What can I do to help her?

jessy

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I think Villy has a furball stuck in her throat. She's doing everything normally but she has a croaky meow and she keeps meowing at me as if she's really fed up with this furball! She's been croaky for a couple of days like this before, then she coughs up a furball and she's fine.
I was just wondering is there's anything I can do for her as she seems pretty fed up with it. It doesn't happen very often. She's been outside and eaten some grass, but that hasn't helped her yet.
 

catsarebetter

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Grass will help her, but you can get a supplement called Laxatone (that also helps with constipation), but is specifically recommended for hairballs. It coats the digestive tract and helps them cough it up. It can be gotten from PetSmart.. but the main ingredient is petroleum jelly (and we used that for years when they had hairballs, which worked fine).. but if you're worried about using that instead of something specifically formulated for kitties, go with the laxatone. I know someone also suggested olive oil, or something.. you can find it if you do a search on "constipation", I think. Let me see if I can find what they recommended.. I know one of the oils was suggested and then vetoed for potential issues. I'll post it in a moment.
 

catsarebetter

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It was olive oil or canola oil. Just dab a bit on their paws (unless they'll eat it, which is easier), and let them lick it off. I'd say probably twice a day, morning and night, until it comes up. If the baby doesn't cough it up soon, though, consider calling your vet and/or going for a checkup on it. If there are any other signs of illness, I'd take them in. Keep us updated!
and good healing vibes to you and kitty.
 
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jessy

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Thanks, I did think olive oil might help, I'll give it a try.
 

yosemite

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I let ours have a taste of butter occasionally. They love it and so far for many years - no hair balls at all. Even our long-haired Ebony never had a hair ball - of course he LOVED butter and got a bit about once per week. Fortunately my kitties were not lactose intolerant.
 
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