hairballs?

do you guys have any suggestions on what i can use to help our kitties get rid of hairballs?

the one of our cats who was prone to hairballs in the past always got a bit of butter when he was trying to get one through and it seemed to work just fine for him, but our two new babies are not fans of butter.

My Jack suffered terrible from them, but all three of my cats get a good brush, every day in the summer when they shed more, and i give them "Royal Canin Intensive Furball". I started noticing a difference within a couple of weeks.

I've used a paste called Katalax as well which i'm sure you can get overseas?. It's a malty taste that Jack takes no problem, but it has to be spread on the girls paws.

http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?mai...products_id=27

My cats very occasionally get hairballs, so I don't do this often. I don't recommend doing this often, as it can mess up their insides pretty bad. But occasionally is absolutely fine and safe. I take a bit of petroleum jelly (vaseline) and smush it into one of their front paws. The amount I use is a glob between the size of a raisin and a grape, not a lot at all. I normally give it when I see them really struggling on a hairball- consitently hacking. And I give it maybe a couple times during that day, and it works wonders. I like this idea because petroleum jelly is something that I already had around the house, which translates into "free treatment!" to me which I'm ALL for .

But when you give it, you need to make sure that you really get it stuck on their paw- otherwise if you just put a glob on, they will shake it off (horrible to get off walls, carpet, etc.) And they will immediately start licking it off, cuz it feels really funky for them. So I'm not forcing something down their throats, which I hate to do. Just work it into the fur real good lol!

Butter is the remedy of choice in my house....

Brushing is the Number One prevention - everybody here gets a run-through with a comb every day.

Trouble is, people don't, and rely on typical hairball remedies instead. Most of these are petroleum jelly-based and this interferes with the absorbtion of nutrients.

Meantime, I find that, brush as I do, I still need to use "something" periodically. There are other products available, like this and Cat Lube which are safe for regular use.

I use Slippery Elm Bark powder to keep things moving for one of my long hairs

Originally Posted by Rosiemac

...I've used a paste called Katalax as well which i'm sure you can get overseas?. It's a malty taste that Jack takes no problem, but it has to be spread on the girls paws.http://www.vetuk.co.uk/index.php?mai...products_id=27

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Rosiemac- that paste contains white parafin (solid mineral oil) which prevents the absorption of water in the intestine...I wouldn't be using that on a regular basis, either - especially in an already water-challenged cat!

our little guys get run over with a slicker a few times a week and a go-over with the flea comb every day. the long-hair gets a lion cut in the summer and is brushed daily with the slicker and gets combed. LOL it's his kitty spa time, he loves it.

i'm thinking the one little guy who has been hacking a few times is having this problem because he spends a lot of time grooming both of the other cats.

Originally Posted by BLAISE

Rosiemac- that paste contains white parafin (solid mineral oil) which prevents the absorption of water in the intestine...I wouldn't be using that on a regular basis, either - especially in an already water-challenged cat!

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Common sense would tell you not to use this on a day to day basis anyway, but i would like to think that people, as i did, read the instructions first.

Originally Posted by carolinalima

Butter is the remedy of choice in my house....

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Same at my house. I put some butter on my finger and Bijou licks it off.