Our cat has been heaving! What''s wrong with her?

[Phoenix]

..and what should we be doing?

Our cat, Pumpkin, has been heaving this past week or so. First, it was just like she was short of breathe but during the last couple of days, she's been doing it with her tongue fully stuck out. The poor thing!! I'm so worried about her. Her heaving today seems to be more exaggerated, heavier than before.

I spoke with a cat lover friend, who seems to think that Pumpkin wants to throw up fur-balls but she can't, since we're now in an apartment and there's no grass for her to eat (unlike in our house in Singapore where she was always running around in the garden). My friend suggested feeding Pumpkin some grass which I did try, but Pumpkin didn't bite - literally!! I then tried to give her some vegetables (just plain non-flavoured green leaves) chopped up very small and she won't eat this either.

We've also been trying to see if there're any fur-balls around her litter area or elsewhere but there's nothing!

I want to take her to the vet, but DH seems to think that all we need to do is to give her some food (which he's going to buy tonight) that's especially made to induce fur-balls. I'm not so sure that that will do the trick.

Pumpkin seems to have lost some weight too.

Shall we take her to the vet on an urgent basis?

 

[LilyKat]

No experience with that, but I would at least call your vet urgently and get some telephone advice. I wouldn't risk it personally, especially with the weight loss.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 6:22:03 AM
Author: LilyKat
No experience with that, but I would at least call your vet urgently and get some telephone advice. I wouldn''t risk it personally, especially with the weight loss.

Ok, you''re right. I''ll ask DH to call them, since I don''t speak Chinese. I hope there''s an emergency number since it''s after biz hours now.

Thanks.

 

[Deelight]

It sounds like furballs to me - if it is the food does it work she will poop them out however I would likely take her to vet to be sure

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 6:30:27 AM
Author: Deelight
It sounds like furballs to me - if it is the food does it work she will poop them out however I would likely take her to vet to be sure

Hmm...you're right!! We'll talk to the vet tonight if we can. Otherwise, I'll bring her to see them tomorrow. DH would just have to translate for me over the 'phone!

Our poor cat!!

(Oh btw, I googled it and it seems that it may very well be furballs. Other than that, it might be asthma or kidney problems, but I hope not. She's never had any such symptoms before and she's only 6 years old. Not old enough for kidney problems at least. Oh, I do hope not though).

Thanks.

 

[Deelight]

I hope not either - but from what you wrote the first thing that popped into my head was furballs my kitties get them from time to time - it was really bad until we put them on furball food now it is great no issues

GL hope kitty feels better really soon

 

[that_someone_special]

ahhhh one of my cats heaves like that with his tongue out and it worries me everyyyy time... and it''s ALWAYS a hairball/ vomit. I''m pretty darn sure it''s hairballs with Pumpkin... not sure what you can do to remedy that though other than seeing the vet

Oh, they do sell creams, I believe, that you can put on their coats to help with it, but that won''t help now.

Hope Pumpkin can cough it up soon!

 

[y2kitty]

I don''t know if they sell it in China but there is a product for this called Catlax. It is a gel like substance, you feed it to the cat (mine would just eat it out of the tube) and it lubricates the digestive track and helps kitty pass furball.

 

[oddoneout]

I hope your cat gets better soon.

 

[Lorelei]

Hi Phoenix

I would take her to the vet, it sounds like hairballs but it could be various things, as an example asthma in cats can resemble hairball symptoms with the heaving so I would get her checked out.

 

[Circe]

What Lorelei said ... my old cat used to have hairballs, but she also wheezed because of asthma periodically. Before you can treat her, you''ll need to figure out what''s wrong with the poor baby, so off to the vet it should be!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 6:45:12 AM
Author: Deelight
I hope not either - but from what you wrote the first thing that popped into my head was furballs my kitties get them from time to time - it was really bad until we put them on furball food now it is great no issues

GL hope kitty feels better really soon

Thanks, Deelight. I appreciate it.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 7:00:51 AM
Author: swedish bean
ahhhh one of my cats heaves like that with his tongue out and it worries me everyyyy time... and it''s ALWAYS a hairball/ vomit. I''m pretty darn sure it''s hairballs with Pumpkin... not sure what you can do to remedy that though other than seeing the vet

Oh, they do sell creams, I believe, that you can put on their coats to help with it, but that won''t help now.

Hope Pumpkin can cough it up soon!

Yes, it *is* worrying, isn''t it?! I never saw Pumpkin do it before when we lived in Singapore and it freaks me out!!

The cream, do you have the name of it? It''ll be worth it to get it for future purposes. What does that do? Will it prevent her from over-grooming herself/ licking and swallowing her hair?

Thanks, sweetie. I hope she does too. I just gave her some other vegetable (Chinese white cabbage) mixed with her regular food and she seems to eat up some of it.

 

[MAC-W]

Date: 1/26/2010 6:04:10 AM
Author:Phoenix
..and what should we be doing?

Our cat, Pumpkin, has been heaving this past week or so. First, it was just like she was short of breathe but during the last couple of days, she''s been doing it with her tongue fully stuck out. The poor thing!! I''m so worried about her. Her heaving today seems to be more exaggerated, heavier than before.

I spoke with a cat lover friend, who seems to think that Pumpkin wants to throw up fur-balls but she can''t, since we''re now in an apartment and there''s no grass for her to eat (unlike in our house in Singapore where she was always running around in the garden). My friend suggested feeding Pumpkin some grass which I did try, but Pumpkin didn''t bite - literally!! I then tried to give her some vegetables (just plain non-flavoured green leaves) chopped up very small and she won''t eat this either.

We''ve also been trying to see if there''re any fur-balls around her litter area or elsewhere but there''s nothing!

I want to take her to the vet, but DH seems to think that all we need to do is to give her some food (which he''s going to buy tonight) that''s especially made to induce fur-balls. I''m not so sure that that will do the trick.

Pumpkin seems to have lost some weight too.

Shall we take her to the vet on an urgent basis?

Sounds like furballs to me. Especially as you say Pumpkin used to be an outdoor cat when you were in Singapore.

The answer is simple. Go to your local garden centre and buy a plant call ‘cat grass’ – latin name ''datylis glomerata''. Put it in a wide deep container in a space in your house that is cat friendly (the deep the container the better the foliage and the better the foliage the happier the cat). Also cats like the feel of soil on their paws. Pumpkin may pull on the plants and toss some soil on the floor (small price to pay - just dont put the pot near or on a white rug LOL). It also helps to keep soil 2" to 3" below the top of the pot; overplant each pot to give Pumpkin more greenery and less dirt to toss on the floor; and keep your sense of humour. Cats generally like to play and sleep around plants. This is great for the cat, but hard on the plant. Over here (OZ) you can also get cat grass seeds from pet stores, (a much cheaper option). They take about 10 days to germinate. Grow plants in individual pots for easy replacement of damaged plants.

Also, please remember, cats and humans metabolize plants and plant materials differently. Aloe Vera and Tea Tree Oil are healing to humans and toxic to cats. Never give a plant or a plant product or material to a cat until you are completely sure it is safe. Use botanical (Latin) not common names to identify plants. And check with your vet to be doubly sure.

Another good plant to put in your indoor “cat garden” is catmint (Nepeta Faassenii) and also catnip (Nepeta Cataria). Generally catnip is more favoured by male cats, but Pumpkin might like it as a change from the cat grass. She will very quickly show tyou which type of plant she prefers, but its always a good idea to have at least 2 if not 3 types in your ''cat garden'' purely to give her some variety.

Our cats also seem to like an red ornamental grass I have in the garden called pennisetum advena rubrum. Our female cat in particular will lie for hours on top of this plant with regular snack-ettes of the leaves. Luckily its a very hardy plant and twice a year I just cut it back to about 2 inches above ground height to encourage more growth.

Hope this info helps and that Pumpkin is feeling better soon.

PS. Furballs are scary the first time you see your cat trying to bring them up. However you will soon become an expert in cat vomitting.

PPS: You may have to train Pumpkin that the ''cat garden'' is not the "poop tray"

 

[tyty333]

Several people on yahoo recommended feeding your cat some soften butter. They said it helps lub them up
some. I would ask the vet first...but this could be an easy fix (if it works).

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 7:43:22 AM
Author: y2kitty
I don''t know if they sell it in China but there is a product for this called Catlax. It is a gel like substance, you feed it to the cat (mine would just eat it out of the tube) and it lubricates the digestive track and helps kitty pass furball.

Thank you, y2kitty. We''ve just given Pumpkin called "Malt Soft Extra". DH went to the local pet food store and described the problem to them. They recommended it. We put a pea-sized amount on DH''s finger and Pumpkin licked it right off. We also got here some food that''s supposed to induce her to poop out the hair.

I''ll have a look tomorrow in her litter and see if these two things have helped. At the risk of sounding stupid, will I see hair sticking out in her poop when I look?

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 7:55:19 AM
Author: oddoneout
I hope your cat gets better soon.

Thank you for your kind words.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 7:55:36 AM
Author: Lorelei
Hi Phoenix

I would take her to the vet, it sounds like hairballs but it could be various things, as an example asthma in cats can resemble hairball symptoms with the heaving so I would get her checked out.

Hi Lorelei,

Thank you. We spoke to the vet this evening and he didn''t seem to be particularly concerned (easy to him though!!). He seemed to think that it''s hairballs too. He suggested though to keep observing Pumpkin for the next few days; and then to bring her to see him; or if something else happened that indicated a worsening of symptoms (like diarrhoea) then to go see him immediately.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 8:17:26 AM
Author: Circe
What Lorelei said ... my old cat used to have hairballs, but she also wheezed because of asthma periodically. Before you can treat her, you''ll need to figure out what''s wrong with the poor baby, so off to the vet it should be!

Yes, I agree that we should bring her to the vet. I''ll keep a very very close eye on Pumpkin. We''re def going to bring her to the vet. At the very least, she should be checked out to determine the real cause(s).

Thank you, Circe.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

My cat was doing something similar and it turned out to be asthma. Cat heaving and wheezing can sound and look very similar. It''s probably hairballs, but I just thought I''d share in case you don''t see any hairballs anytime soon!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 9:01:54 AM
Author: MAC-W

Date: 1/26/2010 6:04:10 AM
Author:Phoenix
..and what should we be doing?

Our cat, Pumpkin, has been heaving this past week or so. First, it was just like she was short of breathe but during the last couple of days, she's been doing it with her tongue fully stuck out. The poor thing!! I'm so worried about her. Her heaving today seems to be more exaggerated, heavier than before.

I spoke with a cat lover friend, who seems to think that Pumpkin wants to throw up fur-balls but she can't, since we're now in an apartment and there's no grass for her to eat (unlike in our house in Singapore where she was always running around in the garden). My friend suggested feeding Pumpkin some grass which I did try, but Pumpkin didn't bite - literally!! I then tried to give her some vegetables (just plain non-flavoured green leaves) chopped up very small and she won't eat this either.

We've also been trying to see if there're any fur-balls around her litter area or elsewhere but there's nothing!

I want to take her to the vet, but DH seems to think that all we need to do is to give her some food (which he's going to buy tonight) that's especially made to induce fur-balls. I'm not so sure that that will do the trick.

Pumpkin seems to have lost some weight too.

Shall we take her to the vet on an urgent basis?

Sounds like furballs to me. Especially as you say Pumpkin used to be an outdoor cat when you were in Singapore.

The answer is simple. Go to your local garden centre and buy a plant call ‘cat grass’ – latin name 'datylis glomerata'. Put it in a wide deep container in a space in your house that is cat friendly (the deep the container the better the foliage and the better the foliage the happier the cat). Also cats like the feel of soil on their paws. Pumpkin may pull on the plants and toss some soil on the floor (small price to pay - just dont put the pot near or on a white rug LOL). It also helps to keep soil 2' to 3' below the top of the pot; overplant each pot to give Pumpkin more greenery and less dirt to toss on the floor; and keep your sense of humour. Cats generally like to play and sleep around plants. This is great for the cat, but hard on the plant. Over here (OZ) you can also get cat grass seeds from pet stores, (a much cheaper option). They take about 10 days to germinate. Grow plants in individual pots for easy replacement of damaged plants.

Also, please remember, cats and humans metabolize plants and plant materials differently. Aloe Vera and Tea Tree Oil are healing to humans and toxic to cats. Never give a plant or a plant product or material to a cat until you are completely sure it is safe. Use botanical (Latin) not common names to identify plants. And check with your vet to be doubly sure.

Another good plant to put in your indoor “cat garden” is catmint (Nepeta Faassenii) and also catnip (Nepeta Cataria). Generally catnip is more favoured by male cats, but Pumpkin might like it as a change from the cat grass. She will very quickly show tyou which type of plant she prefers, but its always a good idea to have at least 2 if not 3 types in your 'cat garden' purely to give her some variety.

Our cats also seem to like an red ornamental grass I have in the garden called pennisetum advena rubrum. Our female cat in particular will lie for hours on top of this plant with regular snack-ettes of the leaves. Luckily its a very hardy plant and twice a year I just cut it back to about 2 inches above ground height to encourage more growth.

Hope this info helps and that Pumpkin is feeling better soon.

PS. Furballs are scary the first time you see your cat trying to bring them up. However you will soon become an expert in cat vomitting.

PPS: You may have to train Pumpkin that the 'cat garden' is not the 'poop tray'

Thank you sooooo much, Mac-W. That's a lot of very helpful information indeed.

We'll certainly go to the local garden centre and see what we can find. In China, it may not be possible to look for plants in their Latin names. I know in Singapore, plants are almost always tagged by their Latin names, but somehow I have a suspicion that this is not the case in Shanghai, but we won't know until we try. At the very least, we'll check with the vet. Actually, the vet's English is not so good either. I don't know why DH didn't talk to the vet in Chinese, but the 'phone speaker was on and I could tell the vet was struggling a bit to understand. Anyway, I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of what's wrong with her (or at least I hope we will), and find out what plants she can and cannot eat. Good thing you told me about Aloe Vera (I've always wanted to grow it - not anymore though!).

I'm not worried about a bit of dirt or soil as far as Pumpkin is concerned. Her well-being comes first. The dirt can always be swept away. In any case, Pumpkin is very good about using her litter tray. When we first got her (after some dirt bag parent(s) dropped her off/ threw her away), she used to "go" in our garden, behind our big bunch of (Asian) palm trees, and our maid found a bunch of her poop in this one area, LOL. Now, she *insists* on "going" in her own litter tray and nowhere else, she's quite fastidious, that little Pumpkin!

Your cat sounds very adorable!

ETA: Oh, what do hairballs look like incidentally? I think I saw some of her vomit once, but am not so sure if this was a hairball.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/26/2010 9:43:08 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 1/26/2010 7:43:22 AM
Author: y2kitty
I don''t know if they sell it in China but there is a product for this called Catlax. It is a gel like substance, you feed it to the cat (mine would just eat it out of the tube) and it lubricates the digestive track and helps kitty pass furball.

Thank you, y2kitty. We''ve just given Pumpkin called ''Malt Soft Extra''. DH went to the local pet food store and described the problem to them. They recommended it. We put a pea-sized amount on DH''s finger and Pumpkin licked it right off. We also got here some food that''s supposed to induce her to poop out the hair.

I''ll have a look tomorrow in her litter and see if these two things have helped. At the risk of sounding stupid, will I see hair sticking out in her poop when I look?

Hi P!

I don''t normally find hairballs in the poo, although you can find some on occasion as a bit of hair wound in the poo, normally I find they get coughed up. I think a vet check would be the way to go at least to rule out more serious conditions such as asthma.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 9:19:34 AM
Author: tyty333
Several people on yahoo recommended feeding your cat some soften butter. They said it helps lub them up
some. I would ask the vet first...but this could be an easy fix (if it works).

Softened butter?! Ha, I''d never have guessed! Will ask the vet.

Thanks, tyty.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 9:52:17 AM
Author: OUpeargirl
My cat was doing something similar and it turned out to be asthma. Cat heaving and wheezing can sound and look very similar. It''s probably hairballs, but I just thought I''d share in case you don''t see any hairballs anytime soon!

Thanks, OUpeargirl. I''ll for sure see if Pumpkin can cough up or poop out some hair. We''ll def bring her to the vet; at least asthma can be ruled out or diagnosed, one way or the other.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Date: 1/26/2010 10:15:51 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 1/26/2010 9:52:17 AM

Author: OUpeargirl

My cat was doing something similar and it turned out to be asthma. Cat heaving and wheezing can sound and look very similar. It''s probably hairballs, but I just thought I''d share in case you don''t see any hairballs anytime soon!

Thanks, OUpeargirl. I''ll for sure see if Pumpkin can cough up or poop out some hair. We''ll def bring her to the vet; at least asthma can be ruled out or diagnosed, one way or the other.

Yep! And if so, it has not been a huge deal for us.. I just got her one of these super cool contraptions...

I hope Pumpkin gets to feeling better soon!!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 10:06:32 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/26/2010 9:43:08 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 1/26/2010 7:43:22 AM
Author: y2kitty
I don''t know if they sell it in China but there is a product for this called Catlax. It is a gel like substance, you feed it to the cat (mine would just eat it out of the tube) and it lubricates the digestive track and helps kitty pass furball.

Thank you, y2kitty. We''ve just given Pumpkin called ''Malt Soft Extra''. DH went to the local pet food store and described the problem to them. They recommended it. We put a pea-sized amount on DH''s finger and Pumpkin licked it right off. We also got here some food that''s supposed to induce her to poop out the hair.

I''ll have a look tomorrow in her litter and see if these two things have helped. At the risk of sounding stupid, will I see hair sticking out in her poop when I look?

Hi P!

I don''t normally find hairballs in the poo, although you can find some on occasion as a bit of hair wound in the poo, normally I find they get coughed up. I think a vet check would be the way to go at least to rule out more serious conditions such as asthma.

Oh I see. May I ask something though: if a cat wants to cough up the hair, how long would he/ she be trying to do it for? It''s been a few days already and yet Pumpkin is still trying desperately to throw up/ still wheezing. Does that should strange to you?

And yes, def will see the vet.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 10:19:07 AM
Author: OUpeargirl

Date: 1/26/2010 10:15:51 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 1/26/2010 9:52:17 AM

Author: OUpeargirl

My cat was doing something similar and it turned out to be asthma. Cat heaving and wheezing can sound and look very similar. It's probably hairballs, but I just thought I'd share in case you don't see any hairballs anytime soon!

Thanks, OUpeargirl. I'll for sure see if Pumpkin can cough up or poop out some hair. We'll def bring her to the vet; at least asthma can be ruled out or diagnosed, one way or the other.

Yep! And if so, it has not been a huge deal for us.. I just got her one of these super cool contraptions...

I hope Pumpkin gets to feeling better soon!!

Thanks so much for that pic. Your cat looks very cute, though the poor thing has to inhale through that device (in fact, it looks similar to mine - I have a shortness of breathe problem too). I hope her asthma problem is not too serious. It just breaks my heart to see cute little creatures like our cats being unwell. I wish they could speak so they could tell us what's wrong/ how they're feeling.

Thanks for your kind words.

 

[OUpearlgirl]

Date: 1/26/2010 10:25:18 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 1/26/2010 10:19:07 AM

Author: OUpeargirl

Date: 1/26/2010 10:15:51 AM

Author: Phoenix

Date: 1/26/2010 9:52:17 AM


Author: OUpeargirl


My cat was doing something similar and it turned out to be asthma. Cat heaving and wheezing can sound and look very similar. It''s probably hairballs, but I just thought I''d share in case you don''t see any hairballs anytime soon!

Thanks, OUpeargirl. I''ll for sure see if Pumpkin can cough up or poop out some hair. We''ll def bring her to the vet; at least asthma can be ruled out or diagnosed, one way or the other.

Yep! And if so, it has not been a huge deal for us.. I just got her one of these super cool contraptions...

I hope Pumpkin gets to feeling better soon!!

Thanks so much for that pic. Your cat looks very cute, though the poor thing has to inhale through that device (in fact, it looks similar to mine - I have a shortness of breathe problem too). I hope her asthma problem is not too serious. It just breaks my heart to see cute little creatures like our cats being unwell. I wish they could speak so they could tell us what''s wrong/ how they''re feeling.


Thanks for your kind words.

That''s not my cat, but I have the same inhaler for her! I have asthma too, and it kind of makes me laugh that my cat and I have nearly identical inhalers! It would be nice if they could speak! And you''re welcome, I hate to see and hear about sick kitties!

 

[y2kitty]

Date: 1/26/2010 10:19:30 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 1/26/2010 10:06:32 AM

Author: Lorelei

Date: 1/26/2010 9:43:08 AM

Author: Phoenix

Date: 1/26/2010 7:43:22 AM

Author: y2kitty

I don''t know if they sell it in China but there is a product for this called Catlax. It is a gel like substance, you feed it to the cat (mine would just eat it out of the tube) and it lubricates the digestive track and helps kitty pass furball.

Thank you, y2kitty. We''ve just given Pumpkin called ''Malt Soft Extra''. DH went to the local pet food store and described the problem to them. They recommended it. We put a pea-sized amount on DH''s finger and Pumpkin licked it right off. We also got here some food that''s supposed to induce her to poop out the hair.


I''ll have a look tomorrow in her litter and see if these two things have helped. At the risk of sounding stupid, will I see hair sticking out in her poop when I look?

Hi P!


I don''t normally find hairballs in the poo, although you can find some on occasion as a bit of hair wound in the poo, normally I find they get coughed up. I think a vet check would be the way to go at least to rule out more serious conditions such as asthma.

Oh I see. May I ask something though: if a cat wants to cough up the hair, how long would he/ she be trying to do it for? It''s been a few days already and yet Pumpkin is still trying desperately to throw up/ still wheezing. Does that should strange to you?


And yes, def will see the vet.

The behavior you are describing doesn''t sound that weird to me. One of my cats throws up hairballs from his upper intestines so they are the same shape as poo would be but different colored and most def. a hair ball. And he will do the panting/wheezing thing for 5-10 minutes to get it out. But the fact that your cat has been doing it for days seems strange. Does kitty go outside? I''m just wondering if Pumpkin was exposed to upper respiratory virus or something.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 1/26/2010 10:32:07 AM
Author: y2kitty

Date: 1/26/2010 10:19:30 AM
Author: Phoenix

Oh I see. May I ask something though: if a cat wants to cough up the hair, how long would he/ she be trying to do it for? It's been a few days already and yet Pumpkin is still trying desperately to throw up/ still wheezing. Does that should strange to you?


And yes, def will see the vet.

The behavior you are describing doesn't sound that weird to me. One of my cats throws up hairballs from his upper intestines so they are the same shape as poo would be but different colored and most def. a hair ball. And he will do the panting/wheezing thing for 5-10 minutes to get it out. But the fact that your cat has been doing it for days seems strange. Does kitty go outside? I'm just wondering if Pumpkin was exposed to upper respiratory virus or something.

Pumpkin has been doing it on and off for the last few days and it seems to be getting worse. When I first noticed it, she was just panting. Now, she pants more heavily and she sticks out her tongue - in full. It looks quite scary/ worrisome. Each time she does it, it also lasts for about 5-10 mins; and yet nothing at all comes out of her mouth. It seems that she's really trying to throw out a furball but it seems to be stuck in her respiratory track/ oesophagus. BUT I'm even more worried abt something else other than furballs; so an upper respiratory infection cannot be ruled out. Pumpkin has never gone out since she/ we arrived in Shanghai. She used to be an outdoors and indoors cat. Now, she's totally indoorsy. We're concerned about her being catnapped or getting lost, so we don't let her out at all.

Are you saying that she might have got it from being out in the cold weather or alternatively somehow caught the virus from other cats, had she been playing outside?