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My long-haired cat walks slow and won't eat. Is it a furball?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

I have a long hair cat She is very OCD about her fur and even tho I brush her she gets fur ball she will not take fur ball remedy, she does eat a high quality fur ball dry food. Today, she is walking very close to the ground, and very slowly. I think it is a fur ball problem, as she has not eaten this morning and very little for a couple of days. She had a bowel movement late last night, urinated this am, her nose is damp and ears cool and she is asleep right now - but her movement concerns

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Bobbi Musgrove, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on April 6th, 2017

You are monitoring all the correct things to ensure your kitty doesn't get sick. If you haven't seen any vomiting, regardless of whether she vomits up hair, it is hard to interpret that this is a hair ball issue. Her walking changes could be due to a source of pain inside her body, such as joint pain, anal gland pain or even an area of the skin that is painful. I recommend looking her over closely, even under the tail, in the groin and underarm areas to ensure there are no areas of matted hair or skin changes. If you do not find anything, I suggest taking her to your veterinarian for a complete physical examination so that any abnormalities that could be contributing to her movements and lack of a good appetite be cared for as quickly as possible.

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    Answered By Lauren Jones VMD

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I can understand your concerns about your cat. Her abnormal walking and inappetence could be due to discomfort from matted fur around her legs (unlikely since you say that she grooms herself well), arthritis pain, back pain, pancreatitis, kidney disease, etc. If a hairball was the sole cause of her issues, I would expect her to vomit or gag a bit. Since she has not been eating much for the past few days, my concern is that she could develop hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease) if she continues at this rate. Your vet should examine your cat to determine if there are any apparent causes of pain or other exam abnormalities to make sure that her clinical signs are not due to a more severe condition.

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