Hairball in my cats colon

[TraceyF]

Hello all, I just joined and this is my first person I am in need of advice for my kitty named Logan, 7 yrs old, male, neutered, Siamese, 10 lbs. He is on whole hearted grain free chicken dry food and fancy feast wet food 2x/ day breakfast and dinner. His only medication is "Revolution" on his neck fur 1x/ month, he will have his 3rd treatment tomorrow. He's up to date on all vaccines with most recent annual check up 8/2025. He is an indoor cat and sensitive and emotional. Last thursday (1 week ago) his change in behavior and symptoms began. I noticed he was apprehensive to eat his breakfast and again his dinner. He puked a couple hours after dinner- whole undigested food and again 2 hours later white foam. I took him to the vet the next morning. They took bloodwork and did x-ray. x-ray came back "clear" and the vet thought he had a hairball in his colon that is trying to work its way out. Blood work was great. Vet said she recommended ultrasound if symptoms persisted. She gave him b vitamin and fluids. He got better the next day and was back to himself 24 hours later- running, active and eating. This continued for 4-5 days and now we are 1 week later and exact symptoms have returned. Wednesday night (last night) he was apprehensive to eat dinner and eventually only ate his wet food- puked it up 3 hours later and then puked white foam at 4 am and again this morning 9:45 am. He did not eat breakfast or dinner. He has been sleepy all day (not hiding but sleeping on my bed and with little energy). I went to the local hollistic store and bought pumpkin puree cat wet food, hairball mouse wet food pouch and salmon treats (he does not usually eat treats). I put all of these out for him in addition to his normal fancy feast and he has approached his plate a few times but not eaten. His last stool was last night. I have not seen any hair in his stool. While he was lethargic all day, his energy and personality returned a few hours ago this afternoon, however he still is not eating. It will be 24 hours since his last meal (dinner last night he puked). How long does it take a hairball to pass through the colon? Is it normal for him to have symptoms, get better for 4 days and have symptoms again with a hairball in the colon? What signs and symptoms should I monitor for? Is this an emergency situation? HELP! @Dr.christina @Dr.Jeff

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi!

Welcome to HA! and thanks for making your first post.

I'm sorry to hear about Logan's health challenges.

Good news that his BEAM improved yesterday afternoon. BEAM is a great way to monitor his overall health.

The first thing I'd do is to try offering him a meat-based human baby food, fresh food or even canned cat food.

Hairballs are not typically an issue for cats except when they're energetically imbalanced. Being internally imbalanced predisposes them to problems from hairballs, pancreatitis and many other dis-eases

There are many, many suggestions in your member area, and on the forum, that address your question.

A great place to start is to read through the HA! 101 course this weekend, and schedule a 15 minute call for Holistic Medical Decision Making next week.

Let's get him into tip TOP shape:

A Way To Connect Modern Veterinary Medicine And Ancient Wisdom: An Introduction To Terrain Theory - Holistic Actions!

www.holisticactions.com