At-home hairball remedies?

Emma's cat food is a hairball formula but with the temperatures rising, she's been shedding more and bathing more. I brush her frequently (she thinks she's being spoiled!) but about once a week lately, she barfs a huge hairball. I know this isn't fun for her. I know I can buy some stuff from the store but is there anything I can give her that I can find in my kitchen? Veggie or olive oil? How do I give it to her? She eats hard food. Thanks in advance!

Canned pumpkin could do the trick!

A few "at home" remedies you can try... A small amount of butter, a little veggie oil on the dry food, or some metamucil sprinkled on the food.

Vaseline works too!

But vaseline is not good to use because it can be petroleum based and make the cat sick. Vegetable oil is better- but actually adding fiber to their diet, canned pumpkin or metamucil works best.

Wow.. I did not know that. Thank you for the information.

That's me the crazy cat lady walking encyclopedia.....LOL


You are quite welcome! I have a gray kitty too- meet Squirrel a recent rescue.

Oh my god Squirrel is GORGEOUS!! Is he/she part chartreux or Russian Blue?

I ask cuz of the orange eyes.

Dont you just love that soft gray coat?

I don't know what she is, her mom was dumped pregnant at the high school and I got the call and went over to trap her. She had 3 kittens upstairs, one did not make it. Mom is a tuxedo, and Squirrel's sister Taz is too. The one that passed was a mackeral tabby. She looks like a Russian Blue something to me- and she has the softest fur as well.

Here's a picture of a chartreux



Looks a lot like your Squirrel!!

Question about the hairball. Sammycat had to be left at the vets overnight about a month ago to see if he had a blockage due to hairballs. The poor thing was miserable when he returned home. They did a barium(sp) series on him to see if there was a blockage.

Anywho, I give him hairball stuff from the vet and the hairball formula Iams food, but he still doesn't cough up a hairball (or at least I haven't found any). I have noticed that when I give him the hairball remedy he will throw up after he gets it. To me it looks like just food and no hairball.

Should I continue taking him to the vet? He has already been to the vet 4 times for this. He has got to where he will run and hide when I pull out the carrier now where as before all I would have to do was open the door and he would climb in.

Suggestions?

I have a few long-hair cats and I give them Purina Special Care Hairball treatment dry cat food. It seems to work great. Also put a teaspoon of corn oil in his food. That works good too. There is also some hairball treatment that you can buy at any store in a tube. You just put a strip on his paw and let him lick it off.

I'd like to try these home remedies for hairballs -- oil, butter, and pumpkin sound best. Should I put them on Harry's dry food daily, or weekly?

Try first giving it to your cat alone on a small dish and see what happens. If you use metamucil- then just blend a small amount in with the wet food.They have the new type now that doesn't clump up.

My cat has constipation hairball problems... I tried mixing pumpkin in my cat's dry food, but she didn't like it (it made the food sticky).. So I tried adding a sprinkle of wheat bran on top of her food... now she is doing her business everyday.. However she is still complaining ... it seems that her feces is still hard.

She didn't like canned food at all, so I am trying now mixing her food with some veggies.. like chopped carrot or lettuce (in addition to the bran)... would I be feeding too much fibre to her??? would veggie softer her feces???

Cooper and Jack get a small goop of Pedi-Malt every morning.....

They love it and I've never had a hairball

(Jack gets extra dosages when he starts to heave.... ugh!!!!)

I have used mineral oil (heavy) in an oral syringe for hairballs in the past. My vet recommend this. Hairballs have not been a problem for me in the last six months or so. I just brush the cats every week and feed them a high quality "premium" dry cat food.