New Cat - Hairball Help

Hi, this is my first time posting on here, although I often visit here for advice. Sorry if this has already been discussed a lot but it has been worrying me and I seem to read contradictory things about hairballs.

I adopted Kairi (profile picture), my beautiful and very sweet, little, very shorthaired black cat from the BlueCross around 7 weeks ago. Not much was known about her as she

was a stray and a few people had taken to feeding her in some neighborhood - mostly scraps from what I understand. They think she is about 1 year 2 months old. When we got her she had some teeth issues which we took her to the vets for and they cleaned them although they have said her teeth are still not great but no extractions were needed. When I took her in to the vets for her dental work I was told they hadn't ran any blood tests on her checking kidney etc. functioning.

Since we adopted her I have fallen in love with her, she is sweet and just loves to be with me even sitting on the side of the bath while I am in there! What is concerning me is that Kairi has on 3 occasions (every 2 weeks) now eaten some food quite quickly (she always does this and i have reduced the portion size greatly) to immediately afterwards vomit undigested food and a pretty large hairball. Then she seems to get constipated, does not eat for a few hours and gets grumpy and sleeps (all understandable of course). I have heard so many things about the food coming up being her regurgitating and been told that this has nothing to do with hairballs but another underlying health issue. Is this correct?

A few weeks ago i started brushing Kairi twice a day and she loves it. I give her the hairball remedy paste a few times a week and have some cat grass in the house. She is on the vets Specific dry diet and our vet thought this would be the best thing for her due to her teeth.

She has been to see the vets around 2 1/2 weeks ago where he gave her a check over and noticed wheezing in her lungs which he thought might mean she has asthma too. She does seem to get a little breathy when we play with her and quickly changes from running around to laying down and waiting for the mouse to come near her so she doesn't need to move. I did mention to the vets about the 1 hairball at the time she had thrown up but he didn't seem too concerned.

Does anyone have any similar experience with these sort of symptoms? I have only had her a little while and am concerned I an just over reacting as I tend to be a worrier when it comes to my cats so any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks, Vicky

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Hi, thanks for replying!

That sounds like my girls!. Bamfy can play forever and will run around for so long making incredible jumps and catches on her toys but Kairi has very little energy and seems rather to catch toys as they pass or attack shadows on her play cube. I have heard that cats normally cough or sneeze if they are having some sort of asthma attack so hopefully Lucy is just a more laid back girl! I have some cat grass growing but I can't get Kairi to eat any or grass from the garden. She has bad food habits and only seems to want to sneak off human food! the more unhealthy the better!

Vicky, the gorging and "vomiting" shortly thereafter is normally, indeed, regurgitating, however, it's not usually followed by a hairball.  Is that still happening now that you're giving Kairi hairball remedy AND reduced her portion size?   Regurgitating doesn't necessarily mean any other underlying medical condition other than simply gorging.  It is not unusual for strays to gorge, because they never knew when they were going to get another meal (that's my theory anyway).  For cats who do this, if it's not convenient to feed smaller meals more often, then you can try raising their food dishes, or even simply placing a clean ball or even a clean good sized rock ( ping pong ball sized) in their food dish.  This will slow them down.  Also, if they are kibble only eaters, try making a food dispenser where they have to work to get the food out, something even like a yogurt container with a lid where you cut a few holes in it just large enough for piece of kibble to fall out when it's rolled around.  Then show her how to roll it around.  It's good for stimulating her mind as well

So....you said they did NOT do bloodwork on her?  If she has very little energy and she is that young, I would suggest they do some bloodwork and try to see if something IS wrong, as that is not really normal, although it could be because she may have the shortness of breath.  I'm curious on the bloodtest though, because with a dental I thought a bloodtest was always performed...before giving any anesthesia. 

You also mentioned she may be constipated.  Kibble can cause this, as it's DRY food, and if a cat doesn't drink a LOT of water when on kibble, this can be a side effect.  Do you notice if she drinks much?  If not, maybe feed her at least some canned food?  Since she likes human food, maybe she'll like canned cat food.  If not, try this article on for size:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/transit...-to-a-new-type-of-food-canned-raw-or-homemade  And if she STILL seems constipated, you could try adding canned pumpkin to that new canned food, or try adding slippery elm bark syrup to her diet, or even Miralax.  We have many threads on all of those things.  BTW, WHAT special dry diet did the Vet put her on?  Is it some sort of Oral Care food?  Is it pretty large round pieces of kibble.  Does she actually bite into the pieces? 

As to possible asthma, are the treating her for it in any way.? Many cats DO have it, but they get treated.  Some even have their own inhalers! 

Hiya, thanks for the link.

Kairi has vomited hairballs 3 times and each 2 weeks apart almost to the day, so if her pattern continues then it would be the weekend coming up she would do it again. Although the other day she make a few wierd hacking noises. I have given her some butternut squash as pumpkin is not in season here or easy to get and a little of the hairball paste stuff and i have noticed that she has been passing some identifiable hair in her poop and her poop is now hard and dark at one end and very soft and much lighter the other end. She is going every day again now.

I did cut her portion down after the second time considerably and am feeding her 4 times a day. but it didnt stop the last attack she had but the hairball she threw upwas pretty big, a good 4cm and she is a little girl only weighing 3.5kg. I have been watching her more and she doesnt seem to overly groom and she has a pretty short coat.

She drinks quite a bit, more than my other cat anyway and is always jumping up in the sink for the tap to be turned on but i have read that cats on dry food are normally dehydrated so i will try adding wet food to her diet too and im pretty sure she would love it. The food she is on is called Specific adult food. http://www.specific-diets.com/cat-food/adult-food/dry-food - we got this as our first cat has stomach problems and was recommended this among a couple of other brands but because Bamf took so well to it we kept her on it. When we took Kairi i discussed her diet with him and he said he prefers to give them wet food but was worried about her teeth and thought we should try her on that first.

I took her to the vets because the bluecross had scheduled the work in but it hadnt been complete when i adopted her. Their vet told me that the bluecross hadnt done any blood work on her when she was taken last time and asked if i wanted to. I asked if she needed it and he told me at her age no. I was a bit worried then but didnt pursue the matter or have a blood test done because he wasnt my normal vet or the one i intended to take her too. My vet has said a blood test would be a good idea to get done at some point.

She is not being treated for the asthma yet, the vet said to keep an eye on her at the moment and to keep a log. He did say that it could be allergies she has. Our house is clean and dusted and hoovered regularly and we use green, safe cleaning stuff. Also she seems to sneeze occassionly and stop suddenly while playing and judt refuse to do more. I have noticed a few times that she is making a wheezing noise when sleeping too.

Hey, Kairi had another incident yesterday!

Around 6.30 in the evening I gave her a few dentabites and almost immediately afterwards she threw them up (no hair). She was fine for the rest of the evening although she did have diarrhea when she went to the toilet. Around 1am she woke me up heaving on the bed and threw up some kibble, all different states of digestion from mush to whole, unbroken up pieces. This time there was also a small hairball.

I have made her an appointment to see our vets for Thursday and hope they can identify what the problem is as I really don't feel it is normal.

I'm glad you're taking her in. I don't think it's "normal either", although I'd be more worried if it happened more frequently.  It's odd that it's so cyclical.

Hopefully your Vet will get ALL her issues figured out

It sounds to me like it could be a furball issue, at least in part. Kairi could have more than one thing going on. I have had experience with a furball causing significant health problems for my boy cat. It caused him to throw up large amounts of undigested kibble. I have tried numerous times to get him on canned food. Everytime I would try, he would have a flare up. He does not like wet food. I had to feed him so he would not get fatty liver disease.

He was diagnosed with IBD based on clinical symptoms. He was treated unsuccessfully for pancreatitis. He had several ultrasounds. Then, he was diagnosed by specialists as having a rare motility issue (where food does not properly move through the stomach - various things can cause this). All the while, I asked a number of times if it could be a furball obstruction. I went through the process of finding a board certified surgeon to operate in an attempt to correct his motility problem. The vets even thought he might have Lymphoma.

It turns out it was a furball. He does not have IBD, Lymphoma or a rare motility problem. He does have food sensitivities and allergies though. He was on Pepcid for years due to what we thought was IBD. I found out from the Internal medicine vet specialist that Pepcid can inhibit motility. It is good for stomach acid though.

I would definitely get some blood work and urine testing done on Kairi. If it is a furball or furballs obstructing her stomach, wet food will work better. You can even add water to the canned food to make it move through better. That could help with constipation issues as well. You can look into more digestible foods - foods for sensitive stomachs. I have also read conflicting info on whether dry food helps with dental issues.

Please keep us posted!

Oh i'm sorry for all the trouble you and your boy went through, it sounds like it has been really hard to get it all under control. Is he doing well now? And do you have many problems with hairballs now? The reason i ask as from the vets everything seems to echo your experience.

I went to see my vet who actually specialises in gastro and dental and he was very concerned with her. He thinks the problem is hairballs too, though he wants to know why exactly. He says she is very full and isnt pooing properly, had a painful abdomen and has lost .3kg taking her down to 3.2kg and she was already pretty skinny looking. He has run some blood tests on her to check kidneys, liver, amongst ruling out pancreatis and other things and we will be seeing him again tomorrow. Because she was clearly in paim when he touched and felt her stomach and such he gave her a metacam injection for the pain. We are also giving her some hairball medicine as he wants to hurry everything though her system.

We are going to discuss the results and come up with a treatment plan, including looking at diet too. He still thinks she is suffering allergies and i am looking at a allergy -hypodried? Or something like that. I think your right that she would benefit from a wet diet so i am going to discuss that with the vet and my husband (who hates the smell of wet food)

Thanks Vhawks. Yes. He is finally doing better. He had surgery about a month ago. He lost a bunch of weight due to the furball obstruction. He had slightly elevated pancreatic enzymes. That is why my vet treated him for pancreatitis. He was in pain too - had Buprinex. The Cerenia, Reglan and other meds did not help. We tried Cisapride to try to move things through his system, which aggravated things. His stomach was distended from the furball. He really started to scare me. He was not getting enough nutrition. We tried to do an endoscopy, but they thought his stomach was full of food and thought they could not do it. It turns out it was the furball and not food. That is when he ended up having surgery. They thought he might have a Pyloric obstruction. I was very relieved when it turned out to be a furball - after all we went through.

He is putting weight back on. His fur looks better. He has more color. Now, I need to find a food he likes and can tolerate. He is allergic to peas, which is in most every cat food. He was on Royal Canin Duck and Pea, which is supposed to be somewhat hypoallergenic. Peas are a common allergen. I wish they would stop putting peas in cat food.

I hope you get to the bottom of it soon and get your baby feeling better! I use a Furminator brush designed to help prevent furballs. I highly recommend it.

Oh good, I am so glad he is finally getting better! I must admit I am not very clued in on cat food, just went by what I was recommended by the vet when my other cat had had food intolerances. Seems strange that peas would be in so many foods though. Hopefully you find something he enjoys and doesn't cause any more problems.

I am sorry if I am misunderstanding but it is the slow motility which caused the hairballs in your little boy? Is the food and the furminator the treatment to stop it happening or is there medication or anything that is used to manage it? I have just purchased a furminator online and it looks amazing! Hopefully if the hair is better under control it will help.

I will let you know how I get on at the vets later!

Thanks Vicky. I guess they use peas to bind the food and make it stick together. I'm grateful he is doing better! I hope you can figure out what Kairi's allergies are.

Motility is the body's ability to move food and fur through the stomach. A furball can obstruct things from getting through. If it is mild enough, it can be managed with various methods. A Furminator can help with limiting further buildup. Some foods have more fiber to help treat and manage furballs. Some use egg yolk lecithin to help breakdown the furballs. Some use Laxatone. Egg yolk lecithin seems popular here. (Eggs can be an allergen in cats). Here is a helpful thread:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/255110/egg-yolk-lecithin-evidence-it-is-working

Good luck to you and Kairi at the Vet!

Well Kairi went to the vet and we got the results and everything is perfect, the vet said she is in perfect health and liver, kidney, pancreas and she is not hydrated. While I am very happy with that I am not quite sure I am convinced by the diagnosis. He is putting her condition down to over grooming and does not think anything needs doing except for grooming and then hairball treatment if she shows symptoms. I would be happy for her to not have more wrong with her, but I am still worried. Today alone she has been sick twice after eating food and I am concerned about her not getting nutrient.
I will look at a new diet for her regardless as I really think after everything I have been told and read it will help along with the new brush.

Thanks for the article, you are a fountain of knowledge. I will add some oil or try her with egg yolk lecitin, while I look into a new diet for her

That is fantastic news about her liver, kidneys and pancreas!

I'm so sorry Kairi is not feeling well. Did your vet know that she has been sick twice today after eating? If not, I would not hesitate to call and let your vet know. You might try a wet food - perhaps a limited ingredient diet or sensitive stomach formula. She might be over-grooming due to food allergies or pain. They both can cause that.

You could try working on the furballs and diet and, if she does not feel better after a while, you could take her back in. You have options for testing if she does not feel better. There are ultrasounds. Some vets do "in-house" (by one of the vets at your vet's office) for less than bringing in a specialist. There are also endoscopies.

My boy was sick for quite a while because it took a long time to figure it out. Try not to worry. The best thing is to be pro-active. Keep trying and insisting that something is not right as long as she does not feel well.

Diet is huge. Finding the right food when you're dealing with allergies and/or food intolerances or IBD is important. Peas, fish, soy and/or eggs can be problematic (as well as others).

Hopefully, Kairi feels better soon.

Thanks, I am glad she is healthy! She is so sweet and cuddly all the time.

Yes I came home to find the vomit so I took it with me to the vet. It had the usual small hairball in so it confirmed what he was saying. She then came home had a good amount of food and threw up again and then this morning when I fed her some tuna she did the same again. I was starting to get worried that she would get fatty liver.

I have some great news though. Scott went down and picked up some wet food pouches, the same type as our dry - to see if that would help and she gobbled the half pouch up with no incident and then a few hours later we gave her another and again no vomiting!!! I am hoping this means we are along the right tracks now. I am going to research the right one for allergies though as I think that is an issue.

Yea I kind of did want more tests done but my vet said it was unnecessary, so I thought that I should work with the diagnosis I was given and see if it helps.

The brush is amazing btw. Kairi loves it too.

I'm so happy she ate the wet food without throwing up! That's fantastic. :nod: It sounds like you're on the right track.

Kairi looks very sweet. Both my cats are very sweet. My girl cuddles with me all the time. I understand how it feels to care so much for these critters. I'm happy to help. I hope you get her allergies and furballs under control.

Please let us know how she's doing and if you have questions. There are so many knowledgable people here. Big hugs to you and Kairi. :kitty2:

Thanks ForestMeows, I am really optimistic that we are getting there now!!

I have ordered some Food allergy wet food now which has the following ingredients:

Lamb, rice, sunflower oil, minerals, psyllium husk, vitamins and trace elements, taurine, methionine.
It contains no artificial antioxidants, colours or flavouring.

Hoping this is ok for her.

She is doing loads better still! she is playing lots, with less wheezing, she is looking far less anorexic and no more vomit and her coat is looking so shiny and healthy. It is incredible the difference diet can do, wish I had been more clued in before!

I'm happy she's doing a little better now on the "pouched" food, and hopefully the new stuff you've ordered will help

If you use it as her main source of food,  that might help with any constipation issues, simply because it's WET.  You might even try adding a little water to it...I add about 1 tablespoon of filtered water to each meal for my furkids.  Also, you mentioned pumpkin is out of growing season where you live.  Can you not buy it in a can in the baking aisle?  That's where I get it, already cooked and pureed.

ForrestMeows mentioned the use of Egg Yolk Lecithin for hairballs.  I do use that everyday.  I give my little ones 1/2 capsule mixed into their wet food, along with 1/2 capsule of probiotics.  I dissolve them into that 1 Tablespoon of water I mentioned earlier, then mix that into their food. 

I also use a Zoom Groom to get rid of a bunch of loose fur on my shorter haired cat.  It works GREAT.  Doesn't work well on the longer haired guy,but works really well for shorter fur.  You could google it and see how it works.

Vhawks said:

She is doing loads better still! she is playing lots, with less wheezing, she is looking far less anorexic and no more vomit and her coat is looking so shiny and healthy. It is incredible the difference diet can do, wish I had been more clued in before!

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It sounds fantastic. "The proof is in the pudding." :lol3: As long as she is doing well, it means that the diet is helping. Every kitty is different. Sometimes a diet can stop working. Then, we might need to change up the diet. The fact that Kairi is playful and healthy looking is awesome.

Thanks for letting us know Vicky! :rub:

Dry food can also be harder on the kidneys, especially when a cat does not drink enough extra water to compensate for the lack of moisture. As mrsgreenjeens mentioned, the extra water really helps with constipation. Constipation can cause nausea as well.

Yea, I hope so, will find out tomorrow when it arrives. I can use this as a starting point for her and if it does stop working then I can look at some of the other brands like Hills and Royal Canine that gets mentioned a lot 

I live in England and have looked around all our local stores and cannot find it. I have ordered egg yolk lecithin 600mg capsules and am awaiting for them to arrive. 1/2 of 600mg a day should be ok? just not sure on the different strengths you can get. I will mix it with the extra water and add it to the food. I will have a look for some probiotics, do these need to be pet special ones?

Yes Kairi loves being brushed, I got the furminator and it works wonders on her. Try to do it everyday for a couple of minutes and it really reduced the loose hairs on her. I didn't do it much yesterday as she was unusually growly and seemed to be scratching a little.

Yes, 1/2 of a 600 mg capsule of egg yolk lecithin is what I give...sometimes a full capsule if shedding is particularly bad. 

I use the same probiotic WE take, so does not need to be pet specific .  As a matter of fact, I once bought one for animals, and could never get my little ones to eat their food with it in there .  I think they must have used too much chicken liver for flavoring or something, and my guys aren't fond of that.