Hey guys... just looking for a little advice. I apologize in advance if this is a little long...
We have 3 kitties - one's 7, long haired and prone to hairballs. 2nd is 4 shorthaired and overweight, 3rd is about 9 months old and shorthaired.
Just before Christmas the kitten was at the vet because he wasn't eating, drinking or using the litter box. He was vomitting up just about everything that he ate.
We took him to the vet, the gave him I.V, Barium, and did some bloodwork. Within 2 days he was better, but they were at a loss as to what the problem is. They said that the bloodwork indicated that there's a
very slight chance that it may be Addison's disease. I'm tending to think that he was very constipated (obstructed?). It cost us $600 for this visit and they couldn't even tell us what was wrong!
So, I have 2 questions, first- would this kitten be uninsurable because the vet mentioned that there's a
slight chance that it's Addison's?
Secondly - I would like to feed my cats something to keep them regular & hairball free. Is there such a thing? They're currently on Royal Canin Indoor formula, but I'm going to be switching them to Natual Balance because it's a little cheaper. Is there something better suited to their needs that won't cost me an arm & a leg?
Some of the things I was thinking of(not all at once, of course!) were...
- mineral oil (I believe it should help w/hairballs & constipation)
- petromalt, or equivilant (I know this works for hairballs, will it help keep kitten regular?)
- bran (might help, but I don't think they'd eat it)
- metamucil (I read this was okay to feed cats, does anyone know for sure?)
- adding wet food to their diet
Any suggestions you guys have would be greatly appreciated, we're not going to be able to handle another vet bill like that.
IM
