask the vet about the yolk though. Do I need to buy pasteurized eggs for him if I do it raw?
 
Gypsy|1338091003|3204549 said:
VR was right. It was one of those, well, he's not doing it now so we can't tell but it could be a bunch of different things and here they are, and try not to freak out (HAH!) until we do some tests. Blook pressure freak out was on the list though. I forgot to ask the vet about the yolk though. Do I need to buy pasteurized eggs for him if I do it raw?
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Nope. Regular egg yolk. Organic preferable. Did your vet mention how important it was to control the vomiting in elder cats -- chance of throwing a blood clot increases with age. If he's eating kibble, I encourage you to transition him to a high quality canned. Hope all goes well with Duncan.
 
Matata - what do you consider high quality canned food? My Maya is getting very picky about her canned food (I've been giving her fancy feast because she eats so little). Also - do you give the yolk cooked or raw? Thanks!

Gypsy - I'm sorry the vet didn't have any answers for you! :(
 
VRBeauty|1338100854|3204603 said:
Matata - what do you consider high quality canned food? My Maya is getting very picky about her canned food (I've been giving her fancy feast because she eats so little). Also - do you give the yolk cooked or raw? Thanks!

Gypsy - I'm sorry the vet didn't have any answers for you! :(
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Raw yolk. And I'm going to try to attach a document I made for another forum I belong to. If it doesn't work, I'll cut & paste info later.
 

Attachments

sorry to say but Fancy Feast is not a high quality food.
i use it only when desparate to get a sick and/or dying cat to eat.

http://www.catinfo.org/?link=cannedfoods

this is a good place to start.
its hard to buy a quality canned cat food.....but anything canned is better than anything dry. cats get their moisture from their prey in the wild which provides their moisture needs. sitting a bowl of water by the dry food bowl does not guarantee that the cat will drink water and get enough to prevent kidney disease and other problems.

i've gotten off into this as an almost rant. i apologize. i've spent way too much time investigating cat foods and admittedly i still don't make my own cat food. at this point, my cats don't recognize raw as food. sort of funny when i think about it.
 
Thanks, Matata and MZ. I have some reading to do!
 
If you want your cat to drink more I highly recommend a water fountain (not plastic). My cats drink a LOT more now than they used to.

I have two of these in our house: http://www.amazon.com/Smartcat-Pioneer-Drinking-Fountain-Ceramic/dp/B005OS2J5C

Raw yolk. I'll probably go for pasteurized eggs anyway just to be safe.


I feed mine good wet food. Halo Spot Stew is a favorite. Tiki Cat is also well received and they have a lot of nice flavors. Avoderm is one they get occasionally, and Instinct (their dry is also instinct). Lotus is one they've been okay with so far.

If you have a Pet Food Express, start shopping there. I think there is one by you. I HIGHLY recommend them. It is the only Pet Food chain store with high quality food.
 
we have 3 fountains: 2 in the cat run and one in the house. before Rusty died he would only drink from a bowl with ice and water in it. the trick is finding what works for your cat and making it available.
ceramic is better than plastic in pretty much all instances.
unfortunately, most cat food cans are lined with plastic........i hate buying a great food and finding the can is lined in plastic!
some of the Weruva line uses unlined cans and fortunately Harley often likes it......but Spikey and Brita don't recognize it as food!
cats: gotta love them but they can be mind boggling at times.

more reading material: http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/categories/pet-food-reviews.html
 
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