Cat vomit question

Hi,

I have a fairly long-haired 10 month old. He has never vomited before in his life, until a couple of days ago he vomited a browny liquid (also had mild diarrhoea soon afterwards, but only the once).  He seemed fine in and of himself, so I just monitored him. Today he vomited the liquid again, but there was a small blob in it which looked like poop, but there was no smell to it. I picked it up with a tissue and pulled it apart and there was definitely fur in it. So I am assuming that my cat has just vomited his first hairball? Is this, therefore, nothing to be concerned about? Will he be okay now that it's out? Is there anything that I should look out for? 

Sorry if this seems trivial, but he is my first cat so I'm not very experienced. I am also a chronic worrier when it comes to my baby!

Thank you.

Cheryl. 

Sure sounds like a hairball! More common in long haired cats am afraid.   You could look into treatment for hairballs to help him along? Also, if he's an indoor cat, try growing some cat grass. Cat's need that anyway and it can help with hairballs. Keep an eye on his poop still, just in case it's something else.

Try not to panic, it's all normal. Just try and help him keep them under control and you're doing a big favour :-)

Hi Fleabags Mom,

Thank you for your reply. Was a shock seeing it for the first time, but from what I've read it's quite common in long-haired cats as you said.

I have given him a hairball remedy once before in the past when he was a little constipated, and it gave him quite bad diarrhoea - is this normal? He has a really sensitive tummy though.

He had a poop just before he vomited and it was normal!   

Do you think I still need to give him the hairball remedy, even though he's already vomited it out? 

Thanks again.

For the next couple of months, while he is shedding his winter coat, I would give him the hairball remedy. And daily brushing helps enormously to cut down on hairballs (and vacuuming!)

Thanks Jenny. Yeah I've noticed he's shedding a lot more than usual lately - in fact I pulled a big chunk of fur from his mouth yesterday while he was grooming himself. I do try to brush him daily, but he absolutely hates it. It's hard to hold him still, and I usually end up with my hands clawed to bits. I will keep trying though.

Is it normal for hairball remedy paste to cause diarrhoea? Or did I perhaps give him too much? Should I just give him a blob 1-2 times per week?

Thanks. 

It might upset his tummy a bit, or that could be a result of the hairball. Does it not say on the paste how much/often to give it?

Just make sure this doesn't turn into a frequent thing because frequent vomiting of hairballs is actually not normal in a healthy cat.

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