I noticed my cat was throwing up her food first then it was like hairballs. She's been drinking water but you can tell she's uncomfortable. She doesn't have an appetite but I made sure I gave her some baby milk. She's alert but distant. I am hoping the hairball medicine will help.
2007-03-07 02:49:50 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
My cat didn't eat for 1 day but last night she did! She threw up an hour before though. I had given her hairball medicine the day before. Thank God she's ok!
2007-03-08 03:33:37 · update #1
Since cats spend so much time licking and cleaning themselves, they swallow a lot of hair. Hairballs, or 'fur balls' are quantities of hair that accumulate in the cat's stomach or small intestine. Normally, most of the hair that is swallowed is expelled through the cat's digestive system in her stool. Problems occur when hair that does not get excreted gathers in the cat's stomach or intestine and forms a dense ball or mat which cannot be passed. The ball is then vomited.
The signs of hairballs in cats, then, are related to the digestive system and include vomiting, loss of appetite, or constipation. Hairballs are actually one of the most common reasons that cats vomit. The 'hacking' you may notice when your cat is bringing up a hairball may be gagging or retching, as the cat tries to vomit the hairball. Hairballs do not cause respiratory symptoms.
While it is normal for a cat to have them occasionally, large numbers of hairballs are dangerous. Hairballs can block the intestinal tract, making it impossible for the cat to either vomit or eliminate. Twenty-five percent of all impactions (when something is 'stuck' in the digestive tract) diagnosed by veterinarians are due to hairballs. There have been cases where hairballs the size of baseballs were removed from the stomachs of cats.
Signs of a major hairball problem and possible impaction are retching, inability to defecate, diarrhea, loss of appetite, or a swollen abdomen. See your veterinarian immediately if you suspect your cat is impacted.
2007-03-07 09:04:59 · answer #1 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look in the pet section of the grocery store, or in a Petco or PetSmart for hairball laxative. It's in a small tube about the size of a travel tube of toothpaste. Squeeze a small amount about 1/2 to 1 inch long onto the cat's leg, and smear it into her fur. It helps them pass the hairballs so they don't have to hack them up. Some brands have different flavors so that the cats will hopefully like or at least tolerate the stuff.
2007-03-07 02:54:40 · answer #2 · answered by Ralfcoder 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Oh boy, If the medication doesn't work get your cat to a Vet!! If the hair balls are sticking in the cat's stomach or esophagus you may have a problem. Most cats throw up food they don't like and fur balls, but once they have passed the hairballs they are usually as fit as a fiddle
2007-03-07 02:55:34 · answer #3 · answered by Josephine 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They can even cause digestive clogs that require surgery, you may want to take her to the vet to see just how severe the hairball is since she is presenting with signs of distress.
2007-03-07 02:55:15 · answer #4 · answered by purplejadedragon 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
They could get caught in her intestines causing an obstruction which could be fatal. I would recommend a trip to the vet.
2007-03-07 02:53:31 · answer #5 · answered by Miss Mouse 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hair ball medicine...wow never knew there was such a thing !
2007-03-07 02:52:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
no
2007-03-07 03:10:43 · answer #7 · answered by lovepets 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋