Cats & Hairballs
 

Yuck....I know. Does anyone have any tricks or suggestions for relieving hairballs in cats?

My cat seems to have one. He's lost his food several times today.....I finally gave him 1/4 of a Pepcid tablet and that seems to have helped.

I have the gel that you can buy at the grocery - the Hartz Hairball Gel that comes in a tube - but neither of them like it.

I've ordered some cat grass from a website but it will take a few days for it to get here and then a few days to grow.

It's funny because he will go to my fake plants and trees here in the house and gnaw on the leaves. He's smart 'cos he knows he needs the roughage from greenery.....just not plastic greenery. :rolleyes:

Just wondering if anyone has a good homemade remedy that works.

Yes, Tippy just had a problem two days ago....:rolleyes:

I had forgotten to give her the Hairball remedy..

In nice weather they self medicate with grass outside.

1) you can grow your own cat-feline grass for them to eat, indoors.

2) or you can use the Hairball stuff that comes in a tube for that purpose (our cats don't like the stuff in the tube)

3) or you can use one of the new remedies that incorporate the mineral oil into treats. This is what I do with her.
It is called Purina Friskies Hairball remedy. I break them into 3 smaller pieces for her, because it is a bit gummy and her teeth are not great... but it helps her alot. (I call them the poopy treats!! LOL)

I also brush them with a fine toothed comb, so they will swallow less.


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Mine did not cost this much.... I bought locally. Ours seems to be a smaller package. They do go stale, so don't buy a big package until you see how it goes. Usually 2 of these is enough for Tippy daily. The baggie says 3-6, but that may be to sell more.
Tippy cannot eat the crunchy ones, so soft is our only remedy.

Some of the kibble by IAMs now has a hairball version...it has a bit more fiber in it.

My friend said she gives her cat a tiny bit of butter....they lick it right off her finger. Is this good for cats? Seems like it would be too much fat.

Some people use butter, and I have given Tippy Smart Balance.

The problem with edible fats is that they are absorbed and don't get to the colon where the hairball is.

The commercial things use mineral oil, which is NOT absorbed and goes right thru. Some people mix a bit of mineral oil into the soft food, and you can try that. But just use a little bit. Mineral oil can sequester oil soluble vitamins...and prevent absorption.

I think the best is the live grass, myself.


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I bought some wheat grass seeds this season to try in fact for us. Most big pet stores sell little kits with vermiculite etc to grow them in.

Cats have a larger need for fat than dogs, and their foods typically are higher in fat. Tippy loves chicken skins... begs for them, and she is very thin. So I don't know where it goes on HER!

Fortunately for us, the cat who is prone to hairballs will allow us (me) to hold her and schmear the gooey stuff on her lips. The other cat would rip us to shreds.

They seem to like kind we get from the vet (Laxatone--expense tastes) and we have to keep Cindy from lapping it off Peach when we "treat" her.

My cats love the butter thing. I've never been able to get them to eat the standard hairball remedy from WalMart!

Can you get Purina Go-cat in the US? Their indoor cat dried food biscuits sorted our cat's hairball problem brilliantly love Jackie xxx :D :grouphug:

Back when I had a cat...

Vet recommended we give her a little bit of plain yogurt with her food...

Seemed to work quite well... and she thought it was a treat... she would run any time the fridge opened...:D

Abbie

Hairball
 

Gee, hope the hair ball has passed by now. Many good suggestions, (mineral oil, laxatone, cat grass, yougert...) Try differnt cat foods. We ended up using Purina hairball and weight mgnt. formula on our shorthair. Now we might only see a hairball when he is really stressed. If we are lucky, we see it before we step on it. The vet should also have good hairball products with no exam needed.

I also had a longhair cat that every once in a great while coughed up huge hairballs. Suprised one did not killer her, some were so big! Well, one day my mother was in the grooming and hair cuting mode and the cat walked by on a hot day. Mom gave the cat a quick hair cut thinking it would be cooler for her and it would grow back quick. Hahaha, it was cool for the cat ALL summer till she shed. This is the same cat that let my mother vacuum her very willingly. Cat had claws too.

best luck with the hair ball,

We usually put some vegetable oil on our cat's food, which he likes, and that takes care of the problem. He NEVER coughs up hairballs. Lucky us, cause that would gross me out! LOL. Peace, Lee