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Old September 13th, 2012, 01:39 AM
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Hairballs?!

So Last night my sick cat started wretching and threw up what can only be described as the biggest solid lump of brownness that wasn't poop I have ever seen!

This thing was at least 10cm long, and probably 3cm wide. I have no idea how the hell that was inside him!

As soon as I saw the weird vomit I scooped it up and started to poke it with a fork, it was completely solid, as I started to pull it apart it seemed to be made from hair.

Is this a hairball? How long would that have been building up inside him, and surely something that size lodged inside him would cause him some distress or at least some sort of blockage?

We have Laxitone (is that its name? The Tuna flavoured paste) but we stopped using it as he has never had a hairball....until now!

Urg! Any tips on how to prevent this, along with his IBD, could the two be related?

Its 2:40am and he's had me up all night
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Old September 13th, 2012, 07:06 AM
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That is definately common, and some say the "hairball remedy" works. Stay tuned cause our cat friends here know more on this subject.....
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Old September 13th, 2012, 08:01 AM
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Love4himies Love4himies is offline
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This is definitely a hair ball and I'm surprised your vet didn't pick it up when he was doing the tests on your cats.

The best advice I can give you is to change to a very high quality canned and/or raw and regular brushings. I found that cut WAY back on my himalayan's fur balls. I also cut her fur twice a year so she doesn't have too much to groom.

Blockages in the intestine can cause diarrhea as it is the only matter that can pass it.
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Old September 13th, 2012, 08:55 AM
Hazmat Hazmat is offline
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Brush her every day.
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Old September 13th, 2012, 11:05 AM
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He is on the Felidae food now, and I wonder if that best could have cause some of the sympoms we have seen, the vet asked us about hairballs, and we said they had never been a problem and we had never seen one.

I was so shocked, and paniced, thanks guys!! I think I will continue with the laxatone and the good wet food!
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Old September 13th, 2012, 11:33 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scottyxx View Post
So Last night my sick cat started wretching and threw up what can only be described as the biggest solid lump of brownness that wasn't poop I have ever seen!

This thing was at least 10cm long, and probably 3cm wide. I have no idea how the hell that was inside him!

As soon as I saw the weird vomit I scooped it up and started to poke it with a fork, it was completely solid, as I started to pull it apart it seemed to be made from hair.

Is this a hairball? How long would that have been building up inside him, and surely something that size lodged inside him would cause him some distress or at least some sort of blockage?

We have Laxitone (is that its name? The Tuna flavoured paste) but we stopped using it as he has never had a hairball....until now!

Urg! Any tips on how to prevent this, along with his IBD, could the two be related?

Its 2:40am and he's had me up all night
http://www.furminator.com/shedding-s...FQJp4Aodc1UAhA

I found this ad for a cat brush . I hope it is OK to post this.
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Old September 13th, 2012, 11:36 AM
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That would be great if it just turns out to be a hairball problem, scottyxx!
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Old September 13th, 2012, 06:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Barkingdog View Post
http://www.furminator.com/shedding-s...FQJp4Aodc1UAhA

I found this ad for a cat brush . I hope it is OK to post this.

I have this! He hates it lol!!

I too am praying it is only the hairball that caused all this upset!!
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Old September 16th, 2012, 02:07 PM
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You guys have really been my lifeline through all of this.

I have another Question. My cat passed the big hairball Thursday night, today he is upset again,(Sunday) and ended up throwing up another massive hairball. I have noticed he has been licking himself a lot, could a hairball amass that quickly?

Any remedies how to minimize them short of shaving the cat? He has Felidae grain free food, with laxatone every few days.

I tried to brush him on Saturday and he would not let me, but I pet him all the time.

If the hairball was causing a blockage, this would cause him to strain when pooping right, and perhaps cause the runny poop I have been seeing? Today it is a black tar like liquid.

He is turning his nose up at food, I assume having a massive block of hair in your throat will do that to you. But managed to get him to eat some Just Tuna for cats lased with Laxatone and Pumpkin.

any more input from the experts?
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Old September 16th, 2012, 03:47 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scottyxx View Post
You guys have really been my lifeline through all of this.

I have another Question. My cat passed the big hairball Thursday night, today he is upset again,(Sunday) and ended up throwing up another massive hairball. I have noticed he has been licking himself a lot, could a hairball amass that quickly?

Any remedies how to minimize them short of shaving the cat? He has Felidae grain free food, with laxatone every few days.

I tried to brush him on Saturday and he would not let me, but I pet him all the time.

If the hairball was causing a blockage, this would cause him to strain when pooping right, and perhaps cause the runny poop I have been seeing? Today it is a black tar like liquid.

He is turning his nose up at food, I assume having a massive block of hair in your throat will do that to you. But managed to get him to eat some Just Tuna for cats lased with Laxatone and Pumpkin.

any more input from the experts?
Yeah when my kitties have had hair balls, they have not been very hungry and they have had poops like you are describing. Luckily, my babies have never had a serious blockage though. Laxatone and pumpkin should get rid of it, but I'm sending good vibes for kitty your way!
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Old September 16th, 2012, 09:49 PM
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Thank you!!

I am laying in bed with him now, he has a light wheeze / i can hear him breathe, and he has let out 2 big sighs....is this a sign of anything, or just my paranoia?
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  #12  
Old September 17th, 2012, 08:33 AM
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A wire brush like this http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...317C89&first=1 is the best if that Furminator brush didn't work.

On my shorter haired cats the Furminator doesn't do a thing but the wire brush does a great job. On my long hair the Furminator work great, too great, as I have to then use the wire brush to clean up the loose hair after the furminator.

A dab (pencil erasor size) of vaseline on a front paw is a fast and cheap home hairball remedy. Used every other day for a few days is ok but if longer is needed go see the Vet. and get better stuff.
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Old September 18th, 2012, 01:58 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hazmat View Post
A wire brush like this http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=...317C89&first=1 is the best if that Furminator brush didn't work.

On my shorter haired cats the Furminator doesn't do a thing but the wire brush does a great job. On my long hair the Furminator work great, too great, as I have to then use the wire brush to clean up the loose hair after the furminator.

A dab (pencil erasor size) of vaseline on a front paw is a fast and cheap home hairball remedy. Used every other day for a few days is ok but if longer is needed go see the Vet. and get better stuff.
I follow the advice quoted above with my short hair who suffers from hairballs big time too.
If I use the furminator it will leave a lot of lose fur on the skin leading to more hairball problems so the wire brush was a great solution and I all together ended up just using the wire brush.
I only give the hairball remedy to Scully since she's the only one who has a hard time with furballs. My now other 2 guys (yeah a new addition to the family) have no problems with that so I don't give them anything for it.

Scully had it so bad once she was sick for about 10 days she had tests, vet visits, lack of appetite, nausea and an overall crappy feeling for her and it was here that members figure it out it was a bad case of the furballs (and indeed it was)
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Old September 18th, 2012, 11:08 AM
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How is he doing, Scottyxx? Still wheezing? Is it possible he aspirated something while trying to cough up the hairball?
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Old September 18th, 2012, 07:59 PM
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Back to the vet today, he is still loosing weight. Vet gave us high fibre food to try and solidify his poops as its very bad down there. I mixed it with his felidae. He ate it up.

Gave him a bath to clean away all the poop from his behind, and he threw up all the food he ate, and some hair, reminants of a Ham he ate earlier, then two more throw ups of liquid.

Urg.

Vet still thinks its IBS and the hairballs are just from him being stressed and over grooming himself. He feels so small and boney, its really really sad.

I don't know what to do anymore, but I have prepared myself for the worst.
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Old September 19th, 2012, 06:58 AM
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Did the vet do bloodwork? Feel for more furballs/bockage?

It could very well be the meds causing this. Pred is not something that should be given lightly and vets are all too quick to prescribe it. It suppresses the immune system, which is never, never good.

Fibre doesn't necessarily help with bulking up a cat. In fact, it can cause irritation in the colon making things worse.

If Felidae is not working, then try Nature's Variety, Instinct canned, Lamb, Venison, Rabbit, or Duck. That will give your kitty a different protein source. No potatoes, no grains or wheat.
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Old September 19th, 2012, 07:54 AM
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No to the blood work. No to the blockage. He felt his neck as far as I can remember.

He gave us Pred because it worked well on him before, so he wanted to continue for another month to see if it calmed him enough to get him onto good food. Vet thinks his problems are 100% IBD.

I was worried about the fibre, and voiced my concerns, but he said giving him extra fibre will help with the hairballs and his movements, and gave me a like 20 minute lecture haha.

He told me I can mix it with his regular food, but he won't touch the Felidae now, so i need to try something else, so thanks for the list!

He will eat, and will not get sick off Carlyle Just Tuna for cats. If i put it on my fingers he will eat it. It contains, Tuna, Water, Vit E, and Taurine. I figure, long term, its not a good idea, but in the short term it might help to keep him alive.
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Old September 19th, 2012, 08:13 AM
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Did you tell the vet your cats aren't human and don't have the human digestive tract? The natural way to bulk up cats/dogs is bone. It works wonders, however, that won't solve your kitty's problem long term.

I would give the Nature's Variety a go. My cats don't prefer the Duck or Rabbit, but love the Venison and Lamb flavours. Both Venison and Lamb are very dense so you may have to add some water to it.
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Jasper RIP (2001-2018)
Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014)
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In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb

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Old September 19th, 2012, 08:16 AM
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I'll give that a go!

The only way I could get them to eat the Felidae was to water it down into a soup, and they would lap it. I really hope he pulls through this, hes only 1 1/2 and has been loved and taken care of, so its really frustrating / heartbreaking.
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Old September 19th, 2012, 09:32 AM
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I'm so sorry to hear your kitty is still having troubles, scottyxx. Don't give up quite yet, though. We had a young dog with IBD and although he was at death's door by the time we finally got it diagnosed, he slowly responded to the prednisolone. In the end, we were able to wean him off the drug and control the IBD by diet alone.
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Old September 19th, 2012, 09:36 AM
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I'm so sorry to hear your kitty is still having troubles, scottyxx. Don't give up quite yet, though. We had a young dog with IBD and although he was at death's door by the time we finally got it diagnosed, he slowly responded to the prednisolone. In the end, we were able to wean him off the drug and control the IBD by diet alone.
I really hope he bounces back. He is my first cat ever, he's been on Pred over the past few weeks with Fibre food and he looked to be doing good, then we thought we were out of the woods. Over the weekend, he took a turn Sunday night (I think he got into some Ham) and has been spiraling down ever since.

Hes starting a fresh course of Pred and Fibre food today, and I have been able to force feed him some tuna, so I am hoping, wishing, anything, that he is going to improve and put on some weight!
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Old September 19th, 2012, 09:39 AM
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If it's IBD, the ham may have set him back some. Evan was ravenous the whole time he was on pred and would occasionally find something and snarf if up before we could get it away from him. It would set him back a few days. Hope the meds work again!
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Old September 19th, 2012, 12:30 PM
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If it's IBD, the ham may have set him back some. Evan was ravenous the whole time he was on pred and would occasionally find something and snarf if up before we could get it away from him. It would set him back a few days. Hope the meds work again!
Thank you so much, this is weirdly exactly what I want to hear! Hopefully in a few days his tum will have settled. He is easting only the Fibre Food, Felidae, and Just Tuna for cats.
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