Kitty not feeling well, could it be a hairball?

[pokechan]

Hello everyone. We have a Tabby cat named Poke (Pokie), he is a 4 year old indoor neutered male and about 16lb. For the most part he is healthy and has not given us any trouble. Although not very often, he has passed a hairball before, usually without any warning. Today he started his morning routine as usual, we got up to eat which he did with great appetite. I noticed that shortly after he ate he was having a little bit of what appears to be gag reflex and licking of his lips. His poop this morning shortly after he ate was solid and brown, he's urinating and for the most part acting normal. However he then started to act a bit spooked, tail between his legs, low to the grown and looking for a place to hide. This is only normal when someone is at the door. We let him hide for a little while, after he came out we tried playing with him which he did but not as energetic as usual, still a bit cautious and spooked (maybe because we're spooked and worried about him). Then as he was laying down he started retching again this time he looked like he was actually trying to vomit, I figured a hairball was on its way. However he did not produce a hairball but instead threw up a few pieces of his food that he ate earlier and white sticky foamy phlegm that end up hanging down from his mouth as he tried to run from it. Luckily I am working from home so I can keep a close eye on him, at the moment he is sleeping on the bed, his resting respiratory rate is normal about 15 breaths per minute. Last time we were at the vet about 2 months ago, we did blood work which came back normal.

I would take his to the vet in no time, however last time we did we can only do curb side drop off and it was a nightmare. It was a very stressful situation for everyone involved. First vet he scratched, so they returned him to us. Second vet had to sedate him in order to do anything. If we totally have to we will take him in, but I wanted to have some more input from others who owned cats for a while and experienced similar issue. I understand above symptoms can literally be anything, from something minor to life threatening. Just want to know what to look for tonight and tomorrow while we monitor him closely.

 

[pokechan]

I forgot to mention and perhaps it is related, he has been sneezing a bit although not too much and usually at night.

 

[neely]

Welcome to TCS! Since you mentioned Poke is otherwise acting normal except for a little spooked it's possible he could not cough the hairball up. You may want to try some of the tips and advice in this thread about hairballs:
Best Hairball Food???

It's helpful that you work from home and can keep an eye on him. If he starts to exhibit any other symptoms you could call the vet first to ask their opinion since you said he became so stressed out last time. Best of luck, please keep us posted on his progress.

 

[pokechan]

Thank you for your warm welcome and advice. Today Poke had quite the appetite in the morning, ate so fast he had to gag a few times. I think moving forward I will feed him little by little instead of giving him the entire bowl. I am not sure where this hunger is coming from. He literally sounds like a wild animal, very loud chewing. He usually eats twice a day, once in the morning and once at night and has never eaten this quickly or this much. I am not certain what has triggered this behavior. Other than that he went poop at his normal time, color was normal and consistency of playdoh, but very smelly. He's urinating at a normal rate, twice today so far. He played a lot and seemed quite normal. At the moment he's napping on the bed. I am still not certain what the whole hacking and vomit episode he had yesterday.

 

[neely]

Today Poke had quite the appetite in the morning, ate so fast he had to gag a few times.

If he's been eating too fast you may be interested in this Article, scroll down to #13, Dealing with Gulpers/Fast Eaters:
18 Awesome Cat Feeding Tips By Thecatsite Staff Members – TheCatSite Articles

 

[zed xyzed]

Poor guy, just keep an eye on him (like you have been) sometimes they get a bug. I wouldn't be too worried at this point.

 

[pokechan]

As of this morning, Poke is acting pretty normal self. Meowing as he usually does every morning when hungry. Although he wasn't eating as fast as he did yesterday, he is still having trouble swallowing. I suspect it might be the dry food that is causing him to gag as I noticed he is not chewing them much. I do mix wet and dry food together in the same bowl, did not seem to be an issue before until now.

 

[neely]

Just out of curiosity, when is the last time the vet checked his teeth or he had a dental cleaning? It's possible Poke's having some trouble chewing because of an issue with one or more teeth.

 

[pokechan]

Last time we were at the vet they checked everything, so about two months ago. He did not have any dental issues.

Yesterday went without an incident, I fed him wet food only and he ate no problem. This morning once again he tried to vomit and I could see part of the hairball hanging from his mouth. Unfortunately he kept running away shaking his head so I was unable to retrieve the hairball before he swallowed it back up. He then proceed to eat his food like nothing happened. He is still pooping and peeing as normal. Is there anything I can give him that will help break down the hairball? I am afraid of it getting stuck in his digestive tract.

 

[pokechan]

He tried to vomit 2 more times today, with partial hairball hanging out of his mouth. I read it is better to not try and remove it and just give him space. Got him some hairball solution to help grease things up. What I want to know is this typical for a hairball? Having a part of the hairball hanging out of the mouth and having difficultly swallowing while eating?

 

[neely]

I inadvertently forgot to ask if you groom him regularly. Even if he's not a longhaired cat he should be brushed/combed. This is one of the easiest and best ways to prevent hairballs.

This TCS Article should explain and answer some of your questions:
How To Treat – And Prevent – Hairballs In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

 

[pokechan]

I inadvertently forgot to ask if you groom him regularly. Even if he's not a longhaired cat he should be brushed/combed. This is one of the easiest and best ways to prevent hairballs.

This TCS Article should explain and answer some of your questions:
How To Treat – And Prevent – Hairballs In Cats – TheCatSite Articles

I do groom him about once a week and he loves it. My wife did give him a bath last weekend, I suspect he may have been licking him self dry and picked up a lot of hair. But is it normal to have a hairball hanging out of his mouth as I described?

 

[neely]

But is it normal to have a hairball hanging out of his mouth as I described?

Yes, it's not unusual at all. I have a fondness for longhaired cats and all of them have had hairballs at one time or another. If I see a hairball hanging out and they're in distress I wait a minute to see if they can cough it up then will try to help them if they let me.
Did you read the Article above that I referenced, specifically the paragraph about The Danger of Blockage from Hairballs? If you're worried or concerned I would suggest calling your vet with any questions.

 

[pokechan]

Yes, it's not unusual at all. I have a fondness for longhaired cats and all of them have had hairballs at one time or another. If I see a hairball hanging out and they're in distress I wait a minute to see if they can cough it up then will try to help them if they let me.
Did you read the Article above that I referenced, specifically the paragraph about The Danger of Blockage from Hairballs? If you're worried or concerned I would suggest calling your vet with any questions.

I did thank you for sharing, the blockage part is definitely troubling.. I've been reading articles no stop. I spoke to a vet earlier, they recommend the gel and see if he improves by Monday. But it's hard to watch this wad of hair hanging out of his mouth as he tries to get it out. When your kitties had similar hairball episodes where it was hanging out, did it ever become more serious? Has is happened multiple times before they finally got it out?

 

[neely]

When your kitties had similar hairball episodes where it was hanging out, did it ever become more serious? Has is happened multiple times before they finally got it out?

Some of our cats were more prone to hairballs than others but, no, it never became serious and I hope it is not serious for Poke either. And another no, it did not happen multiple times before they were able to get it out. I'm glad you spoke to the vet and they suggested the gel. Fingers crossed it improves and you won't have any further problems.