2yo Tabby Hairball Issue, Not Eating Or Drinking

[fallandriseandfall]

My recently adopted Tabby has been having hairball issues since Sunday morning (it's now Tuesday). She hasn't been eating or drinking and has been throwing up little mouthfuls of bile for about two days in her attempts to get a stuck hairball up. I believe she threw up once in the litter box, but she hasn't been using it very much otherwise.

After work on Monday night, I picked up some petroleum jelly, hairball paste, and a variety of wet food brands to see if I could tempt her to eat, and she wasn't interested in any of it (whether heated or unheated). I did manage to get some petroleum jelly and hairball paste on her paws, and I think that did the trick, because around 4:30 this morning, she threw up a large hairball, and then two hours later, a smaller one, along with a large liquefied mass of bile and hair.

I had hoped this would be good sign and she would want to start eating and drinking, but she was still uninterested. I did the pinch test Monday night and it showed no signs of dehydration, but this morning, her skin did snap back into place a little slower than last night, so I know she's getting dehydrated.

I'll probably be taking her to the vet to get fluids this evening after work if she still hasn't had anything to drink, but because that is several hours away, is there anyone who can reassure me right now? Would it be normal for her to get a hairball up and not be immediately interested in food or water?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! I'm sorry to hear about your baby!
I think you're on the right track going to the vet, just to be sure there's nothing else going on.
In case any of this helps; (I know you're familiar with the dehydration test) can you try something from this list?

Try making this;
tent test for dehydration and home-made pedialyte recipe - The Daily Kitten

Also, try making one of these;
Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines. --This website has a number of kitten glop recipes, with ingredients that you may very well have in your house.

These can be used on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave. Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A shot glass works to stir it all up.

• Chicken, beef or ham flavored baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon, mackerel

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• canned kitten food any brand - it's usually smelly. See if it's eaten on its own, then maybe mix it in or put on top

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora
• fish oil
• green beans, asparagus mushed up

• goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  
• Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables

• There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
• shredded cheddar cheese

 

[Jem]

She may have been able to throw up a hairball but she could still be constipated because some hairballs are in her digestive tract. That could be why she is still not eating or drinking, she's all "backed up" and feels nauseous. I know that probably doesn't help ease your mind, but he vet will be able to tell you for sure and get her hydrated again. You should be fine (just my opinion) to take her in as soon as you're done work, but I would not wait any longer.

 

[fallandriseandfall]

Hi! I'm sorry to hear about your baby!
I think you're on the right track going to the vet, just to be sure there's nothing else going on.
In case any of this helps; (I know you're familiar with the dehydration test) can you try something from this list?

Try making this;
tent test for dehydration and home-made pedialyte recipe - The Daily Kitten

Also, try making one of these;
Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines. --This website has a number of kitten glop recipes, with ingredients that you may very well have in your house.

These can be used on their own or combined with food. Also, if you heat the food a little - stir it so there aren't any hot spots from the microwave. Or you could heat some water, about a tablespoon, and add that to canned food. A shot glass works to stir it all up.

• Chicken, beef or ham flavored baby food such as Gerber Stage 2 - make sure there is no garlic or onions in the ingredients

• Tuna and/or the juice, a low mercury/low/no sodium brand is called SafeCatch

• Salmon, mackerel

• Sardines (make sure there are no bones)

• boiled cut up chicken or turkey with no seasonings

• canned kitten food any brand - it's usually smelly. See if it's eaten on its own, then maybe mix it in or put on top

• Try mixing in Kitten Milk Replacer - there are recipes on the internet or store bought

• Fish, tuna or BBQ flavored canned wet food (I personally have never seen BBQ flavors, but...)

• Lickable cat treats or pouch treat 'gravy' poured over the food

• kitten glop (recipes in website link above)
• Bonito flakes
• fortiflora
• fish oil
• green beans, asparagus mushed up

• goat milk, or no lactose cow milk
• whole cooked eggs (the white must always be cooked) or raw egg yolk now and then
• broth with no salt and no garlic or onion or seasonings of any kind
• There are also commercial toppers, Applaws is a brand that can work well as a topper
  
• Some good treats would be freeze dried Purebites, Orijen, Meowtinis, Meowables

• There are also Lickimats that you could spread types of soft food onto, even plain unflavored yogurt, and even freeze it. Licking something can help a cat to feel better emotionally The LickiMat - Food Puzzles for Cats
• shredded cheddar cheese

Thank you for all of this; I tried a few brands of wet food in a sort of scattershot attempt to get her to eat, and she was totally uninterested whether it was cold or slightly warmed up, but this was before she got the hairball up. I'm going to try more wet food tonight, and pick up a few of the things on the list to try.

Also, thank you for the suggestion of the Lickimats. She normally loves to eat, and since I'm at work for a decent part of the day, I worry about her getting bored. But one of those mats and the other puzzles and toys on that site would make things more interesting for her, and hopefully keep her from grooming out of boredom.

 

[fallandriseandfall]

She may have been able to throw up a hairball but she could still be constipated because some hairballs are in her digestive tract. That could be why she is still not eating or drinking, she's all "backed up" and feels nauseous. I know that probably doesn't help ease your mind, but he vet will be able to tell you for sure and get her hydrated again. You should be fine (just my opinion) to take her in as soon as you're done work, but I would not wait any longer.

I think nausea or even just feeling out of it could be a good explanation, and I'm hoping that's why. She still seemed very subdued when I left for work this morning after she threw up, so in an ideal situation, she is just overcoming the nausea and she'll be able to eat/drink soon.

 

[Furballsmom]

Let us know how things go -
. .

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If she STILL has not eaten, she needs to see a vet, and right away. She's getting into the danger area for developing hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease). I'm also wondering if something like pancreatitis, which also causes these symptoms, might be at play here. The sooner you know for sure, the better off she will be!

 

[fallandriseandfall]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I took her to the vet last night and they performed an x-ray, which showed she was indeed constipated. They gave her some fluids and set an appointment for today for an enema.

The fluids were a huge help. She perked up almost immediately and became extremely affectionate and bright, following me around and rubbing up against me the way she does when she wants food.

Because of the cost and not wanting to expose her to the trauma of that (I know I'm babying her), I just continued giving her some laxatone in hopes it would work, then came back home from work on my lunch break to take her to her appointment--and she had pooped! Not very much, but what she did get out were several hard pieces that could have definitely been constipating her. I tried offering her a little wet food and she was uninterested, but when I put down her bowl of dry food, she began to eat. I didn't allow her to eat very much because I'd like to ensure she clears any more constipation, and I'd like to switch to a brand with more fiber, but I did give her more laxatone and topped off her water, so here's hoping she's drinking a bit when I get back tonight with better food for her.

Long story short, Laxatone and sub-q fluids are a godsend, saved me anywhere from $250 to $750 for an enema, and saved my little kitty the trauma of going back to the vet for one.

Thanks for the replies and if you have anymore suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Canned pumpkin puree can help keep a cat regular, if she will eat it. It's good for both constipation AND diarrhea, but don't ask me how the pumpkin knows which is which!