Q. My 3-year-old male cat throws up for five days every four tosix weeks.
I took him to a veterinarian, who said there are no obstructionsin his bowel. I see no hairballs in his vomitus or stool. I brushhim every day even though he is very feisty.
He weighs 15 pounds and eats canned and dry food. I usePet-o-malt, a medication for hairballs, but it does not help. He isa house cat. What can I do?I.L., ChicagoA. As I have mentioned in previous columns, your cat's symptomsare typical of cats with hairballs, even though you don't see them.It may be difficult to see hair in the stool, as it takes on thecolor of the stool. You may have to break open the stool to find thehair.The irritation to the stomach is there from the hair, whicheventually causes him to throw up. There are several otherreasons for this behavior that will cause the same symptoms: eatingplants, grass, paper or anything that may irritate the stomach.You could ask your doctor to check his blood, which may showliver, pancreas or other organ dysfunction.As long as he eats well and feels good, I wouldn't worry toomuch about his throwing up, especially if he eats the vomitus - whichis normal, so let him do it.If Pet-o-malt doesn't help, ask your veterinarian for anotherproduct that may help. Sometimes I suggest using plain, notmedicated, petroleum jelly. Use at least one tablespoon and repeatevery seven to 14 days. Most cats don't seem to mind the taste; infact, some cats like it.Send questions for veterinarian Sanford Blum to: ChicagoSun-Times, Features Dept., 4th Floor, 401 N. Wabash, Chicago, 60611.This column also can be found at www.suntimes.com
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