Why is my fluffy Persian cat vomiting hairballs in hot weather?

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!

HI, thanks for using Petcoch! Poor Molly! Due to Molly's age I want to be sure that you have had your Vet do a physical and had full blood work done to check her for kidney disease and an overactive thyroid. If you haven't that should be done. The most common reason if the blood work is normal for chronic vomiting with or with out hairballs is inflammatory bowel disease. Molly could have her belly ultrasounded to take a look at the thickness of her intestines and how big her lymph nodes are. Treatment consists of steroids and a prescription hydrolyzed diet. Another option is to have a groomer perform a lion cut! That cuts down on the hair she can ingest and plus she will look super cute! I hope this helps and good luck!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Mushu and for providing pictures, they are helpful. It may be he is grooming himself a lot causing the hairballs and leading to the vomiting. I would start brushing him daily to see if that helps with the vomiting. If it does not, then I would have him seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

While vomiting hair occasionally is normal for some cats the increased frequency you have described is concerning. It is possible at Midnight is grooming more due to a seasonal coat shedding or she may have some underlying intestinal irritation contributing to the vomiting. Cats that hunt are at higher risk for parasites and this can also contribute to vomiting. If the increased frequency of vomiting continues or if you notice any other signs such as decreased appetite, lethargy or weight loss, I would recommend that you have her seen by your veterinarian. They may recommend checking a stool sample for parasites and possibly blood work to rule out other potential causes for vomiting such as kidney disease or thyroid problems.

Hello and thank you for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Shedding is completely normal, especially as the temperature gets warmer. What would be abnormal is if you are seeing bald spots of skin on your cats, especially if it the skin is pink/red or dry and crusting. This could indicate a skin infection or allergies. I hope this is helpful!

Brushing Meezer daily to remove excess hair will help reduce the hair balls and therefore the vomiting. You can also give cat laxative twice weekly to reduce the hair balls. Feeding several small meals will help too as cats who eat large amounts quickly tend to vomit more frequently. In general healthy cats tend to vomit off an on regardless. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Meezer.

Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Vomiting in cats can be caused by hair balls, intestinal parasites, toxin ingestion, or even foreign body obstructions of the intestines. These signs can be unrelated to the hair loss, which may be caused by certain infections and hormonal or behavioral abnormalities. I recommend having Zimba seen by a vet if he continues to vomit or develops diarrhea or has a loss of appetite/energy. His area of hair loss should also be evaluated, as it may be caused by a fungal infection that can even be transmitted to humans. I hope this helps and that all is well with Zimba!