Potential Emergency for Rascal

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Rascal is a very vocal cat, he likes to talk, and sometimes he doesn't even know what he wants, but he wants it. So him wandering around this morning, meowing at people for seemingly no reason didn't alarm me. UNTIL tonight he went in his litter box, dug around, and left without doing anything. For me that is a red alarm. I advised my family, no one is to let him out tomorrow. So that I can moniter his outputs. My theory is that he is constipated. I base this on the fact that the other, more serious type of blockage, would probably have made him cry out in pain when I put pressure on his bladder. So I gave him a spoonful of canned pumpkin/ginger with a spoonful yogurt, a sprinkle of probiotics and a pump of salmon oil. Then, for good measure, I let him lick some vaseline off my finger because he's had at least 2 hairballs this week.

He's sleeping at my feet right now, locked in my bedroom, with his litter in my bathroom, so if it were the more serious possibility, he would wake me up and I can rush him to the emergency vet thankfully only about 45mins drive.

It's just nerve wracking, I wish he could tell me what is bothering him. Oh and, long term hairball treatment? I guess I can pick up petromalt. It's weird, he's never been one to suffer from hairballs. Maybe giving salmon oil more often would do the trick. He's currently on 70% canned wellness, he also eats evanger's canned pheasant and kiwi cat canned food. Plus lately he has been having some dry holistic blend grain free. I bought a bag so I could leave some out for when I was away and he's been eating that when we run out of canned food. Maybe eating dry is the cause of all this, but it's really been only 1-2 days a week. Maybe 2-3yrs ago he was on 50% dry and never had any issues.  

[Vanilla eXee]

Do you remember the last time he went? When Sugar was constipated last year it was because she just hadn't gone for a while, so what was in there got too dry for her to push out easily.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Vanilla eXee

Do you remember the last time he went? When Sugar was constipated last year it was because she just hadn't gone for a while, so what was in there got too dry for her to push out easily.

Well that's one of the downsides to outdoor cats. I do not know when he last did anything. Hence why he stays in tomorrow. I should have a much better idea of what's going on by tomorrow night.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

This am there was a pee, but smaller than what he usually pees. I THINK there was a poop, but it was actually soft. It's hard to tell cause it's totally covered in litter. Perhaps he managed to squeeze out a bit of poop. I dunno, but mom let him out this morning. evil Despite me spending like 10mins explaining the importance of not letting him out.

Do the techs, or anyone who's had a puky cat know of a good natural hairball remedy? That may also be good for constipation? Like I said I could pick up petromalt, but, if I'm doing this long term, I might just continue to give him canned pumpkin. See if that helps. And I wonder if Salmon oil would help with that? I haven't seen it anywhere listed as a remedy, but cheaper less nutritious fatty oils are listed.  

[Azusanga]

I'm not a tech but a little bit of butter once a month seems to work for me.. Annabelle gets horrible hair balls, and she hasn't puked in a while, so it seems to work.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Azusanga

I'm not a tech but a little bit of butter once a month seems to work for me.. Annabelle gets horrible hair balls, and she hasn't puked in a while, so it seems to work.

He loves butter, but if it's the fat that helps I'd rather do salmon oil. It's much much much much more nutritious. A different kind of fat though, so , not entirely sure if it would work the same.  

[Azusanga]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Azusanga

I'm not a tech but a little bit of butter once a month seems to work for me.. Annabelle gets horrible hair balls, and she hasn't puked in a while, so it seems to work.

He loves butter, but if it's the fat that helps I'd rather do salmon oil. It's much much much much more nutritious. A different kind of fat though, so , not entirely sure if it would work the same.

I think it's more of that it's a lubricant sort of thing that doesn't get washed away easy... like, Annabelle was puking daily for a few weeks when we started the butter thing, and she hasn't puked since. Yeah, she was a heavy puker, I was cleaning that s**t up pretty often D<  

[Shearaha]

I decreased the incidence of hairballs/vomiting in my 2 cats by getting rid of the food bowl, adding easily accessible high places and more frequent grooming (at least for the one who lets me groom her). I went from finding hairballs/vomit every day to about every 3 months. And I don't think it's one of my girls doing it.  

[SmoothSavage]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Azusanga

I'm not a tech but a little bit of butter once a month seems to work for me.. Annabelle gets horrible hair balls, and she hasn't puked in a while, so it seems to work.

He loves butter, but if it's the fat that helps I'd rather do salmon oil. It's much much much much more nutritious. A different kind of fat though, so , not entirely sure if it would work the same.

I think you'll find the less nutritious oils work better because they're less nutritious. An oil the body is utilizing most of, like fish oil, isn't going to just get slid on through as a lubricant. Stuff the body won't use does.

At least that's my theory. The fish oils never seem to work for hairballs.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Savage Destiny

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Azusanga

I'm not a tech but a little bit of butter once a month seems to work for me.. Annabelle gets horrible hair balls, and she hasn't puked in a while, so it seems to work.

He loves butter, but if it's the fat that helps I'd rather do salmon oil. It's much much much much more nutritious. A different kind of fat though, so , not entirely sure if it would work the same.

I think you'll find the less nutritious oils work better because they're less nutritious. An oil the body is utilizing most of, like fish oil, isn't going to just get slid on through as a lubricant. Stuff the body won't use does.

At least that's my theory. The fish oils never seem to work for hairballs.

poop. Ya, I figured, one is saturated one is not. Or was it that one is trans and the other is saturated...gah, I forgets. What about pumpkin? I found a vet tech post on yahoo or something swearing by pumpkin. Do you use anything?  

[SmoothSavage]

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Savage Destiny

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Azusanga

I'm not a tech but a little bit of butter once a month seems to work for me.. Annabelle gets horrible hair balls, and she hasn't puked in a while, so it seems to work.

He loves butter, but if it's the fat that helps I'd rather do salmon oil. It's much much much much more nutritious. A different kind of fat though, so , not entirely sure if it would work the same.

I think you'll find the less nutritious oils work better because they're less nutritious. An oil the body is utilizing most of, like fish oil, isn't going to just get slid on through as a lubricant. Stuff the body won't use does.

At least that's my theory. The fish oils never seem to work for hairballs.

poop. Ya, I figured, one is saturated one is not. Or was it that one is trans and the other is saturated...gah, I forgets. What about pumpkin? I found a vet tech post on yahoo or something swearing by pumpkin. Do you use anything?

Theoretically pumpkin should work, as fiber plays the same role in just moving things on through. Thankfully I don't have to use anything, my cats never get hairballs!  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

Savage Destiny

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Savage Destiny

Gabrielle_AnimalLuver

Azusanga

I'm not a tech but a little bit of butter once a month seems to work for me.. Annabelle gets horrible hair balls, and she hasn't puked in a while, so it seems to work.

He loves butter, but if it's the fat that helps I'd rather do salmon oil. It's much much much much more nutritious. A different kind of fat though, so , not entirely sure if it would work the same.

I think you'll find the less nutritious oils work better because they're less nutritious. An oil the body is utilizing most of, like fish oil, isn't going to just get slid on through as a lubricant. Stuff the body won't use does.

At least that's my theory. The fish oils never seem to work for hairballs.

poop. Ya, I figured, one is saturated one is not. Or was it that one is trans and the other is saturated...gah, I forgets. What about pumpkin? I found a vet tech post on yahoo or something swearing by pumpkin. Do you use anything?

Theoretically pumpkin should work, as fiber plays the same role in just moving things on through. Thankfully I don't have to use anything, my cats never get hairballs!

Neither did Rascal gonk Maybe it has something to do with his natural deworming pills. Maybe it irritated his esophagus or something, but it seems to me to have started before that. Plus the constipation, I think maybe he does need the fiber. Anyway, he needs the soluble fiber to help keep kidney disease at bay. The soluble fiber acts as a nitrogen trap. Or so I'm told.  

[Gabrielle_AnimalLuver]

He had a decent sized pee yesterday afternoon, but the tinest lil excuse for a poop this morning. And this is after 24hrs. So looks like it is indeed constipation. Gave him more pumpkin and my mother suggested a thermometer up the bum bum cause that's how she cured my brother's constipation when he was a baby.