Gagging and not eating since yesterday...

I've been trying my kitties on different foods recently to ascertain their favorites, and last night I gave them some Wellness Turkey and Salmon. One of the girls, Rachel, gagged when she got close enough to smell the food and immediately left the table. I thought it was funny at the time, 'cause I believed she simply didn't like the food and was reacting in disgust.

She did it again tonight at feeding time, though, with their regular food, and so now I'm a bit concerned. Would a cat gag in disgust? Or is that too much an emotional reaction and probably not one a cat would engage in?

If so, then she's probably got an issue going on, right? She's only six months old, can they have hairballs at that age? (She does have longish fur.) I'm going to pick up some hairball formula tomorrow just in case.

Anyone else see this behavior before? Is it something that requires an immediate vet visit, or should I wait a few days? I'm inclined to wait and see if she eats tomorrow, but I would hate myself if this is a clue to something more serious and I miss it.

What do you guys think?

Yes a vet visit should be made...

has she ever had that meat combo before??


do you have vaseline?? Thou I hate giving petroluem based products it does works for hairballs...

Did she try to eat and then gag? The last time I saw that my two cats had feling leukemia, ulcerated throats made it difficult to eat, eventually they had to be put down, got it by being outdoor cats, one got infected in a fight and brought it home to his brother. devastating, last outdoor cats I had.

It could be a hairball, or she could be naseaous. I would call the vet and explain her symptoms if she doesn't eat her breakfast in the morning--at that point, some intervention might be needed to get her to eat.

Originally Posted by sharky

Yes a vet visit should be made...

has she ever had that meat combo before??


do you have vaseline?? Thou I hate giving petroluem based products it does works for hairballs...

Click to expand...

I'm not sure I understand where you put the vaseline Sharky??

you give it like hairball goop

Sharky: No, she hasn't, that was the first time I offered it.

Gailuvscats: She didn't eat anything, she just got within scenting distance; about 1.5 or 2 feet, gagged, swallowed and ran off.

Now that you mention it, all four caught Feline Herpes from their mother before I rescued them...I know that the virus can cause sores when it flares up. Hmmm. There hasn't been anything to stress my babies, though, and I give them L-Lysine every day.

Oh!!....I just looked in her mouth and there's blood...and one of her big side teeth is wicked loose. Should I take it out? It must really be paining her!

Hmm, a loose tooth would definitely do it. If it doesn't feel like it will fall out on its own, I would leave it until morning and consult with the vet. If it's actually broken off, the vet may not want you to pull it. In the meantime, you may need to finger/spoon feed her or syringe water or food into her to keep her hydrated and fed.

I am not sure of the teething procedure with cats. I know kittens loose teeth at some point, but don't know about a 6 month and a molar. I know I had a cat with a broken tooth, that wasn't eating, the vet discovered the tooth, and she was anesthesized and he romoved that tooth and cleaned the rest. She was much older though. If it is not normal for them to be loosing teeth at 6 months, I would get to the vet. It is extremely dangerous for a cat to go for even a short amount of time without food and water. It affects their liver and could cause permanent damage or death. I wouldn't fool around with it.

Well, the tooth's out now. I was trying to get a better look at it this morning when it basically just fell right out. I've been researching and found out that cat's lose their molar teeth around 5 - 6 months, so she's right on track.

Whew!! I hate kitty scares!

Is she eating now?

Hope she is!! glad he tooth is out...I am sure she feels better.

Good to know that she's fine. I haven't been around kittens since my parents' 14 year old cat was a baby.

Oh, sorry, Nedra! Yes, she's back to eating as she was (she never stopped drinking).

Thanks for your advice everyone, especially you, Gailuvscats, since your thoughts led me to the "root" of the problem.

Are you keeping the tooth? I so wanted to find one of Radar's baby teeth so that I could keep it as a memento of when he was a little kitten, but didn't find a single one. They usually come out when they are eating and get swallowed.

I am sure that now the tooth is out your little one will be fine, just make sure that she is eating OK. She may appreciate some softened or watered down food if it is a little sore.

Your welcome Auntie Crazy. I am glad you thought to look into her mouth.

Will you be putting that tooth under her pillow for the kitty tooth fairy??

Auntie Crazy, how is she this morning? Is she okay? WIll you still take her to the vet and let him look? I think I would. I am paranoid about my babies being okay.

Ladies, I really did think about keeping the tooth...I started to put it in the trash, drew back, hesitated, thought real hard, then threw it away.

My daughter moved out several months ago and once I got over the silence (the kittens helped enormously!!) I've become a bit of a clean freak. I'm in the process of going through everything I own, literally every item, and either packing it nicely away or getting rid of it. As much as I thought it would be cute to keep the tooth, in my cleaning mode it didn't make sense, you know? Now, if I had one from each kitten...

I'm glad she's okay!

I am so glad this issue was just nature takeing its course