Can Cats have bulimia? My cat Snickers throws up all the time. When he’s mad at you, especially. I give him foods with hairball control but, it seems he does it to try to control his people. If he gets upset about something, he will get right beside you and puke. What can I do to stop this?

Dana
Montgomery, AL

Many folks joke about “kitty bulimia”. Cats with this syndrome eat large meals and then promptly vomit. They may then be hungry again.

The syndrome looks just like bulimia in humans. But it isn’t actually bulimia. True bulimia has not been documented in cats.

Cats who vomit frequently almost always have a medical condition that causes vomiting. Such medical conditions include inflammatory (aka infiltrative) bowel disease, food intolerance, infestation with parasites, liver problems, kidney problems, glandular conditions such as thyroid disease, intestinal conditions, and tumors in the abdomen.

Stress can cause predisposed cats (and humans) to vomit. This is probably why Snickers vomits when he is upset. I doubt that Snickers vomits purposefully in order to punish you. Vomiting is very unpleasant, and the activity punishes the individual who vomits more than the individual who has to clean it up.

A change in diet to something easily digestible (a so-called sensitive stomach formula) may help with the problem. But the best thing would be a trip to the vet for tests that may give insight into why Snickers is so predisposed to throwing up.

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We have a kitten. I adopted her from a pets and people shelter. I took her in last week for her second set of vaccines and the next day she started coughing. It sounds like she’s hacking up a hairball but nothing comes up and she’s not long haired. I have been reading online and it says to take her in immediately. She’s eating fine but not drinking as much water as usual.

Laura
Oklahoma City Oklahoma

Two factors could be playing a role in your kitten’s coughing.

The first and most likely factor is that she was recently adopted. Cats and kittens with a history of recent rehousing often develop respiratory infections.

Moving is stressful. Stress weakens the immune system. A weakened immune system predisposes cats and kittens to opportunistic respiratory infections that can lead to coughing.

Cats and kittens who recently lived in shelters have especially high rates of respiratory infections. Shelter environments are generally stressful, and cohabitation with large numbers of other stressed animals is a recipe for the spread of disease.

The second factor that might be playing a role in your kitten’s symptoms is the vaccine that she received. Vet visits, unfortunately, also can be stressful for cats. And vaccines are designed to interact with the immune system. Some times shots can tip the balance in a cat who is just barely fighting off illness (this is why vets don’t like to vaccinate animals that don’t appear healthy). Finally, certain types of vaccines very rarely can trigger mild illness in animals (or people). This is called reversion to virulence.

Regardless of the cause of your kitten’s cough, there is good news: most respiratory infections in cats and kittens are self limiting. This means that most individuals recover completely with basic nursing care (ensure that the kitten has a comfortable place to rest, ample food and water, and plenty of love). Some infections get out of hand and require treatment with antibiotics. But almost all cats with respiratory infections recover.

I recommend a vet check up for any cat with symptoms of a respiratory infection in order to confirm that medications aren’t necessary. In most cases they are not.

For more information on respiratory infections in cats, visit my website:

http://drbarchas.com/uri

Photo: Ashley get ready to let one rip.

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Hairballs (scientific term: trichobezoars) are quite common in cats. Sadly, they are the source of many misconceptions among the people who live with feline companions. In this post I attempt to set the record straight about these misunderstood and quite unsavory moist clumps of hair.

All cats groom. As they do this, they swallow hair. (Hairless cats such as Sphynxes, of course, are exceptions.) Most cats move swallowed hair through their digestive systems and pass it in their feces. Some cats, however, are not able to move the hair through their digestive systems in a normal fashion. This causes hair to clump together in the stomach or intestines–a hairball. Most hairballs are vomited onto the floor, where they are later stepped on by someone living in the house. Rarely, hairballs can cause intestinal obstructions and other problems.

Let’s move on to some hairball fallacies.

Any cat that produces hairballs (or that appears to be trying to produce hairballs) should go to the vet. The problem could be more serious than you think.

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My cat has small scabs on her body. She does not
go out doors, and has no contact with other
animals. I am feeding her dry food for hairball and weight
control, as well as wet food once a day. Could
this be food related? Is there something I should
be putting on the small sores? Should I remove
the scabs? I am in a wheelchair, and it is very
difficult to transport her to a vet.
Thanks,

Frances
Rochester NY

There is a chance that your cat’s problem is related to food. However, there is a greater chance that fleas are causing the problem.

Many different issues can cause cats to develop scabs on their bodies. Allergic reactions, skin infections with bacteria or fungus, skin parasites and immune system diseases may all cause problems such as the ones you describe.

Of the possible causes, allergic reactions are most common. And flea allergy is the most likely culprit. Cats that are allergic to fleas often develop a syndrome called miliary dermatitis. These cats develop small scabs all over their bodies. There may be an especially heavy distribution of scabs near the tail and around the neck.

Therefore, the first step I would recommend is high-quality flea control.

What if your cat doesn’t have fleas? Flea control should still be the first step. A pet does not require a visible flea infestation to suffer from flea allergies. Nor does she need to go outdoors or come into contact with other pets.

I do not recommend applying ointments to the affected areas of skin. I also don’t recommend removing the scabs. Both of these actions may make the problem worse.

Although it may be difficult to orchestrate, a trip to the vet is the best option for your cat. And if flea control doesn’t help with the problem, a veterinary checkup is really your only option.

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My cat JoJo constantly seems to be struggling with
hair balls. I give her hairball remedy treats and
provide her cat grass–nothing seems to help. I
have 2 cats, JoJo and Mija, they are both short
hair. What should I add to her diet to help her
with the hair balls? She does expell small
hair balls about twice a week.

Mary
Culver City, CA

Your last sentence is critical in my answer. Clients bring cats to me for “hair balls” on a daily basis. When I ask these people whether their cats actually vomit or regurgitate clumps of hair, most of them say no. Most of these cats have another problem, such as infiltrative bowel disease or food intolerance. If your cat is not regularly producing hair balls, it is not safe to assume that hair balls are playing a role in the problem.

However, you have mentioned that your cat is, in fact, producing hair balls. So let’s work under the assumption that hair balls are the problem in your cat’s case.

In the course of normal grooming, all cats swallow large quantities of hair. Most cats pass this hair in their feces. Some cats, however, have difficulty moving the hair through their intestines. Balls of hair (scientific term: trichobezoars) develop in the stomach or intestines. These hair balls may partially obstruct the digestive tract. Cats with hair ball problems often vomit moist or firm clumps of hair.

The root cause of hair ball problems is related to intestinal motility (the ability of the intestines to move the hair towards the hind end). The amount of hair consumed plays a smaller role. Therefore, short- and long-haired cats can both suffer from hair balls.

There are several ways to treat hair balls. Regularly brushing your cat may reduce the amount of hair consumed. However, it does not help with the root cause of the problem (intestinal motility). Therefore, many people find that increased brushing alone does not solve the problem.

Hair ball treats, hair ball formula diets, and hair ball remedies (such as Laxatone and Petromalt) generally contain laxatives to help move the hair through the intestines and out the hind end. It sounds like you have tried the treats, but not a special diet or remedy. Adding one (or both) of these items into the mix may help with the problem. Be aware, however, that even if you feed a hair ball diet and offer special remedies and treats you may still encounter an occasional hair ball on the floor. No hair ball treatment is perfect.

In very severe cases, medications or surgeries are performed to deal with hair balls. However, the vast majority of hair ball problems can be tolerably controlled with a combination of the treatments listed above.

Photo credit: Pam Beesley. Photo licensing information: CC

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