Hairballs

My one civvie is a maine coon and sometimes has hairball issues. Is there any home remedy I can add to his food to help him out, or even something I can get from the vet (without actually having to take him in) This morning he was hacking to try and get one out, and he ate poorly last night, so i know there is one in there somewhere working it's way up.

 

I'm using Natural Hairball Aid by NaturVet.

You don't add it to food. I don't know of any hairball remedy you
can add to food.

With the gels, like VetBasis (hard to find), and NaturVet, you put a
1-inch ribbon on a plate and let them lick it up. Some cats will.

If cat won't eat willingly, you will have to finger-feed.
Put a dab on your finger and place that in the roof of cat's mouth,
just behind front teeth. Release cat and let him swallow naturally.

I can usually get the dose into Tommy in one or two globs.

I give NaturVet every 3-4 days for both my cats...I can always tell that
it's working because the next day their poopies are full of hair.

I have not found NaturVet in big box stores like Petco nor PetSmart. I get
it at a pet speciality store...sort of a health foods store for pets.
Health Foods stores might have it, or Whole Foods grocery or Trader Joe's.
Their web-site is www.naturvet.com and phone number is 1-888-628-8783.

 

Thanks so much, I'm so excited. I can actually get this from the same place I'm ordering my timed feeders....usually it's a problem finding anything and getting it here. They have got the NaturVet Natural Hairball Aid with Catnip. It's in a tube. I'm assuming that's the same one you are referring to.

 

Yep...that's the stuff...

So glad I was able to help.

The stuff's not cheap, but it's better than having hairballs all over your rug, and a sick
kitty.

I usually buy 2-3 tubes at a time, so I have one on hand when it runs out.
Saves on shipping and trips to the store.


My Tommy is a long-haired Norwegian Forest Cat.

 

Are you familiar with this brush? Is it available where you are?

It's called a furminator.

http://www.google.com/products/catalog? ... 8wIwATgA#p

It comes in different sizes and colors and if you can get one, it's amazing how much fur you can brush out of the cat. I do give a caveat - don't go crazy, or you will end up doing what I did and that was making Maui bald!

Seriously, it does work great and you'll be amazed at how much fur (especially the undercoat) you can get out. This may help lessen the hairballitis too.

 

I was searching for info on hairball remedies that would be suitable for diabetic cats and I'm glad I found this chat. My cat was diagnosed about 2 years ago and has successfully been managing his diabetes with medication. From time to time he does have bouts with urinating outside the box for a few days but it normally subsides.

After another bout of missing the box last week, something dawned on me and I thought I must investigate it right away -- in Canada the hairball gel I use is called Femalt. It is 46.5% malt extract. I started wondering about malt and it's wheat and sugar content and low and behold, it is a gluten and it's loaded with sugar, a definite no no for a diabetic cat. I feel absolutely awful because I have been religiously giving this to my cat every night for more about 3 years, and now I'm starting to wonder if the gel could have contributed to his diabetes. He was on a purely dry food diet before the diagnosis and I know that's a big factor, but still I can't help but blame myself for not having made the connection.

Is anyone aware of a natural hairball remedy or at least something without any wheat derivative or sugar?

I would appreciate hearing any similar stories, and welcome suggestions.

Thanks
gammy

 

I brush my all of cats every single day for a few minutes each. Weekly, I come them with the furminator comb.
This DOES help lessen the shedding quite a bit, but Sebastian still sheds buckets every single day.
He has a soft, downy undercoat. His coat feels rather like a rabbit's pelt. He is a Bengal mix, but his coat is NOT Bengal at all.
Because he sheds sooooooooo much, he gets hairballs frequently. The only thing that I have found
that works well to eliminate his hairball issue is a daily dab, (about 1/4tsp) of vaseline on his paw every other day.
He licks it off, and does not barf hairballs all over my house :-/

~M

 

We have hairball issues too, tho not as bad now that we're out of shedding season. Anyway...that NatureVet stuff isn't available anywhere around here and I'm having a hard time ordering online as well. But I was looking through products listed at Petco and found this one: http://www.petco.com/product/106532/Pet ... SiteSearch

These are the ingredients:
Brewers yeast, chicken liver flavor, flax seed oil, glycerin, natural mixed tocopherols, propionic acid, safflower seed oil, soy lecithin, SureSweet (maltodextrin, sodium alginate and calcium sulfate), whey.

Would this be acceptable for a diabetic cat? My only concern is the SureSweet, but the product description says "sugar free."

 

If he won't eat the hairball remedy voluntarily and you're having trouble finger-feeding it to him, you might try putting it on one of his front paws and rubbing it in a bit. He'll hate the feeling of it on there, and lick it off.

But MAKE SURE you rub it into his fur, because the first thing he'll do is try to shake it off of his paw before he tries licking it. And you really don't want to have to clean that stuff off of the wall, couch, carpet, etc.

 

I have heard of people using Vaseline but the main ingredient is petroleum and if I won't use it on myself, I won't give it to my cat. I will have to check out my local pet stores to see what natural/organic alternatives they can offer that are both wheat-free and sugar-free.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions.
gammy