My cat won't throw up

[Sonique]

Okay I just got this cat a few days ago... he's awesome... except I notice his breath stinks, yet his teeth are white... well I think I found out why...
whenever he tries to have a hairball... he swallows it. He'll be coughing and coughing and in his "Im gonna throw up position" but he keeps swallowing it >_<

Not only is this gross but I'm worried about him now. Is there a way to get him to actually throw up? I've tried encouraging him when he's coughing but that doesn't change a thing. It's been gonig on for a few days, I know he's got a hairball and at first I was just thinking that he HAS to throw it up, but he hasn't yet ;_;

Any ideas?

[Cleo]

I can't even imagine a way to force a cat throw up nor would I want to witness it!

If you truly think it's a hairball, you can give an inch strip of Laxatone. Do you know for sure it's not some other kind of obstruction? Where did you get your cat from and do you have any past medical history on him? Also, if you haven't done so already, an exam with your own vet is strongly suggested.

[Traci]

Get your kitty to a vet for a thorough exam immediately. Cat's don't hold back nor swallow a hairball if they need to vomit.

Do not wait on this, kitty needs an exam by your vet pronto and your kitty is depending on you so that nothing is missed or mistaken for something else which could be more serious.

[Sonique]

Oh dear... I was kind of hoping this would be a common problem that would be easily fixed

it figures though, the last cat I got at the Humane Society got reallly sick in her first few days at home. Actually she was allergic to the food we were giving her which was the same as the Humane Society. Go figure... but that cat's okay now... good ol's Spunky, she lives with my dad.

This one, Luffy, ... the Humane Society said he was a stray but it's obvious he's been around people... he knows how to beg for food and he... loves people.

But ill get him to a vet ASAP, thanks for the replies. I sure do find the weird cats

[Cleo]

But ill get him to a vet ASAP, thanks for the replies. I sure do find the weird cats

Nahhh, I think it's the other way around, they know how to find us.

Good luck with Luffy and please post back letting us know what your vet says.

[Sonique]

So Luffy took a trip to the vet today. He does have a mild upper respiratory infection (hence the coughing) and conjunctivtis =/
the good news is they gave me pills and such to help him and it isn't very serious.

As for the hairball thing, he basically said what you guys did, that cats won't hold back. He thought the coughing was related to his infection and that if I wanted to, I could try some hairball stuff.

As for his breath... well he also has gingivitis But get this, they gave me a toothbrush for cats and a toothpaste for cats I didn't know they had that... now if I could just train Luffy to brush

I'm going to get my mom to teach me how to pill a cat, because I've never done it before and she has manyt imes. But thanks a lot guys, I'm glad I got him in there when I did ^_^

[Sonique]

oh yeah the really good news is all I have to pay for is the toothbrush kit because of the Humane Societys policy that if the cat gets sick within 14 days because of a prior illness, they pay for it. So that's definatly a good deal

[Traci]

If you used the shelter vet, promptly get thee to your own primary vet. Coughing is *not* generally a symptom of an upper respiratory infection. Coughing in cats can indicate a lower respiratory problem, asthma, heart conditions or heartworm, and these things should be ruled out immediately.

Shelter vets often do not utilize testing procedures, and they will often only do an exam, which, for a cat with any type of symptoms or illness, isn't going to do the cat any good. Please, see your primary vet who is more experienced and will be able to tell you if this is hairball problems or something more serious that may require further investigation.

[Hunters Owner]

traci got some good info here thanks

[Guest]

>>If you used the shelter vet, promptly get thee to your own primary vet.<<

What's the difference between a shelter vet and a primary vet?... A primary vet would be an actual vet's office right? that's what I went to today, it was a vets office and everything, just like a doctor's office only for pets =D

But he called the Humane Society and told them the deal and they agreed to pay for the pills is all. Oh yeah and the pills are for deworming too...