My cat's hairball stuck 2 days, vomiting, lethargic. Vet needed?

I strongly recommend getting your cat seen by your vet right away. Lethargy is a worrying sign after such an incident and she must continue to eat or she can develop liver disease in a matter of days. There may be more hair that cannot get back out or that may be causing an intestinal blockage. If this is the case, without treatment it can be life-threatening. Your vet will do an exam, x-rays, possibly lab work, and base don these results will be better able to tell you what is wrong and how best to treat it.

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Alonzo. It could be irritating from the hair ball or it could be due to a stomach illness. I can give you a home remedy for him see if that helps. I recommend withholding food for tonight, then feed a bland diet of boiled white meat chicken (no bones) in small amounts several times a day for a couple of days. Then slowly add back in his normal diet. If the vomiting continues in the absence of food, he refuses to eat the bland diet, he vomits the bland diet, develops diarrhea, stops drinking water, starts vomiting water, or becomes very lethargic, he will need to see a vet right away. I hope this helps!

Comb him regularly as you are doing. This will remove a lot of the dead hair which otherwise your kitty would have to remove and then regurgitate as a hairball.Feed good quality food. Get some hairball remedy from a petshop and feed that according to the instructions. This should reduce the hair balls significantly. It is normal for cats to regurgitate hairballs when they are good groomers..

I would err on the side of caution and get them seen today if you can, tomorrow, especially if they don't seem better. The vomitus looks like a hairball to me, but it's hard to tell. They may have overeaten, but unless that's something they already do, given the opportunity, I don't see that being as likely as something else, possibly getting into something they shouldn't have. Your vet will do an exam, possibly bloodwork, and maybe more//other diagnostics depending on what they find. Based on these results, your vet will have a better idea of what's going on and be able to recommend a treatment plan if needed.

I am sorry to hear about Beasley! I would recommend a visit to her vet for an examination, especially if having hairballs is not the norm for her. There are many different things that can cause these symptoms in cats, Ranging from internal problems like constipation or organ disease, to arthrtitis/joint disease. Your vet can examine her and may recommend testing depending on their findings or may recommend things like hairball laxative or joint supplements like Dasuquin.

Hi and thanks for posting! Hard stool can certainly be an indication of constipation and while a hairball formula can help, you can also try a higher fiber diet (one that is formulated for hairball control) or just give a few teaspoons of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) in her food which can help. However, if she is not eating and is acting lethargic, you may want to take her in to see a veterinarian to get checked out. Sometimes underlying health conditions such as liver or kidney disease or certain endocrine problems like diabetes can cause dehydration and can lead to harder stools and episodes of constipation as well as decreased appetite and lethargy. Certainly worth a veterinary visit if the hairball cream doesn't seem to be making a difference in her appetite or energy level. I hope this helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hello, Oliver may indeed be working on reliving a hairball. However, other causes for this may include a tooth infection or an upset GI tract. If he continues to do this, develops vomiting, a decreased appetite, diarrhea, or lethargy then he should be evaluated by a veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.