Help! Sick Cat - Hairball Situation

Any advice or shared experience appreciated!!

So I'm new to cats as pets (I've always owned dogs until now). In February, I adopted two adult cats, brother and sister, 8 years old.

The boy is now having trouble passing a hairball. The night before last I woke up to him licking and swallowing a lot. Then he spit up that morning's breakfast. I took him to the vet yesterday morning, and she checked his throat and said he looked okay. She gave me a paste to help him with hairballs... That was it, or so I thought.

Yesterday afternoon and evening, he spit up a total of 4 combined times, had no appetite (although he did drink water), and stayed mostly asleep and to himself (which is different since he's the outgoing and social butterfly of my two cats). He did come to bed, and slept for most of the night without issues that I know of. However, he threw up in bed at about 5am.

Around 6am, I put out fresh water and food (regular routine) and he actually ate and drank. No more spit ups, but he's licked and swallowed a little throughout the day. Even seemed a bit more himself. But he's still a little sluggish and has slept most of the day, moving around from place to place and then napping with some water in between.

Is this normal? Should I be worried or trying something else? I want him to be okay and comfortable.
I don't know how long these things normally take, and I have work tomorrow, and a trip planned for the weekend - I want to know he'll be alright before I go somewhere.

If he hasn't passed the hairball in his poop or spit it up and he continues to be lethargic, I'd take him back to the vet for assessment.  They can do an x-ray and check his intestines for impacted bowels or obstructions.

Every time (besides the last) he did spit up, it did have hair in it. I'm just not sure what to look for.

He seems better than yesterday, just not quite himself.

stephanietx said:

If he hasn't passed the hairball in his poop or spit it up and he continues to be lethargic, I'd take him back to the vet for assessment.  They can do an x-ray and check his intestines for impacted bowels or obstructions.

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Keep us posted.

I called last night, and they are expecting us at the vet this morning.

Last night he laid down with me like normal, but woke up doing that heartbreakingly sad little meow that they can do. So we're going to get him checked out and see what the can do. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be too expensive or drawn out. Very ready for him to feel better and be back to his usual self.

Will keep you updated on how today goes.

Thanks!

mphscat said:

Keep us posted.

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Fingers crossed, indeed. Waiting on an update.

So the vet kept him this morning to do a radiograph (I think that's the right term) and determine what the issue was. Thankfully, they did not find anything was foreign in his system. However, they said that they could see that he was "backed up" and having issues sorting it out. They are going to give him an enema to help him use the bathroom, which means that they will be keeping him overnight to monitor and control the mess. I'll be calling again later this afternoon to check on him and see how he's doing. The vet was hopeful that they could administer the enema with him awake, so I hope that it works that way and he's okay.

I feel relieved to know what the problem is and knowing that they will get him back on track. Very thankful to have caught the problem earlier on. His sister cat and I will definitely be missing him tonight, but hope that he will be back home with us sometime tomorrow.

Thanks for the well wishes and advice.

The enema went as expected. They were able to do it with him awake. And when I spoke to her earlier, he had already passed 5 large impactions.

They are monitoring him tonight and making sure he gets plenty of fluids and have put some food out for him.

I'm hopeful that I'll be able to bring him home tomorrow.

In the meantime, it's just me and sister cat tonight. She seems to be feeling normal and has been eating and drinking. I noticed she hasn't used the litterbox since this morning at least. Definitely social and cuddly though, and I'm sure she's fine. I clearly have a lot of work to do in the "worry" department.

Yay!  Maybe they can tell from looking at the poop what caused the problem.  Sometimes they can, sometimes they can't.  Sounds like he's doing okay and should be able to come home tomorrow.  Let us know what you find out.

You are so smart to have gotten him to the vet when you did.  Give yourself a pat on the back and kudos to the NewMammaCat!!!  You didn't mention if your cats are long or short haired.  Common sense tells you that long haired cats have more of a chance of having problems with hairballs but it can happen with short hair cats, too. 

My cat has presumed IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) though his intestines no longer show swelling following the last ultrasound.  For hairballs I can suggest e brushing them EVERY day and Vet's Best Hairball remedy.  You might also want to try Egg Yolk Lethicin (you can get it at help food stores or order it online) and krill oil with vitamin D in it (can order from Chewy.com).

Keep us posted on how he does when he gets home.

Again, hats off to you for not waiting and getting him to the vet.  You'll make a wonderful kitty momma.

Our short haired cat was given an enema.  they sent him home before he was empty : (  We put him in the bathroom overnight w/puppy pads and the essentials.  He smelled poopie for a couple of days.  the liquid really soaked into his fur.  Hopefully your vet has a way to prevent that. 

Please advise (2nd paragraph of this post).

They are both short haired and they are a brother and sister pair that came from the same litter. One that's mostly tuxedo and the other with black and white splotched fur - Socks (sister) and Boots (brother).

Socks still hasn't gone to the bathroom, even since I've been home this evening. I think she's missing her brother, and it might be a little anxiety/separation type thing? Has anyone experienced anything like this?

Socks is a bit more skittish and a loner, and she likes her alone time and hiding spots. Boots is more of the attention hog, Teddy bear type cat. I remember when I first got them and we moved here, Socks spent the first two weeks behind the dryer in protest - only coming out at night when it was just her and Boots awake and free to check things out. She's made so much progress to be more outgoing, and she will come hop up next to me on the couch for cuddles, sometimes on the back of the couch behind me. A few times, she even tried to groom my hair. I think her having Boots around helps to put her mind at ease though - they've always been together and had each other, even despite occasional "cattiness."

Do you have a blanket he likes to lay on?  It will have his scent. Maybe that will comfort her.

Yeah, I put her in one of his favorite spots before I left for work this morning, and made sure I gave her plenty of attention before I left.

She had peed by the time I checked the box this morning. Just not the other quite yet. But she seemed normal and okay - I'm just going to assume that it's something to do with anxiety about her brother and wondering where he is.

I talked to the vet this morning, and Boots apparently had eaten and seemed better. I have to call again later I this afternoon, but it looks like he will be coming home this evening!

Yay!

He is going to smell different.  You might want to take a blanket or something both cats lay on and rub him with it before you bring him home.  He isn't going to smell like himself.

Yes, it could be separation anxiety.  Just keep an eye on her and if she hasn't gone by tomorrow night, you might need to give her something to keep things moving alone nicely, as I say.

Don't be surprised if they hiss at each other when you boy kitty gets home from the vet.  Like others have said, he won't smell like himself so they may have a hissy period but that will all work itself out.  Good suggestions above if you can.

Let us know the progress.

What types of things could I give her to speed it along if needed?

Hopefully it's not going to come to that, but just so I know how to prepare. She's definitely the more picky cat, and she's the skittish one who will run and hide if she senses I'm up to anything. They're pretty close buddies, so I'm sure it's some type of anxiety/comfort thing. She was meowing for him some in the middle of the night, but besides some confused "where is brother?" looks, she behaved normally until then.

I just called to confirm that I can bring him home today. I'm planning to leave work a few minutes early so I know I have time to get there before they close - I can't wait to have him back home and have them both in their regular routine once things are settled again.

You may need to keep them separate at first.  After a night away He will probably just want to curl up in his favorite spot and groom.  You can try some scent swapping where you gently rub each cat w/ a cloth, then rub the cloth on the other cat so they smell similar.

One of our cats fell in the pool and it took and hour and a half before the other cat would stop swiping at him.  Overnight at the vet will take longer.

Is this normal?

So Boots is home. He walked out on the carrier and right to the water bowl, which I limited the amount he drank per the vet's note. Didn't quite seem interested in his food, but the vet said he had eaten some there. He has a stool softener that I'm supposed to give him once a day via dropper.

I don't think he's 100%. I'm assuming that this is normal though - he seems tired and withdrawn?

I guess I might be too though, after a night away from home and an enema.

It sounds normal..  He probably feels a little off.  He should sleep a bit, mine usually do after a vet trip, it's stressful for the cat,  Just keep an eye on him.