Odd cat behavior.

[SpazTheGreat]

I think it was off-brand, bought at Walmart. One of those flavored gels. She didn't like the gel stuff as much as my old cat did. Then again, his was prescription, I do believe.

[Little_Chestnut]

Don't use the shampoo, again, cats rarely ever need bathed. You really can't trust over-the-counter products, mainly because they use substances of questionable origin like natural crap, botanicals, citrus extracts, all of which can be extremely toxic to cats.

Dust generally doesn't cause yellowing fur, are you sure he isn't getting into something?

Frogs and toads can be as toxic as lizards. No more catching amphibians!

Reeking of litter is indicative of a litterbox not kept scooped enough and cleaned/rinsed on a weekly basis. Who in the home has litterbox duty?

Btw, the vet was more than likely right. I've never known a commercial hairball remedy to cause a severe allergic reaction. Unless it was an off-brand, "herbal or natural" product, in which again, do not use.

I would be Spaz's girlfriend. When I took Coffie to the vet while she was ill the only thing the man said to me that there was no chance that the gel could have made her sick. He didn't even look at it. When I asked him what the problem could have been (since that was the only change in her lifestyle) he gave me no answer and just rushed me and my cat out (after paying a hefty fee of course). I have no trust for that vet at all. Is it impossible to assume that my cat might have an allergy to an ingredient in it?

She had been getting into lizards before this, but she never eats them, she just likes to bat at them a bit. I am left to believe that she did have an allergy to something in the hairball control gel I was giving her and I stopped giving it to her.

On to the topic of a vet I did like back when I lived in Jersey, he recommended bathing a cat at least once a month. Since when is "natural crap" a questionable ingredient, by the way? I would assume that the man made chemicals would be worse. I changed Coffie's shampoo to one with hairball control and it has been working fantastically. No more hairballs to deal with and no more sick cat.

Dust around here will cause anything to yellow since we have a lot of sand.

BTW Jimmy dosen't smell of used litter, just plain litter.

[slvrwhispr]

"Natural crap" is pretty much in reference to essential oils, which are often extremely toxic to cats. There are lots of plants and herbs that are harmless or beneficial to humans, but lethal for cats and dogs. That's why it's very risky to use any "natural" products on pets unless they've been approved by a vet you trust.

[Traci]

Can you name the hairball remedy you bought, please, I could take a look at the ingredients for you. While it's possible, as anything is, it is highly unlikely that the hairball remedy caused a reaction, unless again as I stated before, it had "natural" or questionable ingredients in it. Please understand that there are literally thousands of products on the market for pets, claiming "all-natural" ingredients, claiming these are safe for pets, but the reality is, they are NOT safe for pets, it is all hype and marketing gimmicks, based soley on humans' perceptions of natural being better. Natural does NOT mean better nor safer, since hundreds of products contain "proprietary" ingredients, ingredients you will never know are there, adulterated substances, and numerous herbs, oils etc that have never been tested for safety in pets. Please also understand that even regulated medicines must undergo specific tests, unbiased, controlled, double-blind series of tests, submitted and require approval from the FDA to market to the public. Even medicines originating from "natural" substances must undergo synthesis to remove toxins and other harmful or unecessary properties of the substance before it can be considered safe and acceptable for registration to the FDA. The FDA does not regulate "alternative" or "natural" products, therefore marketers don't have to be under a regulatory umbrella and can get away with it. Pet owners on the other hand, have absolutely NO recourse should their pet suffer an ill effect or toxic incident due to these products.

I can't imagine any vet suggesting to pet owners to bathe a cat once a month. Vets know this is NOT necessary and I don't know of any vet who would recommend such a thing. Vets also know that by frequent bathing, any product can remove the natural skin oils and strip the fur/hair of healthy keratin, protective oils and create a hotbed for skin problems and eventual fur loss etc.

Please also name the "hairball control shampoo" you were using, it's entirely possible it contains unecessary ingredients and may be a totally worthless product. Nothing has been said about the "illness" Coffie suffered, what her symptoms were or how they were eventually resolved. Was she vomiting? Diarrhea? Anorexic? Was her diet appropriate? Did you seek a second opinion at the time? Why do you feel the need to bathe her? Does she have hairballs or something else? If hairballs, it could be the diet is inappropriate for her needs, or that she is excessively grooming, or inactive or isn't metabolizing her food. Hairballs can usually be resolved with an appropriate diet (based on her age, activity level, health status), and regular brushing. On the other hand, any hidden illness such as an inflammatory disease (i.e, IBD) can cause hairballs because inflammation slows or prevents food from digesting or passing through the intestine/colon. Otherwise, there should be absolutely no need to bathe her, at all. Outdoor cats, or those who are frequently getting into dirt or other things, might require an occasional bath, but again, with an appropriate, cat-safe product.

[Little_Chestnut]

Coffie has very long hair, and I have never really heard anyone but you complain about bathing a cat. And no, I do not fall for "all-natural" products. Bathing a cat once a month is not excessive, and since Coffie's hair is so long she has trouble keeping it all clean. It is an old wives tale that cats can get themselves perfectly clean on their own. Next you are going to tell me that Coffie is a witch since she is a black cat.

I threw out the hairball remedy. What you don't understand is that just because it may not contain something that causes a reaction in all cats it could contain something that gave MY cat a reaction. Coffie was throwing up, not eating, and moping around after I started her on the hairball remedy. Magically, when I stopped giving her the gel she got better. At the time I could not get a second opinion since the only other vet in the small town I lived in was closed.

Oh, and since I used the shampoo on her she has no more hairballs. I feel no need to post what shampoo I use on my cat. It has been approved by her new vet here in Orlando, and I trust that vet's opinion. For those who are counting that would be a second opinion on the bathing of my cat by a vet.

Coffie is playful and healthy again. I would never do something to jeopardize her health. Since the hairball gel incident I always double check everything with my vet.

[Traci]

I stand behind what I said about bathing, it is unecessary for most cats. Brushing and appropriate diet usually always resolves a hairball problem, unless it is a hidden illness (as mentioned before) like inflammatory process. She is at the age where any number of these conditions can surface. And I never said cats get themselves "perfectly clean". I said cats are generally impeccable groomers, and for all the other reasons I stated, it is unecessary to bathe a cat, in the context they don't get themselves "perfectly clean". Perfectly clean, to me, would be the owner's comparison to a shower with soap and water. Cats do not need us to anthropomorphize.

I'm the last person to question about reactions, I've seen plenty from various products. I simply asked for the name of the hairball remedy so that I could check the ingredients to see if I could help you confirm or deny a certain ingredient may be culprit, based on my opinion (both professional and personal), but since you refuse to post it, no one will ever know, will they? In all the years I've been in this profession, I have never had, seen nor heard of an allergic reaction to a hairball remedy, UNLESS, as stated before, that product was an off-brand, contained a certain "natural" substance or other unecessary ingredient. Am I saying it's not possible Coffie didn't have a reaction? No, and I've already said it's possible, just unlikely. I offered to help evaluate the ingredients but you've refused.

Her symptoms at the time: vomiting, anorexic and moping around....those are symptoms that are synonymous with numerous other problems, may or may not be related to a hairball remedy. She could have had a hairball in the stomach that compacted with food making additional intake of food difficult and difficult to pass. It could also have been an infection in the GI tract. It could also have been a self-limiting thing that resolved on it's own, with tincture of time. May or may not have had anything to do with the hairball remedy.

I'm not superstitious. I love black cats.

[StarfishSaving]

You're posting on a cat health board. The information you've been given here by cat health care professionals is purely for your education, I don't understand the defensiveness. Open up and hear what is being said. Like it or not, there's merit to everything you've been told.

I'd give my opinion on each of the subjects covered but there's no need, I agree with Traci.

[SpazTheGreat]

Um, unless you go to the About section in the main website, you have no clue what the profession of anyone on the website is. In fact, I didn't even know Traci was the owner until I read the About section.

I also find it funny that you're the only "professional"((quotation marks just because there isn't any actual proof)) to ever tell us not to bathe cats. In fact, every other thing I've read or heard suggested that cats need baths when their fur gets oily, and especially long-haired cats.

And you couldn't deny any ingredients of being the culprit because you've never inspected the cat. What is it with people? You work at a veterinary clinic? Shouldn't you know just as well as anyone else that different cats could be allergic to different things? Are you saying all humans have the exact same allergies?

You say cats don't need us to anthropomorphize, yet, at the same time, you shouldn't act like they are so different than us. We're all creatures. They way you speak of her reaction to the hairball remedy((which is exactly how the vet spoke of it)) makes you sound like you think they are objects, all the same. To say that it might not have been the hairball gel is one thing, but to call it highly improbable((especially against the fact that she was only sick when we were giving it to her)) is just arrogant.

Besides, this was about Jimmy, not Coffie. You're trying to help a cat who, besides a little old age and some extra baggage, has nothing wrong with her. The sickness came((at the time we gave her the medication)), and went away((about a day after we stopped giving it to her)), and this was months ago. We've had no problems with her otherwise, even with the shampoo.

I'm sorry for getting defensive, but you're putting off a bad impression of your professional expertise.

[Little_Chestnut]

A very bad impression of your professionalism. The chefs I work with are not even this arrogant. Trust me, that says something.

As I said I threw the gel out a while ago. From what you have told me so far I am beginning to highly doubt your "professional opinion" and its merit.

By the way, impeccable means flawless which means perfect.

I have cat professionals that I trust (AKA my vet) and I have no idea why I would trust someone I don't even know over the internet about my cat's health. For all I know she could be highly misinformed and lying about her profession.

[slvrwhispr]

Traci's title is site administrator... it's right there under her screen name. That doesn't say anything about her profession, no, but it does show that she's the site administrator.

I'm not sure why you're getting so defensive. Traci's saying that there COULD have been an allergic reaction, and she just wanted to know the ingredients of the gel that you used.

You have your vet that you trust, and that's great. For a lot of us, Traci's the person that we trust. I've been on this site for five years and she's never once steered us wrong. She may be blunt but it only comes across that way because she gets straight to the facts without sugar coating anything, and the reason she does this is because the health and welfare of cats is her number one priority.

A gentle suggestion: Take a day off from reading all of this before coming back. Tempers get high sometimes and tones can be misinterpreted. It happens all the time. No one here means to insult you or harm your cats.