Posted on 07/31/2012 1:39:48 PM PDT by Rides_A_Red_Horse
In my short time here I've noticed that a lot of people on this site give great advice concerning pets.
The cat is at the vets office and he's being kept overnight to determine if they need to operate. He's a large Himalayan mixed with Maine Coon.
He hasn't held down food or water since late yesterday afternoon. He had surgery back in early June for similar symptoms. The vet removed a mass of hair from his stomach. I think part of the problem is he's been cleaning the dog who has much courser fur.
The vet also determined he's a little constipated.
He's about four years old and hasn't had these problems until recently. We just moved into a house in East Texas. Until a year ago, we lived near the Canadian border. He's been treated for fleas and worms.
He doesn't like Hartz hair ball remedy. The vet already said both animals must have their coats kept shaved short for the rest of their lives.
Can anyone offer any home remedies that will help him? We recently lost our ancient 20 year old cat. We're not prepared to lose another pet.
I just spoke with the vet. He held down some food and water and they gave him some laxative/lubricant. They x-rayed again and the mass is moving. Once it moves far enough, they're giving him an enema.
Thank you for all the great advice. My wife and I are picking up some professional quality clippers and assorted cat stuff.
After calling around, every place that grooms cats sedate them. I really don't want to knock him out once a month so we'll trim him ourselves. He should be alright if the clippers aren't too loud.
Thank God for the good news!!! They do make the furminator for cats (it’s smaller than the dogs).
It works wonders for my Mimi. No more “rolling dust balls” of fur around the house.
I went to the site to see if I could find any locations for you and got the same thing you did....booted off!
I checked out the Innova Prime site. Looks like it is another family started business, here in the good ole USA!
If you don’t mind, could you please keep me updated on the change of food, any differences you have seen? Thanks!!
BTW, checked out your profile. 9 children? God Bless your heart! You must have the patience of a Saint!! You have a beautiful family!
Ten children. I haven’t updated my page in quite a while! I’ll try to remember to mention it if Shannon stops throwing up when we use the new food.
10? Lord Bless you and yours!
If you don’t mind, I’ll probably inquire after a week for an update.
Drinking a lot of water indicates something may be wrong. Could you ask your vet to do a blood panel, if you haven’t already done so?
If you do get the water fountain, get a metal one. The plastic ones forms a “slime”.
They make HAIRBALLL FOOD now...Purina and Science Diet specifically has the hairball brand. I use it..they love it. Also, a couple times a month, give kitty a syringe of mineral oil...just a couple CC’s. Do not give it around the time of his regular meals though because it prevents absorption of nutrients...but this will help his constipation.
No, I don’t mind at all. Happy to share, unless I completely forget!
Oh please, talk about forgetting. If my head wasn’t attached I’d leave it at home! This is a ping to myself to remind me to ask!
2 brands to stay the heck away from. Science Diet has had many recalls and complaints. Purina is just crap (I still carry the guilt of giving it to my lost kitty).
Look up family based cat foods. DO NOT buy any cat food in the super markets, they are all crap. You must go to a local pet store to get the good stuff. Yes, it costs more, but in the long run, the cost of the food is MUCH less then vet trips.
OMG!!! I use ALL of these brands. Recently, I bought a bag of purina that no one would eat! I found a clump of moldy food inside of it. What do we feed them???
This is from 2007!!
Yes, it's from 2007, but they have had constant recalls since.
I would start with Merrick or Wellness. They are USA made. Regarding kitties, they cannot digest grains, hence their constant throwing up and very messy liter boxes.
Go to your local pet store and look for grain free food, both crunchies and mushy food (can). You will see a positive change in less than a week.
Also, as I have admitted in another kitty treat recall thread, the Chinese seem to have a "beef" in regards to our furry family members. My confession was that I never looked at WHERE my cats food was being processed.
I have had fabulous results switching my kitties to Before Grain.
merrickpetcare.com is before grains website. Check out their 5 promises. It is for both cats and dogs. And the added plus is that they are a family owned and operated company which only uses local farms in the great state of TX!
They also use 2 other outside agencies (besides the FDA) for quality control and also make small batches of food at a time to ensure quality.
But please, stay away from the supermarket crap they are shoving down out furries throat.
The food costs more than the crap, but the less vet bills more than make up for it!
OMG, I found the same thing when I used to give my cats Purina!
Did they do a blood panel?
This vet does blood work everytime they come in, other than for rabies shots.
So it’s issues now? It used to be “challenges”, and before the EUPHEMISTIC era just simply “problems”.
They ALL will form a slime after awhile. It's a combination of their spit and microbes in the water. It should be cleaned weekly - which CAN be a pain. Look for ones with a charcoal filter that cuts down on the nasties being recirculated through the pump. The hard plastic kind is not hard at all to clean the slime off of and, as long as it is cleaned fully and fresh water replacing the old, it helps to make the whole clean up quicker. Glad to hear your kitteh is doing better.
Purina and Science Diet specifically has the hairball brand.
He was on the Science Diet Hairball formula. We picked up a bag of “Blue Buffalo” grain free. I threw out all of the old dry food except for a 1 gallon freezer bag so I can mix a little in until he gets used to the new food.
We brought him home and fed him. He devoured some wet food and then turned to the dry stuff. He seems to have picked out the new food and ignored the old stuff.
I’m just glad he didn’t need to get cut open again!
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