Pineapple Juice for Hairballs?

I saw on TV this morning (on Sesame Street, of all places) a vet prescribe pineapple juice for a rabbit with a hairball. She said the enzymes in the pineapple juice broke the hair down and allowed it to pass through. This makes sense to me, since this is why you can't use pineapple and its juice in Jell-o, it breaks down the protein and won't let it set. Hair and fur is also mostly protein.

Anyone ever heard of this? Do you think it might work for cats too?

I also saw that on Sesame Street. I hadn't heard of it before, so I don't know how well it works. I'm interested to hear from our more experienced cat people on the board.

The only problem with giving them pinapple juice as a hairball remedy, which would take a good amount is that you are going to increase the acidity in the urine which may reak havoc in the urinary tract.

and so will papaya. It must be fresh however, and not canned. It is easier in the long run to use Petromalt.

What is the difference between fresh and canned, hairball-wise? Just that the enzyme is not as active? I guess rabbits don't have the same type of UT issues as cats.

I have one cat who doesn't like any of the malt stuff, the hairball treats or the hairball food, so I am seizing on this pineapple thing.

I know there are tricks to force it, but she is a lazy groomer and prefers to walk around with malt on her paws and whiskers, or wipe it on the walls or rug rather than lick it off

She in very interested in people-food, though, so I hope to try the pineapple juice thing, after I've researched it.

Try a little bit of butter. It has always seemed to do the trick with my long haired cats!

My cat normally hates the malt stuff too. When we put it on his paw, he didn't even try it, just walked around with the goo. But the other day we put it on a plate and he licked it all up. Go figure!

What works for my cats is Laxatone. I simply take a good size squirt on my finger, kneel down on the floor, grab the cat to where they are in front of me, kind of in between my knees. This is so they won't be able to back up which is what they do. I spread their mouth open with my finger and i take the Laxatone covered finger and scrape the stuff off on the roof of their mouth. If you do it quick they won't know what hit them. I tried to put it on their paws but they are not going to eat that nasty stuff on their own.

With all the research(alot) I have done on homeopathic and natural remedys I have never come across anything pro or con on pineapple juice. I talked to my vet and he was against it. From what I understand of the whole thing, they give it to rabbits because unlike cats they can't throw up. Rabbits are also herbavors(sp?). They do well on a fruit and veggie diet along with other things. Cats are carnivors and do not handle cetain things. So I am not sure about the reaction with the juice. My vet had said it may throw the urine off balance.
For hairballs I have found the best thing is to add the omega3 fatty acid. You can use any oil but this seems to taste the best to them. It is easy to add to the food and they really like it. There has also been some debate among the vet community that hairballs are really not a natural thing. That it usually indicates a health problem or an intolerance to the food. I am still not convinced of that yet.

Well there maybe a little truth to that. i mean every cat gets them from time to time. But for the most part my cats have only started gagging a couple of times.
Now i got these catnip treats in a yellow shiny pkg. at Petsmart and Chloe throws up every time and she gags like she has a hairball. Come to think of it, the only treats she eats are those Pounce Hairball Treatment in the purple and blue can.

The differentiation between carnivores and herbivores makes a lot of sense. Until that point was brought forward, I couldn't see any reason why cats and rabbits would be significantly different. I will try to stuff a bit of malt down poor Winnie's throat, rather than risk her UT being upset...

Thanks everyone for the input!

I am probably a little late on this topic but I also have a cat who hates Petromalt. I found a product made by Hartz that is Slamon flavored. He loves it! Just a suggestion. I also noticed that he will eat Felaxin (used for constipation). Felaxin can also be used to prevent hairballs when used weekly. You can get it from your vet for a reasonable price. Hope that this helped someone.