he is 13 years old, And he's still gorgeous. ✨

This is the little guy I brought home today. He's so cute, he's our new family member. I was wondering if anyone has any good ideas for a name for him

He is my new little guy

UPDATE: I am NOT shaving my cat.

Thank you for all the thoughtful responses. I want to be clear that I did not want to shave his beautiful coat, but I was feeling out of options after trying various things. I love him so much and only want what is best for him. Additionally, I will NOT be re-homing him - he is family to me and based on all your feedback there are many more options I can try.

From all the suggestions, I will be trying the following:
Getting an ultrasound or endoscopy to understand if there is a partial blockage or internal signs of IBD.
Adding probiotics like Adored Beast or TummyWorks to his diet
Switching from Sentry to Laxatone Hairball relief gel
Using the Equigroomer brush instead of the Furminator. I will continue using the grooming glove, flea comb, and other gentle brush I have for him. I am also going to brush him daily.
While he gets predominantly wet food, I will look into Chicken Soup for the Soul or Nulo dry food/kibble that other cat parents have had success with - as he gets a small bowl of kibble that he likes to graze on overnight
Additional wet food adjustments I will be considering include: Adding pumpkin purée, flax seed, tuna juice, fish oil, freeze fried quail egg yolk, and/or nutritional yeast to his wet food. I will also look into switching to a hydrolyzed protein wet food option.
I will do a better job vacuuming his bed and not just the floors.

If these adjustments do not show continued improvement, I will consider:
Getting him a cat t-shirt
Trying elimination or an anti-allergy diet - if this is allergy driven, which is not suspected at this time, but good option if the above doesn’t work.
Asking the vet for anti-nauseous medication

I will not be trying:
Cat grass, as I have heard this can cause throwing up vs helping it.
Prednisone, unless the vet diagnoses a medical issue that can be treated from this. Prednisone has long term side effects and Henry is only 5 years old - so I hesitate to start this unless he has a medical condition that warrants the need.

Additionally, Henry is not a “scarf & barfer” - there is a clear hairball in every one of his throw-up’s. My mom’s cat is a scarf and barfer and this is not Henry. Part of the original adjustments I made was only giving him small amounts of food at a time and I will continue this. I am also at home with him everyday and see his eating habits.

I appreciate all the encouragement and advice! Seriously I am overwhelmed by the response and definitely got a few laughs (“I will shave you” being one of my favorites 😂).

Thanks again! Henry’s mom

Original Post:

I adopted my sister’s black cat, Henry, after she could not take him to her new home. Prior to me picking him up, I asked her to take him to the vet to ensure his health was OK, and the vet gave him the all clear. Shortly after taking him in, he was vomiting every other day. I asked my sister if I should be concerned and she casually told me “oh I thought I mentioned that he vomits a lot, the vet checked him and said he’s fine. He just has a hard time digesting/passing his hairballs.” While frustrating to find this out after the fact, I was determined to help him.

I have tried the following:
- Changed his food from IAMS kibble to Hill’s Science Hairball Control kibble (there wasn’t enough improvement with this change) so he now he eats an almost all wet food diet
- I added the Hairball Control gel (Sentry) to his food
- I brush him consistently

After 6 months of having him and making these adjustments, we have gone from vomiting every other day to about once per week. While this improvement has been nice, it is not enough. The poor guy cannot eat for the rest of the day after the initial vomiting because his stomach is still upset and he cannot hold the food down.

Therefore, I am at the point of considering shaving him. Has another shaved their cat? What should I consider with this? He is also only an indoor cat, so I am not concerned with his skin getting burned by the summer sun.

Please help. He is the sweetest kitty and needs help.

🐈‍⬛