Ask the Veterinarian/Bloody Hair Ball

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Expert: - 2/8/2011


Question

My Little Girl
My indoor cat vomited up a very bloody hairball last night.  She hasn't moved from under a chair in my room, but is drinking water.  She also seems to be a little lethargic.  When I cleaned up the hairball from my carpet it looked like a bloody cigar.  I don't know what to do.

Please help. I don't have very much money and can't afford to take her to a vet.

Answer
Well the blood could be just from vomiting. However, the question is the lethargy. Most cats do not get sick from vomiting up hairballs, so my questions for you are:
Does she go outside?
Does she eat rodents/lizards when she does?
What kind of food does she eat?
Does she eat human food?
How old is she?

The reason I ask is for these reasons:
If she goes outside and eats rodents and/or lizards is that both of those can make them very ill.
Rodents can be full of de-con which will kill them both, and lizards, especially blue-belly lizards, are toxic to cats.
The kind of food she eats could be irritating her stomach and causing her to vomit violently (causing the blood).
Human food can cause a cat to develop pancreatitis, which can be very serious and even fatal.
Her age can determine whether or not she is having problems with her kidneys, or liver or some other organ failure.

As you can see, there are many reasons she could be vomiting. Just vomiting is one thing, the lethargy is the issue that worries me.
I understand the money issue but if her health is at stake, dollars are not the issue.

I hope she gets well but you really need to get her to the vets if she is like this in the morning.
Waiting too long with a cat can have very serious consequences...

Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

Organizations
Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

Education/Credentials
Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

Awards and Honors
Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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