Why does my cat get woozy and dizzy after coughing up a hairball?

Hello. Very good! You may have indeed hit on the cause of Momo's spells. But it is just as important to rule out any other issues, especially anything connected to the heart or high blood pressure. I would definitely mention this to your vet at his next visit to make sure the chest is auscultated for any murmurs or arrhythmias. There is really not much you can do about the vagal stimulation, but perhaps a small amount of hairball laxative several times a week will decrease the chance of Momo needing to vomit up any more hairballs. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Sometimes when he has a big hairball it can take a few days of coughing and gagging to bring it up. I suggest you get some hairball remedy paste from a pet shop and give that to your cat as directed on the tube. Some cats actually like eating it and will lick it off your finger. For those cats who do not like the remedy, the easiest way is to put it on the top of the paws and they will lick it off, trying to clean up. Hopefully this will resolve the issue. If the coughing gets worse and if your cat gets lethargic or appears ill, you will need to take him to a vet for a thorough exam.

Hello there, thanks for choosing Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Goodness! That certainly does sound like a scary experience for Persyk. Hairballs shouldn't cause this much trouble coming up, though I can't be certain why it was such an issue this time. However, based on your description of Persyk after the event, it sounds like she has some vomitus in her nasal passages. A small amount of liquid should resolve on it's own within a day or two, but if there was any solid material, it could have become trapped and would continue to cause the nasal pain, sneezing, running nose, etc. I would say that if she isn't back to normal in a day or so, she needs to be checked out by a vet. After physical examination, the vet may recommend sedation to flush the nasal passage and do a more thorough exam.

Hello and welcome to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Sometimes when we, or animals, vomit, as cats sometimes do with hairballs, this can put pressure on a nerve that runs through the stomach that can cause us to become weak and defecate due to changes in blood pressure. If this was the case then Blaze should have returned to normally very quickly after the episode and be 100% normal now. The other possible cause is that Blaze could have an underlying heart condition that is causing a weakness, or could have aspirated (some of the vomit went into his lungs). If Blaze is still breathing up, or acting abnormally, or if the collapse episodes occur again, I would have him into the vet right away. If he is completely normal now then I would just monitor him and have your vet check out Blaze's heart at your next exam for vaccines. Best of luck with Blaze.

I'm sorry to hear both kitties are coughing. It is possible there could be something in the home such as dust or allergens causing the behavior, or both kitties got into something that is causing some irritation. Moving them to a well-ventilated area may help if there is some sort of irritation ongoing. If the coughing continues, or other symptoms appear, it is a good idea to bring them to your vet for an exam and to rule out any health issues.

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.

Hello, I am so sorry to hear about Tia. The symptoms that you describe after vomiting could be consistent with a vagal reaction. The vagus nerve is a long nerve that runs from the abdomen, close to the stomach, through the chest and up the neck. Foreceful vomiting can sometimes secondarily stimulate this nerve. When this nerve is activated it can cause excessive salivation, tearing from eyes, difficulty breathing etc. I would recommend trying to take a video of one of these events to show your veterinarian. If they have been unable to get to the bottom of what’s going on Tia may need a more specialized warmup including an abdominal ultrasound and chest x-rays to look for anything that could be causing the nerve to be overstimulated. I hope this helps, good luck!