Hairball Remedy To Add To Wet Food?

canaws

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Ever since I changed my cat from an all dry to an all wet food diet she's been coughing up hair balls every other week. She only coughed up a hairball twice the whole time she was on dry (almost three years), so I'm not really familiar with hairball issues.

I don't want to change her food (Natural Balance), because I like ingredients. So, is there some safe hairball remedy that can be added to her food to help her pass them rather than vomit them up?

Thanks!
 

sharky

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vet basis is a easy to get no petrolum based hairball goop...

are you feeding only the grain free varieties??

are you brushing her daily?>?
 

natalie_ca

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Chynna mostly excretes hair balls in her poop and they haven't really been an issue with her. However, years ago I was giving her that malt flavour hair ball stuff in a tube about once a month. Mostly as a treat though.

Abby on the other hand throws up every other day to expell hair balls. Her method is to snarf down the entire bowl of dry food in one fast sitting and then throw it up a few minutes later followed by another throw up that contains the hair ball
It's the only time she throws up.

I have been giving her some plain Vaseline Petroleum Jelly when she will take it. She's very picky
But it's safe to give. If your cat will lick it just let her lick it from your finger....if not, smear some on the top of her paw for her to lick off. I can't do the paw smearing because Abby literally will go and wipe her paw on my furniture or rug rather than lick it off.
 

buzbyjlc10

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Originally Posted by Natalie_ca

I can't do the paw smearing because Abby literally will go and wipe her paw on my furniture or rug rather than lick it off.
I can't do that with Oliver either... he will run around shaking his paw, flicking whatever it is all over everything.... I just smoosh a fingerful of peanut butter in his mouth and since it's in there, he's gotta eat it haha
 

blaise

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Originally Posted by canaws

...So, is there some safe hairball remedy that can be added to her food to help her pass them rather than vomit them up?
I use Slippery Elm Bark Powder - I mix about 1/8 teaspoonful of the powder into about 1/3 of a small can of food for a once-a-day dose.

You can find Slippery Elm powder in health food stores. It's also available in capsules, but I find that these also contain a preservative, and so I avoid them. You can find the powder available online as well - I would only suggest you confirm its country of origin! Here's one example of online USA SEB.

Slippery Elm is described as having a bitter-sweet taste...I found it to be musty, and had to disguise its flavour...

I only need it for one of my cats...but, of course, he's the one with the most sensitive nose in the house! (I'll swear that this cat can tell the minute that cat food/meds come through the door.) If I as much as open the tube of hairball remedy, this cat is out the door. Given all of this, I mix the SEB with Fancy Feast and add some tuna water - works like a charm.
 

tuxedokitties

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I've had good results with Cat Lube tablets. They contain slippery elm bark powder, marshmallow powder (similar to slippery elm) and digestive enzymes, and most of my cats like the taste. You can break a tablet into quarters and feed it as a treat or sprinkle it over food. They can be found at most Petco and some Petsmart stores.
 

buzbyjlc10

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Originally Posted by angryrectangle

Cats eat grass to throw up hairballs. Let your cat roam around the backyard a few days a week or invest in some cat grass. All natural and completely effective.
My cat eats both outside grass and inside grown oat grass... but I think what we're kind of looking for in this particular thread is a way to get the hairballs to pass out the other end so we're not scrubbing the rugs lol
 
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