REGURGITATION AND HAIRBALLS- HELP!!!!

hey so my kitty zala rose is being fine- chubby (not too chubby, though), playful, affectionate, etc. but today i came home and found that she had regurgitated twice and had produced a s,all hairball, all in the course of around 20 mins. one regurgitation was small, 1.5 cm by like 3 cm, but one was HUGE and was like 1.5 cm by like 6 cm, and the hairball was like 1 cm wide and 1 cm tall. she is a short hair cat, and regurgitation is usual for her like once every week/two weeks (is this normal? its just her food & mucus) but she has *never* had a hairball before. im just worried that she might be sick because (sorry to repeat myself) she basically puked 3 tomes in 20 mins and om just worried for my little baby

Hi there, vomiting mucus is not normal. Hairballs are definitely normal but throwing up food and mucus is not. I'm concerned about her being even a little bit chubby, this can lead to a lot of health issues and vomiting is the start of them. What are you currently feeding her? she should be on a grain free wet food diet only. If you feed a high quality protein food, the weight will come off slowly and safely and she should hopefully stop vomiting. If it continues at all and it gets worse, if you see anything like blood in it, get her to the vet asap.

Has she eaten anything since and has she thrown up since this event?  How are her litter box habits?  Is she peeing and pooping normally?
 

1st of all- THANKS!!!!!

2nd of all, i would like to clarify that the so-called 'vomiting' is actually regurgitation, which is when she eats food, it doesnt go all the way to her stomach, and then she spits it up, and this is normal for her. what i mean by 'mucus' is when she does regurgitate, the food is held together by this mucus-y stuff, which im assuming is the phlegm in the back of her throat.

we're feeding her a mix of science diet- sensitive stomach and iams-- when we first got her, she LOVED wet food, but then she switched to kibble (the mix of dry food) and has not liked wet food since- we tried to put her back on wet food by offering her some with her dry food, but she regurgitated it twice sk we stopped that.

there is ABSOLUTELY NO BLOOD IN HER REGURGITATION- if there was, id be at the vet and not replying to this. her litter box habits have been completely normal and havent changed.

a problem though is that since she just (approximately- shes a shelter kitty) turned 2, we have a vets appointment on the 7th of july, but my parents dont see this regurgitating/hairballing as too much of a threat and they wont move it up. should i try and get them to move it up or leave it be? shes definately going then.

brightsunray812 said:

1st of all- THANKS!!!!!
2nd of all, i would like to clarify that the so-called 'vomiting' is actually regurgitation, which is when she eats food, it doesnt go all the way to her stomach, and then she spits it up, and this is normal for her.

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I had a kitty that would eat too fast, and immediately regurgitate her food. It was never thrown up with mucous. That is not normal. She should not have phlegm in the back of her throat that comes up with food. And if the food doesn't make it's way to her stomach, then there is definitely some kind of motility problem, and as the others have pointed out, that's not normal either.

The frequent vomiting is hard on their throats - they're not designed to have bile coming up like that.

Unfortunately, the Science Diet and Iams foods, especially kibbles, are not healthy options for your kitty. Sensitive tummies need limited ingredient foods with no grains. Cats are carnivores, and their systems are not designed to constantly digest carbohydrates and vegetables and stuff.

Here is an article that may help you understand the kitty nutrition issue better: http://www.catinfo.org/

and one that will help with the transition issue: http://www.catinfo.org/docs/Tips for Transitioning PDF 1-14-11.pdf

Information on hairballs: http://consciouscat.net/2010/04/28/some-startling-new-thoughts-on-cats-and-hairballs/

And on IBD, vomiting, and hairballs: http://www.ibdkitties.net/LivingwithIBD.html and
http://www.pet-health-care-gazette....tory-bowel-disease-ibd-and-hairballs-in-cats/

The concern is the frequent vomiting. The hairballs, IMO, are a symptom that things are getting worse.

How old is your kitty?

If the only thing that is not normal is the hairball, I would not worry too much. If the regurgitation is abnormal, get your kitty to the vet.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

If the only thing that is not normal is the hairball, I would not worry too much. If the regurgitation is abnormal, get your kitty to the vet.

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The OP felt the reguritation was normal for her kitty. But that type of regurgitation is not normal for any kitty.

LDG said:

The OP felt the reguritation was normal for her kitty. But that type of regurgitation is not normal for any kitty.

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In other words, her kitty has a long-term problem.

LDG I just sent you a PM. I'd like to second everything she said, that constant vomiting can scar the esophagus and GI tract. Iams and Science Diet are two of the worst foods out there. She should be on a grain free and possibly an all wet diet if you can do it. SD and Iams are full of fillers, grains and additives that don't belong in a cat's diet. I wouldn't be as concerned about the hairballs as I would her ability to digest her food. this could be a motility problem where the food doesn't get past the beginning of the GI tract and acid forces it back up. I'd try moving up the vet appointment but I'd also try switching her food to a high quality protein food because that shelter food has already done some damage. this is how a lot of IBD and other GI problems start, with shelter food. Something like Nature's Variety, Wellness, Weruva, Merrick, Evo. Any one of those but switch over slowly so as not to upset her tummy even more.

EmilyMayWilcha said:

In other words, her kitty has a long-term problem.

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Yes.

No, not necessarily. This is only what COULD be going on. It could merely be her diet. A good food other than what she's eating now may very well take care of the problem. But I've seen this in shelter kitties A LOT because they can't afford to feed them anything but low quality food. This can start off to a bad road. 

but i dont understand- this regurgitating has been normal once every 1-2 weeks, sometimes twice a day but then nothing for the next 2 weeks! my mom has had lots of cats and she said that regurgitating is normal for them! and SHE DID NOT VOMIT-SHE REGURGITATED-- im just concerned if this is SERIOUSLY bad for her- literally what she does is she eats too fast, trots to a rug, spits it out, and bounds away, looking fine. sometimes she even eats it! but THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE AND YOUR OPINIONS

one thing about the food-- my family goes away frequently (like 3 ish times a year) where she has to be put in a cat-boarding place called toureens. the food they have there is the science diet,and iv read that cats cant be switched foods too rapidly, or their system might not agree with the food-change too fast, so thats why were feeding her a bit of science diet daily, with the iams-- the iams were reccomended by the shelter we got her at.

additional info: name: zala rose age: 2 years (approx.) shes been in our family for around a year now

and a couple of other things:

-MY FAMILY IS *POSITIVE* the regurgitation isnt vomiting- we ph-ed it and the strip was yellow, not pink, proving there was no hydrochloric acid in the regurgitation.
- when your cats regurgitate, did you just see the food, studk together by nothing? what i mean by phlegm is that the food is stuck together by some yellowey gunk. that is all.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYTHING

finnlacey said:

No, not necessarily. This is only what COULD be going on. It could merely be her diet. A good food other than what she's eating now may very well take care of the problem. But I've seen this in shelter kitties A LOT because they can't afford to feed them anything but low quality food. This can start off to a bad road. 

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Good point. :nod: It's been a long term issue, but proper food may resolve the issue before it becomes a health problem.

brightsunray812 said:

but i dont understand- this regurgitating has been normal once every 1-2 weeks, sometimes twice a day but then nothing for the next 2 weeks!

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Healthy cats eating food that agrees with them don't vomit or reguritate regularly. When my cat started vomiting more frequently, we took him to the vet, and we all wrote it off as probably hairballs (we had blood work and x-rays done). Six months later, he was given 4 weeks to live. He had cancer, and a "massive mass" had grown in his stomach. We gave him chemotherapy for six months, and that worked. He's fine now. But vomiting OR reguritating once a week, or once every-other week, or sometimes several times a day is just not normal in a healthy cat eating a diet that agrees with them.

Please read this informative link: http://www.petplace.com/cats/regurgitation-in-cats/page1.aspx

Regurgitation is the backward flow or effortless evacuation of fluid, mucus, or undigested food from the esophagus. Unlike vomiting, it is not accompanied by nausea and does not involve forceful abdominal contractions. It is a symptom of esophageal disease and not a disorder in itself....

Treatment of the regurgitating patient can either be supportive or specific, where the latter can be instituted when a known underlying cause is identified. Supportive therapy may consist of the following:

Dietary modification

Gastrointestinal motility (movement) enhancing drugs

Acid blocking agents and esophageal/gastric coating agents in cases of suspect or associated esophagitis

Hospitalizing and restoring fluid and electrolyte balance and nutritional support in the severely ill patient

Antibiotic therapy in cases of pneumonia

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brightsunray812 said:

my mom has had lots of cats and she said that regurgitating is normal for them! and SHE DID NOT VOMIT-SHE REGURGITATED-- im just concerned if this is SERIOUSLY bad for her- literally what she does is she eats too fast, trots to a rug, spits it out, and bounds away, looking fine. sometimes she even eats it!

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Please refer to the link I provided, above.

If this is the boarding place I wouldn't take my cats to it:

http://www.toureenkennels.com/index.html

There is no way I would take them to somewhere that has dogs, as dogs in kennels / boarding bark, and that's stressful for a cat even if it's used to living with a dog.

I would also not board my cat anywhere that will only feed the food they want to feed.  I expect them to feed my cats what they are used to eating, and would negotiate a reduction if the only way to get that was to supply it myself.  I wouldn't dream of altering my cat's diet for the ease of a boarding establishment.

Some cats do regurgitate on a regular basis, and I suspect the mucus is stomach juices not from her throat.  The best person to ask about that is your vet.  It can indicate a problem brewing.

brightsunray812 said:

but i dont understand- this regurgitating has been normal once every 1-2 weeks, sometimes twice a day but then nothing for the next 2 weeks! my mom has had lots of cats and she said that regurgitating is normal for them! and SHE DID NOT VOMIT-SHE REGURGITATED-- im just concerned if this is SERIOUSLY bad for her- literally what she does is she eats too fast, trots to a rug, spits it out, and bounds away, looking fine. sometimes she even eats it! but THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADVICE AND YOUR OPINIONS
one thing about the food-- my family goes away frequently (like 3 ish times a year) where she has to be put in a cat-boarding place called toureens. the food they have there is the science diet,and iv read that cats cant be switched foods too rapidly, or their system might not agree with the food-change too fast, so thats why were feeding her a bit of science diet daily, with the iams-- the iams were reccomended by the shelter we got her at.
additional info: name: zala rose age: 2 years (approx.) shes been in our family for around a year now

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I understand what you are saying about eating too fast. That does not mean there are no foods available to prevent regurgitation. Ask the vet.

Just because the shelter feeds Iams does not mean you have to. Patricia ate Iams at the shelter I got her from but had no problems switching to Science Diet exclusively. (Now she eats Blue Buffalo, which I switched her to gradually.) Many cats switch from all dry to all wet too - some even switch from all dry to raw! If she will eat wet food, there is no reason not to feed her that.

Why do you board her when you go on vacation? If you hire a cat sitter, Zala Rose can eat her regular food instead of dry Science Diet. ZR is better at home than a kennel anyway because nothing changes except who feeds her.

yeah, il see if i can get the vet appt. moved up-- 21 days does sound like an awful long time.

could you reccomend any dry (she doesnt like wet- iv tried), smelly (in case she geta sick) foods that we could get? that would be GREAT, thanks!!!

the thing is, LDG, is that she has none of the 'what to watch for' signs,which is why im so confused its such a bad thing that shes regurgitating once in a while. when she regurgitates, she heaves once, the food (usually stuck together by yellow-ey goop) comes out, she runs away, and starts being playful/affectionate/adorable again. it just seems like she totally fine after, which is why im so confused.

THANK YOU (again) SO MUCH FOR *EVERYTHING!!!*

also, ive checked- she has no symptoms for mesoesophagus and im almost positive she doesnt have a tumor, seeing as if she would, she'd have more respiratory problems, shes be lethargic (shes NEVER), and her coat is shiny and sleek, just fyi.

Cats are notorious for hiding illness until it's serious, believe me I know! Alex displayed NO signs other than occasional vomiting before she very suddenly stopped eating and became very ill with IBD. There is NO way you can tell if nothing is wrong without x-rays or ultrasound. Symptoms or lack thereof sometimes can mean nothing without the keen eye of a vet. 

As far as food, I like Merrick Before Grain dry food, it's got probiotics in it and is very gentle on the tummy. As far as when you go away is there any way to buy the food and explain it to them that she's on a special diet and give them the food to feed her?

THANK. YOU. SO. MUCH!!!!!!!!!

but say she doesnt stop eating or anything before my vet appt- should i still try to move it up?