HELP with Hairball/Loose Stool!

[LaLa12]

I hope someone has some advice on this because I feel like I have tried everything at this point. Long story short, my 6yr old cat Brady had the PU surgery back in June and was on all kinds of antibiotics. He came home with diarrhea and I chalked that up to all the meds in him. He seemed to even out and become normal again until end of July/August when he developed this issue with his poop. Before surgery he used to poop right after dinner, once a day and the stool would be normal. Since end of July/August, after he does his first poop of the day which is usually normal, he seems to have these episodes when he's in an out of the box pooping really small amounts and the stool is really soft/smells completely different from his first usual poop of the day. I have been dealing with this for months. This past month it has gotten better until yesterday. Every time he eats, he poops and its soft/small. I did notice Saturday I suspected he has a hairball.

He has had a diet change since surgery, all wet food and no more dry at all. I try to feed him all grain free but he's extremely picky. I thought at one point he had a food sensitivity to duck and turkey so right now he only eats chicken and beef. I'm kind of at a loss, he loves the hairball remedy laxatone but I feel like when I add that to his food his tummy troubles are soo much worse. Has anyone else every experienced this? I feel bad because nothing I try has been able to alleviate this problem. The second I notice loose stool, I know he's going to have a bad night. He'll eat, cry a little and head to his box where he'll either have soft stool or tiny to nothing at all. I have to add even if he doesn't produce any stool, he doesn't strain, it's like he feels like he has to poop then gets out. Its definitely not a pee related issue because he digs differently and squats differently when he has to poop.

I'm wondering if anyone has any good hairball remedies? Or any advice at all would be greatly appreciated. I was reading about the egg yolk lecithin but I'm so nervous to give him anything that'll cause further diarrhea. I have even tried limited ingredient food which he just will not eat.

 

[MissClouseau]

I use malt paste for hairballs. Gimcat Soft Malt Paste Extra to be exact. I give it daily or every other day. If I give daily I give half the amount the box says as my Hima is short-haired.

He might still have food intolerance going on but I think it would be the best if you discussed this with the vet in case there is something else too. Some wet foods have probiotics in them. Or you can add probiotics yourself to his food and see how it goes.

 

[LaLa12]

I use malt paste for hairballs. Gimcat Soft Malt Paste Extra to be exact. I give it daily or every other day. If I give daily I give half the amount the box says as my Hima is short-haired.

He might still have food intolerance going on but I think it would be the best if you discussed this with the vet in case there is something else too. Some wet foods have probiotics in them. Or you can add probiotics yourself to his food and see how it goes.

My vets at a loss too, he suggested B12 shots in case he's B12 deficient but that didn't work. He gets Proviable DC in his breakfast every morning, I'm only guessing at being hairball related because when he starts to show signs of hairballs this gets worse. He's only thrown up a monster hairball once since surgery in June, he's a Maine Coon with big coat of fur.

 

[neely]

Regarding the hairballs TCS has an Article that discusses how to treat and prevent them:
How To Treat – And Prevent – Hairballs In Cats – Cat Articles

Also this thread on grooming tips since you mentioned your cat is a Maine Coon with a big fur coat;
Severely Matted Cat Help

 

[MissClouseau]

My vets at a loss too, he suggested B12 shots in case he's B12 deficient but that didn't work. He gets Proviable DC in his breakfast every morning, I'm only guessing at being hairball related because when he starts to show signs of hairballs this gets worse. He's only thrown up a monster hairball once since surgery in June, he's a Maine Coon with big coat of fur.

Do the vets recommend another test? If not, personally I would go to a different vet for another opinion.

Not to say it doesn't happen, Google says hairballs might cause diarrhea, but personally I'm more familiar with them causing constipation. You can still try to work on hairballs like brushing daily maybe twice a day, something for the fur strength maybe etc but if he doesn't have a health issue going on, I would guess food intolerance or maybe laxatone as the cause(s) of diarrhea to be more likely than hairballs. Just to maybe give an idea, my cat gives a poor reaction to high-fat foods for example. The problem doesn't have to be with a grain or the meat type.

 

[drelocks]

Go to a different vet. Sounds like colitis (inflammation), the in and out with pooping. He feels pressure to go maybe, but doesn't really have to. Is there mucous?
Did they put kitty on metronidazole to treat the issue? Definitive test would be ultrasound.

 

[LaLa12]

Do the vets recommend another test? If not, personally I would go to a different vet for another opinion.

Not to say it doesn't happen, Google says hairballs might cause diarrhea, but personally I'm more familiar with them causing constipation. You can still try to work on hairballs like brushing daily maybe twice a day, something for the fur strength maybe etc but if he doesn't have a health issue going on, I would guess food intolerance or maybe laxatone as the cause(s) of diarrhea to be more likely than hairballs. Just to maybe give an idea, my cat gives a poor reaction to high-fat foods for example. The problem doesn't have to be with a grain or the meat type.

I've been thinking food intolerance for awhile, I thought I had him on a schedule with his food, went over a week this time and developed issues yesterday with same food. I just feel bad for him, hopefully I'll figure it out. I'm gonna call the vet again tomorrow.

 

[LaLa12]

Go to a different vet. Sounds like colitis (inflammation), the in and out with pooping. He feels pressure to go maybe, but doesn't really have to. Is there mucous?
Did they put kitty on metronidazole to treat the issue? Definitive test would be ultrasound.

The vet never suggested Colitis but after I just googled it, it makes a lot of sense because my cat suffers from anxiety and takes amitriptyline for it and I saw stress brings on Colitis. He's never been on metronidazole, does the help with these issues?

 

[She's a witch]

The very best hairball remedy I’ve ever tried is egg yolk lecithin. Egg yolk (starting with small amount, never uncooked egg white) will also help. But be careful as it can also loosen stools if too much is given at the beginning. With egg lecithin I’d start with half capsule and adjust depending on how the poop looks after this.
But I’d find a good vet to investigate the issue.

 

[coffeecat2420]

I read (can't remember the article, sorry) that constipation can include watery, diarrhea-like looking small amounts of stool. I can empathize with your situation, as my cat has food and environmental sensitivities that seem to be constantly flaring. The Proviable probiotic product helped my girl firm up her stools when she first came to live with me. I am currently trying out a product recommended by Dr. Judy Morgan that you may be interested in trying for hairballs:

Organic Hairball Plus - Hairball management for cats & kittens

Hairballs can be a big problem for cats and their owners. If you want to address this issue, order this product. Learn about the benefits of MCT oil for cats!

www.cocotherapy.com

Limited-ingredient protein trials can take up to eight weeks, but then there are also the added ingredients (e.g., gums, agar agar, peas, beans) in canned foods that could be causing an issue. It's so challenging to find commercial foods that truly contain limited ingredients, you may want to consider a homemade/fresh commercial diet to see if you get some improvement.

 

[LaLa12]

I read (can't remember the article, sorry) that constipation can include watery, diarrhea-like looking small amounts of stool. I can empathize with your situation, as my cat has food and environmental sensitivities that seem to be constantly flaring. The Proviable probiotic product helped my girl firm up her stools when she first came to live with me. I am currently trying out a product recommended by Dr. Judy Morgan that you may be interested in trying for hairballs:

http://[URL]https://www.cocotherapy.com/products/cocotherapy-hairball-plus

[/URL]

Limited-ingredient protein trials can take up to eight weeks, but then there are also the added ingredients (e.g., gums, agar agar, peas, beans) in canned foods that could be causing an issue. It's so challenging to find commercial foods that truly contain limited ingredients, you may want to consider a homemade/fresh commercial diet to see if you get some improvement.

When I got home from work, he actually threw up quite a bit of hair which he hadn't done in awhile. When he pooped after dinner, he actually pooped out alot of fur also and didn't have any tummy trouble after that. I'm interested in those cocotherapy hairball you posted. Have you had good luck with those? My cat is prone to crystals so I need to becareful what I give him.

 

[WMM201]

Constipation (caused by hairballs) can actually come with diarrhea, because the cat can't get out an old, hard stool, but fresh stool is basically squeezing past it and comes out as diarrhea. It happened to my cat several times, and with fluids, pumpkin, and hairball gel, eventually the old stool passed and things got back to normal. Now she is on pumpkin, glandex, and miralax daily to keep regular. The hairball gel is most useful when she is stuck. I give it to her twice a day for a couple days and it usually solves the problem. This here is a wonderful and informative website: Prevention

 

[coffeecat2420]

When I got home from work, he actually threw up quite a bit of hair which he hadn't done in awhile. When he pooped after dinner, he actually pooped out alot of fur also and didn't have any tummy trouble after that. I'm interested in those cocotherapy hairball you posted. Have you had good luck with those? My cat is prone to crystals so I need to becareful what I give him.

We are still on our first bag of coco therapy, so I really can't speak to any success or failure quite yet. But I wanted to pass along the link as a possible resource for you in case you are like me and spend a good amount of time collecting information and researching alternatives.

 

[LaLa12]

We are still on our first bag of coco therapy, so I really can't speak to any success or failure quite yet. But I wanted to pass along the link as a possible resource for you in case you are like me and spend a good amount of time collecting information and researching alternatives.

Thanks! I'm gonna try it, he needs something to help him pass this fur.

 

[LaLa12]

Constipation (caused by hairballs) can actually come with diarrhea, because the cat can't get out an old, hard stool, but fresh stool is basically squeezing past it and comes out as diarrhea. It happened to my cat several times, and with fluids, pumpkin, and hairball gel, eventually the old stool passed and things got back to normal. Now she is on pumpkin, glandex, and miralax daily to keep regular. The hairball gel is most useful when she is stuck. I give it to her twice a day for a couple days and it usually solves the problem. This here is a wonderful and informative website: Prevention

That actually sounds exactly like what's happening to my cat. Since he threw up fur the other nite, his tummy has been so much better. I comb him the best I can or should I say the best he'll tolerate. I need to find something to help him pass fur. I'm going to start giving him his hairball gel again.

 

[WMM201]

That actually sounds exactly like what's happening to my cat. Since he threw up fur the other nite, his tummy has been so much better. I comb him the best I can or should I say the best he'll tolerate. I need to find something to help him pass fur. I'm going to start giving him his hairball gel again.

My cat will only let me lightly brush her, and she swallows a lot of her own fur. I wish I could stop the fur from going down her throat in the first place. I take her for grooms every 6-8 weeks, but it's a struggle. I got the SleekEZ grooming tool, and it's the only thing she will sit still for, so I try to do a few minutes everyday. Good luck!