Does this stuff really work??



"Patient" details: Short-hair Calico. Female. Spayed. < 2 1/2 years old.

Issue: Guenevere presents with regurge episodes and has had them for about a year...some days/weeks are worse than others. I don't know if it's a change in the weather or what, but she's lately started having these fits about once every 90 minutes to 2 hours. It varies as to when she has them...sometimes she'll just be lying still/napping and start one and other times it seems to be triggered from jumping down off the desk or if she gets excited while playing with her sister (from the same litter), which has ZERO symptoms of this condition.

Nothing is usually expelled, but sometimes she might expel food if she's just eaten; I've only had to clean that up maybe 2 or 3 times. All the other times, it's episodes of exhaling HEAVILY with wheezing and it sounds like she gurgles some type of fluid that doesn't come out and she swallows it. NEVER have I seen an expelled hair ball on the carpet/floor.

I asked my personal care Veterinarian about it and showed him a short video of what she's doing and he said, "oh she's just trying to yak up a hairball...she'll be OK". I don't doubt his word, but there have been times where she only had one or two episodes an entire MONTH. For some reason, it has progressed to an episode in the aforementioned intervals...DAILY. I know predominantly through the summer, she rarely had episodes at all...went days or weeks without having one. I started administering the Tomlyn's this week and she laps it up right off the spoon...tuna flavor. So that's the good part in that it's easy to give her the gel.

Both have been on the same brand food and type since I got them; Hill's Science Diet Tender Chicken Dinner and Hill's Science Diet Hairball Control Light dry food. I really limit the dry food to no more than 1/4 cup per day, if that. No change in liter brand, either. Could it be allergy related??? As stated, I don't think her sister has had even ONE episode of this nature that I've witnessed.

This isn't my particular kitty, but her fur is about this length...certainly NOT any longer than this:



Thanks for any and all suggestions you may have...

This is hairball season and yes, laxatone does work. However, like any treatment, it doesn't work in all cases. I do prescribe it several times a week this time of year.

If you try it and she doesn't respond in a day or two I would take her to your vet.

ETA laxatone is just flavored mineral oil that lubricates the gi tract to let the hair pass easier, they have spent many years perfecting it to make it very palatable.

Tommy

I can't help with the regurgitation issues. One of our cats has recently started puking up her food on occasion and I haven't figured out completely why. I know at least one of the times she ate something (human food) that didn't agree with her but today's episode was only cat food. I think she is one of those that sometimes just eats too much at once.

The tube of goo does work. We had to use a similar product on a cat a few years ago and the problems cleared up.


The one comment of yours that bothered me was this:

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
All the other times, it's episodes of exhaling HEAVILY with wheezing and it sounds like she gurgles some type of fluid that doesn't come out and she swallows it.

One of our cats started doing this as he grew into an adult and it continued to get worse. After Googling it, I realized that he has Feline Asthma and took him to the vet. We started off with a steroid shot which stopped the episodes but they returned within a couple of months. He has now been on a daily inhaler treatment for over a year and only rarely has a minor episode. Your description fits for asthma, especially the swallowing of the fluid at the end. Obviously, I'm not a vet but if you Google feline asthma and read the description then watch a couple of videos, you'll see what I mean.

ETA: Obviously, I don't know if your cat has asthma and I'm not trying to scare you. It's just that, based on that one line of your description, it is something that I would at least rule out. We had a previous cat that did the exact same thing just not as often; maybe a couple times a month. I described it to our former vet and they said that it was nothing; that it was something that most cats do. Looking back on it, I feel bad now knowing what it was and not giving him any help.

My wife gives each of our three cats one of these each morning: Pet Naturals of Vermont - Hairball, Daily Digestive, Skin and Coat Support for Cats, 160 Bite-Sized Chews

It doesn't totally eliminate the problem, but it does seem to mitigate it.

The cats also need to be brushed regularly.

If that doesn't do it a more thorough examination, perhaps even X-Rays or whatever, might be in order.

I'm not a vet but. My short hair has also started puking. Poor fellow really gets sad. My vet said As long as it's white not yellow he'll be ok.

He eats fast and goes outside (grass) doesn't eat live stuff.
Happens mostly when he jumps down from someplace.

I have another that eats anything that moves & grass ... she never pukes. Small Freakin lion !

*** UPDATE ***

Thanks for the replies, y'all!!

My kitties are both indoor ONLY cats, so fortunately I can narrow down anything they may contract to being house-borne (for the most part). As an update, it seems like Guenevere is doing MUCH better today. She had just a little episode this morning after I opened my b/r door and they were up on the bed for about an hour, and then she has had only one episode this afternoon. Yesterday it seemed like she was having an episode every hour...I was getting a little worried. I could tell she wasn't feeling well at all!

I know you were concerned about asthma, Mboroman, but I'm pretty sure this is just a regurge reflex from stupid hair balls. I've been administering the Tomlyn's every day and today is day 3 of treatment. I'll give her two more doses through Wednesday and then proceed with the recommended schedule of 3x per week. I'm also gonna get one of the mitts you can wear and pet them to remove loose hair.

Thanks again, everyone, for the concern and suggestions...I think she'll be OK!!

Glad she's better, but just to muddy the water....

Is the cat regurgitating or vomiting? Regurgitation will not have active retching. The distinction is critical because regurgitation localizes to esophageal disease, whereas vomiting localizes to the more typical primary vs. secondary GI issues. If the cat is regurgitating, and it's really that often for that long, we tend to think esophageal obstruction or constriction. If the cat is actually vomiting, it may be what we call "piggy vomiting." It's possibly some sort of food intolerance and it's often benign, although sometimes free choice feeding so they never eat much at any one time is helpful and often the cats do better on some foods then others. If the cat really is retching, it's vomiting and it warrants work up by the vet to rule out more serious issues.

Bottom line, if she stays better, great. If it starts back, talk to your vet about the fact that it's happening so frequently for so long. If she's my patient, I'm a little nervous about the long term thing. Either way, best of luck and hope it's nothing at all!

quote:

Originally posted by erj_pilot:
I know you were concerned about asthma, Mboroman, but I'm pretty sure this is just a regurge reflex from stupid hair balls. I've been administering the Tomlyn's every day and today is day 3 of treatment. I'll give her two more doses through Wednesday and then proceed with the recommended schedule of 3x per week. I'm also gonna get one of the mitts you can wear and pet them to remove loose hair.

No biggie. As I mentioned, I'm not a vet and I can't see what your cat is doing. It was just that description that got my attention and I just wanted to make sure the bases were covered. Glad that everything is looking good now.

I also have one of those mitts. While it's not as efficient as the Furminator, it does work and it is less messy. I love the Furminator but I feel it is best used outside since it doesn't hold onto the fur. Now that the weather is turning, the mitt wil get the use.

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
Glad she's better, but just to muddy the water....

Is the cat regurgitating or vomiting?

Thanks!

So can you explain in laymen terms the difference in the two? If it helps, when she's having one of these episodes, it's not the GU GU GU GU GU like cats do before they vomit. I have a video, but don't have the means to upload it here.

Sure. If it's regurgitation, it's coming from the esophagus, and it just kinda appears. Blech, and it's there, no real "warm up" or warning. If it's vomiting, it's from the stomach (or upper GI if really bad), and they contract their diaphragm multiple times and then actively compress their abdominal muscles to get the stomach contents up. You can't always count on the noise coming with it, but you get the gist.

If it's emailable (word??), email your video to me and I'd be glad to take a look.

^^^^^
Thanks, slabsides! I'll upload it to OneDrive and then send you a link.