Hairball food for toothless cat?

Hi all,
My senior foster kitty is almost toothless and has a problem with hairballs. It doesn't help that he hates to be brushed either.

Does anyone know of a dry food for hairballs that has small sized pieces that won't need to be chewed? My other cats do well on Nutro Natural Choice but the pieces are quite large.

Or is there anything I can add to his wet food that will help him pass the hair?

My first question, can he/will he eat large kibble?

I have 2 toothless cats, both of which have readily/easily eaten the Nutro MAX large kibble.

So, to answer your question, it will depend on the kitty kitty what food works best. Can he eat the Nutro NC kibble? You can also try adding something like Laxatone or another hairball med.

Your cat should not eat any kibble. You have already found out that it is nit better for teeth then canned. Canned foods no gravy are also alot more healthier all around
For hairballs, you can get something called vet basis
http://www.vetbasis.com/

I second the can he eat...

lol at gravied foods being less healthy as most have only one or two different ingrediants over a pate and often less carbs...

vet basis is one option.... I prefer it in the paste type..

have you tried PUMPKIN??? Slippery elm or Marshmellow( the herb not the sugar puff)??

...You can also try adding something like Laxatone or another hairball med...

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Long-term use of most "hairball remedies" (like Laxtone) isn't recommended, as they can reduce the absorbtion of essential nutrients - they are made with either mineral oil or white petroleum.

There are other remedies without those ingredients which can be used safely, one link provided by optionken and another, Cat Lube Hairball & Digestive Aid.

You asked if there is something you could add to the wet food...I use Slippery Elm Bark powder for this purpose with two of mine. I need to make sure each gets his own dose daily, so I make each a special plate and seclude them until the plate is empty. I use just 1/8 teaspoonful of powder mixed into perhaps 2 oz of "stinky" food.

Thanks for the input, I did want to offer him some dry throughout the day but it's not a must. To be honest I haven't tried him with the Nutro NC dry, I just assumed since he had so few teeth he wouldn't be able to eat it.

Where can I find slippery elm bark powder?

Originally Posted by spookzilla

...Where can I find slippery elm bark powder?

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It can be found at health food stores. Often, it's sold in capsule form - this often, in my experience, has extra added (and for me, unwanted) ingredients. What I buy is the simple powder.

It's also available online...here is one supplier (scroll down).

I use the NOW brand powder no other ingrediants