Asthmatic Cat (not hairbally)

[Tiggy's Mum]

Do you know if Sadie has ever coughed up a hairball before (sounds an odd Q but I don't think Riley ever has whereas Lu has on a few occasions)?

If she seems otherwise well in herself I personally wouldn't be going to the vets on the 'first cough', if you suspect it is a hairball then you could try some malt paste/hairball paste edit: I know all cats are different but the Johnsons hairball paste was NOT eaten by either of my boys whereas they will eat other makes so would avoid Johnsons if you have a choice of makes!

There's also hairball treats, defurrum seem pretty good as they are a crispy shell with actual hairball paste goo in the middle. Whiskas do a hairball treat and these appear to be incredibly palatable (along the lines of temptations/dreamies!) but there doesn't seem to be any 'goo' in them like there is in the defurrum.

Hope it turns out to be 'just' a hairball 

[Alex S]

I just came on here to post about this, Sadie - also indoor - has just had a funny episode, we thought she was about to cough up a hairball on the sofa so cleared the way and watched but nothing came, she's now snoozing quite happily but my girlfriend and i are a bit worried. This is the first time that we've see her do this, should we wait to see if it becomes frequent before taking her to the vet or not? She's incredibly difficult to take to the vet so we don't want to put her through any unnecessary trauma although i suppose it's best to be sure. is there any chance this could be a hair that's got in her nose or would that jsut make her sneeze?

[Tiggy's Mum]

Poor Sky  Did the vet give her any meds today?

Sky

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

What are they advising?

Just a daft thought, could it be an allergy to something new you are using in the house?  Even a change of perfume or skin stuff with a smell? Washing powder, cleaners etc?

Sending lots of good wishes for her 

[Sootyca]

Back again today.  She had a great 4 days then on Friday she had another episode and she now isn't eating properly, is quite lethargic, is very snuffly and sneezy and has constantly watery eyes - so much so that one is almost sealed shut.  I can't clean the water away quickly enough before it starts again.

Thank goodness for 7 day vets

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

So pleased she has improved 

[Tiggy's Mum]

Glad she seems to have improved a bit Did they say if she is likely to need any ongoing treatment for it or is it more like a one off?

[Sootyca]

So far today there has been no more incidents. There was one last night but I guess the injection hadn't kicked in fully.   Fingers crossed she will be fine.  She has to go back for vaccinations at end of Feb so they can check her over again if she doesn't go back before then.

[Tiggy's Mum]

Hope it doesn't turn out to be anything serious  I didn't know cats could develop asthma in later life, hope the injection clears up whatever was causing it - gentle to Sky

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Hope this works and Sky doesnt need any more treatment 

[Sootyca]

Much to Sky's disgust she has been to the vets and come back.    Her temp was fine but her lungs were noisy when he listened to her breathing.  He has given her an injection to help clear her airways suspecting feline asthma but if she is still retching in a couple of days she will have to go in on Friday for a chest x-ray.  Hopefully this will clear this attack up and she won't need repeated trips.

[Sootyca]

Got her booked in for 3.10 today. Gotta love vets that work 7 days a week. So much more convenient.  She's had another two episodes already today so definitely need to get her looked at properly.

[Gill (sneakiefeline)]

Mone sick em up and Sasa expells fur at the other end!

This sounds a bit too frrequent as Helen has said and definately worth a vet check

[Tiggy's Mum]

Lu sometimes has 'hairball episodes' without ever producing one, if it was the normal once a month then I wouldn't be worried but as it's got much more frequent I would defo pop her along to the vets just to be on the safe side. Defo not neurotic 

[Sootyca]

Need help before I make a vets appt and look stupid. 

Is it possible for a cat to have a hairball and yet never cough it up? 

Sky, our indoor girl, has an intermittent retching episode. Was never more than once a month, if that and I always presumed it was a hairball as she is quite fluffy and her fur does get everywhere.  No hairball was ever coughed up but occasionally overnight we would find some mucus/sick on the kitchen floor where she and Robbie stay overnight.  Never any hint as to who it came from as both seemed fit and well.  The last month or so the episodes have been getting more frequent and it is now at least once a day but today she has had 4 episodes in about 6 hours. Nothing is ever brought up.  With the retching she now makes a racking cough.

I've never had to deal with hairball in cats before so not sure if this is completely normal or not? In all other ways she is pretty much normal.  She plays, grooms normally, doesn't seem in pain anywhere (gave her a thorough touch/feel just after the coughing fit and she didn't react at all), is alert, eats normally.  I've tried her on hairball food and she won't have any of it.  She gets brushed a lot to remove her loose fur as well.

The only real thing that has changed is she is now snoring a lot more than she ever did.  Her breathing is quite shallow but is quiet and she only makes wheezy noises after her episodes. 

I'm not going to be thought neurotic am I for ringing the vet?   I need people experienced in hairballs to pass on their experiences

Karen
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