Hairballs, How to treat them and how dangerous are they?

I was just wondering if anyone has had any issues with hairballs, what you do for them, and can they cause blockage.

Some kitties seem to be prone to hairball problems, but I have had good success with feeding a predominantly wet food diet and adding in a bit extra water to their food.  Also, brushing regularly helps tremendously.  Hairballs can cause blockages.  We just recently had a TCS member whose cat had to have surgery to remove a hairball. 

Peanut has tons of hairballs. We brush and he gets plenty of water in his diet. So far the only thing that's worked for us is a good carpet cleaner.

I'm very interested to hear what others have tried. I never knew they could be dangerous.

Yes, hairballs can be dangerous. It is not normal for a hairball to be coughed up. In a healthy cat's digestive system, the hair is processed out the other end. While regular grooming certainly can help to keep down the ingestion of fur, if your cat regularly coughs up hairballs, there is probably an underlying GI problem. This article written by a vet explains it very well.

http://consciouscat.net/2010/04/28/some-startling-new-thoughts-on-cats-and-hairballs/

Yes, in a few extreme (very extreme) cases they can cause death by asphyxiation. A kitty I knew from the blogosphere died like that
My cat had a blockage due to it in the past.... Now we have them under control.... But rarely they still have minor issues (the IBD/Problem kitties).

We manage with a raw diet, enzymes, egg lecithin.

Yes, I've had a lot of luck with egg lecithin, as someone recommended it to me on this site. They've gone from daily to a few times a month! And luckily my kitties love it. I don't even have to mix it in with the food - they eat it right off the top like it's a treat!

The other thing to try is a hairball paste - normally made with malt. Some cat's like the taste, but if not (like ours) we just put a little on his paw and he will then lick it off.. That with regular brushing seems to help.

Good luck!

Fleabags Mom said:

The other thing to try is a hairball paste - normally made with malt. Some cat's like the taste, but if not (like ours) we just put a little on his paw and he will then lick it off.. That with regular brushing seems to help.

Good luck!

Click to expand...

Actually, that's flavored with malt. The ingredients are likely petroleum jelly and/or mineral oil. Petroleum jelly and/or mineral oil can be used when there's a bad problem, but egg yolk lecithin helps prevent the hairballs from forming and is also a healthy supplement.

For more info on why many are choosing not to use petroleum jelly based products: http://www.thecatsite.com/t/202671/lets-say-no-to-vaseline

And the egg yolk lecithin alternative:


http://www.thecatsite.com/t/266178/...using-egg-yolk-lecithin-to-dissolve-hairballs


http://www.thecatsite.com/t/250653/egg-lecithin-for-hairballs