Kitten Can't / Won't Cough Up Hair Ball

CatSite Friends, 

I'm new here & this is my first post.  Nice to meet everyone!

We have an aprox. 3 month old, medium blond/lt.blond tabby coat, male kitten.  (He just showed up where I work.  No one seemed to know who's kitty he was.  So we adopted him into our home a couple weeks ago.)  Over the last week he has been off & on acting like he is going to throw up but doesn't.  We think he has the dreaded "hair ball".  We also noticed that he sounds like he has a sort of gurgle/rasp to his breathing.  (Not sure if this is related to the possibility of a hair ball.)  He appears to be a healthy, thin weight, has alot of energy after he eats & takes his many naps.  What do you think it may be?  We are getting worried. 

Thanks, 

Matt

Would probably be a good idea to take your kitty to the vet for a check-up. Could be a hairball, could be a URI, could be asthma: http://www.fritzthebrave.com/asthma/symptoms.html
 

We just brought in a stray who coughs just like you are describing, but it is because he has an Upper Respiratory Infection (URI - basically a kitty cold), not a hairball. I'd take him to the vet just in case - he may be sick.

He didn't have the hack or gurgly breathing when we first got him.  And he doesnt' hack all the time.  He will do it for a bit and then stop and play.

I set-up an appt today at 4:00.  So we should know soon. 

Thanks,
Matt

When I read the subject title, my first thought was Emily, my first cat, trying to vomit. The vet shocked me when he asked, "Do you sew?" I had no idea there was a needle where she could get to it! She needed anesthesia for immediate removal from her throat and amoxicillin for two weeks.

I am not saying it probably is something stuck in your cat's throat, but if it is, only a vet can remove it.

We took Leo to the vet yesterday and I guess he has a bad cold.  So they perscribed an anti-biotic for him.  The vet said that he should be sounding better after a couple of days to the end of the week.  So hopefully this will take care of his little barfy/gurgely breathing.

(My wife does sew on accasion.  So it could be a possibility that Leo might have found a lost pin.  Lets hope not.)

Thanks, 
Matt

I hope he feels better. I knew a few cats at the cat shelter I volunteer did this.. ><

Sorry for another dumb question.  But how can a kitten get a cold when he is indoors all the time?  (So far, he is an indoor cat.) 

Cats can pick up viruses, like we can, from the air or from things they are in contact with. So though indoor cats usually get less health problems than outdoor cats, they are not immune. They can also get fleas and even worms, so it is important to keep them treated. I hope Leo feels better soon.

Very good to know.  Both vet visits included getting worm medications.  They said that he didn't appear to have heart worms but they usually have to give him new medication to help kill the worms at different growth cycles?  Did I describe that correctly?

Matt 

TornadoKnight said:

(My wife does sew on occasion.  So it could be a possibility that Leo might have found a lost pin.  Lets hope not.)

Click to expand...

Make sure your wife keeps track of thread, string, and yarn.  We have a cat who will eat any string he can get a hold of.  Once swallowed, it can cause problems so severe that surgery is needed and x-rays don't show the problem.

TornadoKnight said:

Sorry for another dumb question.  But how can a kitten get a cold when he is indoors all the time?  (So far, he is an indoor cat.)

Click to expand...

You don't think people only get sick outside? Open a window or door and you let a virus in.

Ugh.  Well.  Little Leo is still having trouble with his hacking/breathing.  The doc said he should be better by about now.  But he hasn't seemed to improve.

We took him back to the vet today and they took some x-rays of him but couldn't quite find anything wrong with him there.  They said to keep him on his Anti-biotics and he is supposed to start a Steroid to help as well.

I'm hoping our little man starts to get better.  At least he isn't getting worse. 

Matt

I completely understand where you're coming from! Mike is on his third 2-week cycle of antibiotics for his bad URI!!! We do see real improvement when he's on them, but when they wear off, his condition erodes pretty quickly Even while on the antibiotics he still hacks and wheezes and sneezes though. Hopefully your little guy gets better soon! Let me know if the steroids help...that's something we haven't tried yet here.

I rescued a kitten a few months ago who had a similar problem. He had a cough that just wouldn't go away even after Clavamox and Doxycycline runs. My Vet decided to give him a course of Panacur because she said since he was living outside when we trapped him it was possible he could have lung worm from drinking water outside. After the course of Panacur the cough stopped.

Good Luck