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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / June 2006Cat choking? Passing out?
Hello, Last night something strange happened to one of my cats. He was perfectly fine within an hour, so I don't know if what happened was "normal." This cat is 4 1/2 years and has never had health problems. I heard him gagging as with a hairball. He rarely has hairballs, but it didn't seem unusual until he stopped gagging but stayed hunched over and got really quiet. I watched him to make sure he wasn't having trouble. Seconds later, he fell over. Not sat down... he fell over. I ran to see if he was okay. His eyes were open, but he seemed unresponsive, so I rubbed his belly, (which he loves,) to see if he would respond. He started twitching his feet a little, (as when a cat is asleep and dreaming). I was afraid he might be having a seizure, but as I was running to call for help, he got up and walked away. He was breathing okay so I didn't see any reason to drive an hour to the emergency vet who never really helps anyway =( He hid under the bed for about half an hour (which he never does,) but then came back out to purr and roll around at my feet (which he always does.) This morning he was happy and playful as usual. He is eating and drinking as well. Last night he did cough up a very small ball of human hair. It looked like he'd gotten a hold of a hairbrush, although I keep mine away from cats. I'm thinking that maybe the hairball came up part way and temporarily blocked his air causing him to pass out. Does this make sense? Has this happened to anyone else? I'm going to call our regular vet tomorrow, but in the meantime, I'm wondering what happened. Thanks, mjoann I have had cats with hairballs all of my life and have never had that experience. Please see your vet. > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Thanks, > mjoann One of my cats had a similar thing happen--Hailey got very weak, didn't totally lose consciousness but did lose bladder control, his gums were white. I called the emergency vet and by the time I'd gotten off the phone he'd recovered and was asking for his breakfast. The entire episode may have lasted five or ten minutes. I took him in anyway and he was diagnosed with heartworm--his blood films were loaded with microfilaria. He had no other symptoms--just occasional coughing and gaggy sounds. He's doing fabulously now and has been heartworm free for three or four years but he easily could have died. It very well might not be heartworm but it doesn't seem normal for a hairball. We seem to be in an area endemic for heartworm--I lost another wonderful cat to heartworm a year or two later so I'm quite paranoid about heartworm and all 7 of my cats (and our 2 dogs) are on preventative (Heartgard). Good luck! Bonnie > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Thanks, > mjoann We seem to be in an area endemic for heartworm--I lost another > wonderful cat to heartworm a year or two later > > Good luck! > > Bonnie Where is theis awful place with the heartworms?  SignatureJohn Kimmel guyxnoir@spirextech.com remove x "He's dead, Jim." Mendocino County in Northern California--tick country, too! It's actually quite lovely here--wine country, redwoods, not too far from the Coast but we certainly do have our share of parasites and bugs! My vet was quite surprised when our second cat got sick--heartworm isn't (or wasn't) as common in cats as in dogs so I don't know if this was really bad luck or what. I don't ever want to see another cat with heartworm. Bonnie > We seem to be in an area endemic for heartworm--I lost another >> wonderful cat to heartworm a year or two later Good luck! >> >> Bonnie > > Where is theis awful place with the heartworms? > Mendocino County in Northern California--tick country, too! It's actually > quite lovely here--wine country, redwoods, not too far from the Coast but we [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Bonnie That's a little too close for comfort. I was hoping you'd be in some fetid, disease ridden swamp state, like Florida or Louisiana. This map shows feline heartworm prevelance. http://maxshouse.com/Heartworm_Illus/heartworm_area2.jpg SignatureJohn Kimmel guyxnoir@spirextech.com remove x "He's dead, Jim." > That's a little too close for comfort. I was hoping you'd be in some > fetid, disease ridden swamp state, like Florida or Louisiana. > > This map shows feline heartworm prevelance. > > http://maxshouse.com/Heartworm_Illus/heartworm_area2.jpg Thanks for the map--we must be one of the isolated dots north of the Bay Area! I think it's an anomaly even here. I had to take the kitty who later had to be euthanized, to an emergency vet clinic about an hour south of here and they hardly see any feline heartworm there. Bonnie > Where is theis awful place with the heartworms? Heartworms are endemic in most of the US. They are spread by mosquitoes. -L. > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > way and temporarily blocked his air causing him to pass out. Does this > make sense? Has this happened to anyone else? Yes. When I was 3 we had a cat that choked to death on a hairball. It can happen. -L. Hi, I'm new around here and found your post by doing a google search on "cat hairball seizure." My cat does the same thing. It only happens when he's shedding hair in the summer, but it is really upsetting. I've asked my vet(s) about it but they haven't had any good ideas. I think I'll check to see if he has heartworm based on the suggestions below (though he's an indoor cat). He starts out by gagging like there's a hairball coming up. He pants really hard and when he tries to bring up the hairball, if it doesn't come right away, he tenses up and falls over. Sometimes he poops too, probably from the strain/tension. The panting/drooling can continue for 20-30 minutes and then he eventually gets back to normal. I brush him and give him hairball treats, but it still happens. If you or anyone else has any other suggestions, please let me know. Thanks! -Tania > Hello, > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > Thanks, > mjoann Hi, I have a cat who gets hairballs every spring and summer, to the point where he would throw up and lose his appetite. Last summer we shaved him--NOT a pleasant experience either for Clover or for us and this year when he had dental surgery, he was shaved at the vets. He hasn't had a hairball in weeks. That might help if you can't find anything else that will. Also, I've had two cats with heartworm, they were both indoors and unfortunately even indoor cats can get heartworm. According to my vet the mosquitos that carry heartworm seem to do just fine indoors. Good luck! Having done my share of hairball cleanup I know how worrying and frustrating it can be, especially when it's making them sick! Bonnie > Hi, I'm new around here and found your post by doing a google search on > "cat hairball seizure." [quoted text clipped - 50 lines] >> Thanks, >> mjoann |
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