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Avatar universal

dry heaving

my 2 year old cat has a habit of dry heaving.  i thought he was suffering from hairballs and started to give him hairball ointment but he continues to dry heave.  he usually elongates his neck and gets low to the floor and then shakes it off when he's done.  he is healthy otherwise, and eats, sleeps, & plays. Its been going on for months & months. he's totally normal otherwise.

tonite my other cat sneezed & did the dry heaving routine for the very first time.  which surprised me because she has always thrown up her hairballs and never dry heaved before.  

they both eat **** van patton kibble thru-out the day and fancy feast at nite.  they are indoor/outdoor cats and regularly bring home birds.  

is this normal behaviour or does it warrant a trip to the vets?  

thanks very much!
db
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Avatar universal
I have this problem to the secound I get out of bed I feel for you all here I think making your own diet sheet up I no its hard I no its upseting try andrews salts in the morning few a week seems to me we all have somit on our chests at night
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996946 tn?1503249112
Where are you?  Dou still have an interest in finding solutions with your cat issues? A lot of people here care
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Avatar universal
The behavior you describe is very typical when a cat has something stuck in her throat.  I could be a hairball, food that wasn't chewed well enough, a bird bone (this can be fatal), or something else they are ingesting from outside.  Is there any pattern as to when it occurs, such as shortly after they have been outside or shortly after they eat, or shortly after they groom themselves?  
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Avatar universal
My cat is actually doing the whole dry heaving also. The vet said it was possibly a hairball or toxincity from a plant. he gave my cat anausea injection. My cat threw up but there was no hairball. Its been three days and he is still the same. I know its not asthma as he is dry heaving without any form of exercise. I have however changed the brand of his dry food, so I will remove it from his diet. Hopefully this helps. I  will keep in touch.
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996946 tn?1503249112
Do your cats have access to plenty of fresh water?  This time of the year, especially here in Tx, it's so hot that the cats are all shedding a lot which brings up the issue of hairballs. There are lots of food choices that address this particular problem. Has been losing wt?  This heaving has to be hard on your kitty.  To put your mind at ease...as well as your kitty's, I think you should have him checked out by the vet.  He must have something going on to be having this for soooo long.
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1301089 tn?1290666571
I certainly no expert or vet, but I have had cats all my life.  I've seen this behavior.  For my cats, it was artificial dye in their food.  I changed their food and it quit.  It could be that your cats have an allergy to something in their food or treats.  Or could be something else entirely.  I'd ask my vet if I were you.
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