Why is my cat overgrooming and getting hairballs on thyroid meds?

The following food is one of the best for hairball problems: https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-feline-health-nutrition-indoor-intense-hairball-34-dry-cat-food/2534 bear in mind the vomiting might be caused by the hyperthyroidism rather than caused by the hairballs.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lilly. A longhaired cat should only produce 3-4 hairballs per year. Any more than that is considered abnormal. If her initial blood panel came back normal, I typically recommend a secondary panel that checks for pancreatitis, a disease known as pancreatic exocrine insufficiency as well as cobalamin and folate levels. This can reveal the cause of the vomiting or give some treatment options for her. Inflammatory bowel disease is common cause of chronic vomiting. This will typically result in a low cobalamin levels. It can not be diagnosed without intestinal biopsies, but those are very invasive. An abdominal ultrasound can give a lot of information and rule out other causes of vomiting. If I suspect this to be the case, I will treat the patient with a prescription hydrolyzed diet to help decrease inflammation and sometimes medication as well. I hope this information helps!

If you are having trouble getting the thyroid under control, you may look into the prescription diet Science Diet Y/D. This diet works well for a lot of cats and eliminates the need for medication. You can also discuss permanent treatment such as radioactive iodine therapy. The hair loss could be due to other causes however. I recommend to call you veterinarian for next steps. Best of luck.

There could be a correlation between Lilly having an increased appetite and the hairballs. There is a disease that can be common in cats called hyperthyroidism, which is when the thyroid gland overproduces thyroid hormone. This causes an increased appetite, but it can also cause hair loss. She could be grooming more due to the hair loss, and that in turn could cause the hairballs you are seeing lately. I'd give the vet a call today to make an appointment for her. The vet can do a specialized blood test to see if her thyroid is overactive. If it is, it can be treated. Other causes of increased hair loss include allergies, fleas, and ringworm, while other causes of an increased appetite include diabetes and kidney disease. Your vet can check for those as well. Best of luck, I hope this helps!

Two things you didn't mention: Was Mikimoto-san tested at all for thyroid issues or other metabolic issues? Sometimes thyroid and other issues can present with changes in weight, eating habits, hair loss and more. A full blood panel if you haven't had one done already can help. The other thing to look for is stress over-grooming. Cats can start obsessively licking as a result of stress, and the behavior can become a habit that continues even after the stressor is removed. Making sure Miki-san has his own place to relax, eat, drink, use litter and more can help reduce stress as well as using pheromone diffusing plug-ins or collars. If the stress has been removed but the licking continues, you may need to break the habit by placing an Elizabethan (cone) collar or T-shirt on him to prevent licking until he doesn't feel the urge to continue.

If there is no medical reason such as fleas or food allergy and it is behavioral there is medication to help. She may notice another animal or cat outside that is new that is stressing her out and causing her to do this more, There may be a new neighbor with a dog that she smells passing by the door increasing her anxiety. You can start with feliway diffusers and sprays to help in side the apartment. You can also talk to your vet about anxiety medication to start her on to decrease this behavior.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Hairballs are a very complex problem and are not normal despite them being accepted by a lot of people in the veterinary profession and many cat owners. Hairballs are caused by abnormal digestive tract motility or by increased grooming due to skin diseases, psychological distress, and pain. Pain anywhere can cause increased grooming. It's important to discuss this with your veterinarian and set up an appointment to have Faith evaluated for potential problems that may contribute to their formation. Your veterinarian can perform a good physical exam, take a thorough history, and then advise some diagnostics to help sort this out. Good luck with Faith