What do you do for hairballs?

Shy guy had to episodes last week of throwing up his lunch with a hairball.  Yesterday i wake up and find a large thrown up hairball. (no food) Today I found a small hairball with food. So i assume its shy guy. but not sure.  Both today and yesterday in the same spot up the stairs from the litter boxes.  Is there something i can give everyone?  

cat lax, brush your cat everyday

It is a really bad season for tehm

js124 said:

 
cat lax, brush your cat everyday

It is a really bad season for tehm

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What is cat lax? 

I use egg yolk lecithin by Swansons.  I simply open up a capsule and mix 1/2 capsule into their food every morning.  Actually, I mix it with a little water in their bowl first, then add in the canned food, since I like to add a little water to their wet food anyway. 

I've used Hartz hair ball remedy plus, it's at Walmart in a yellow and purple toothpaste like tube. Directions say to prevent hair balls in adult cats : feed a 1 inch ribbon of Hartz Hairball Remedy Plus 1-2 times per week. To Eliminate hair balls in adult cats: feed a one inch ribbon of Hartz HRP for 3-4 days. Give between meals , either from your finger or by placing on the cat's front paw where it can be licked off readily.

http://catcentric.org/care-and-health/hairballs-species-appropriate-treatment/

The front line of hairball treatment is avoidance of ingestion. For my two cats with the most impaired GI systems, I have a vet tech shave their bellies.

The occasional hairball is to be expected in cats. But according to Dr. Norsworthy, who found 99 of 100 cats to have GI disease when cats were chronically vomiting - hairballs included - if short-haired cats toss a hairball more than twice a month, there is likely GI disease of some kind, at a minimum impaired motility.

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/Chronic-Vomiting-in-Cats-isnt-Normal-After-All/

I haven't seen hairballs since I started giving my cats only wet food with added water and slippery elm bark powder mixed in. 

Yes, for cats on dry, switching to a grain-free wet sometimes resolves the problem. Some, especially during hairball season, benefit from a little bit of fiber. I also like slippery elm bark powder as it has soothing, healing, prebiotic and anti-inflammatory properties.

They have been on a grain free diet for awhile. i think its just the one cat with problems. he has problems with vomiting sometimes also. He is the one with the UTI too. Poor thing has so much going on.

LDG said:

The occasional hairball is to be expected in cats. But according to Dr. Norsworthy, who found 99 of 100 cats to have GI disease when cats were chronically vomiting - hairballs included - if short-haired cats toss a hairball more than twice a month, there is likely GI disease of some kind, at a minimum impaired motility.

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Does this still apply if it only happens only "hairball season"? Boo does toss hairballs rather frequently during the spring months when he's shedding like crazy. (He sheds terrible.) Once that's over, very few hairballs are tossed until the next spring. 

I can't answer that, GH, I don't know. Hairballs - even in season - are a sign of impaired motility. Unlike owls, that eat a mouse and throw up balls of fur, healthy cats poop out hair.

Have you tried cat grass? You can buy pots of it, grass-growing kits, or simply plant the seeds in potting soil.

It is a BAD shedding season. I brush Rube at LEAST nice a day and I' having a slight Hairball problem about 1-2 a week now but getting better. Layla (Maine Coon) threw up a Hairball that was, no joke, 7 1/2 INCHES long. BAD shedding season!!

I give my IBD cat egg yolk lethicin, Vet's best Hairball remedy, slippery elm bark, probiotics and digestive enzymes.

I started probiotics thanks

How much probiotics do you give each cat?

I use Proviable DC capsule, once daily and it has 5 billion CFU (colony forming unit) per capsule

I will try this my turkish angora threw up an 8 inch and 4 inch today and this is the first time i have seen him throw up hairballs so im not sure what to do. I figured he must dehydrated from throwing up and fed him wet food but he threw that up 30 min later, will try your method, thanks!

I just give my cat Hartz hairball remedy; he is fed ONE hairball dry (which he loves). But good luck with the probiotic!!

The other day I noticed one of the cats had thrown up and while cleaning it up, I noticed a quite large hairball. I know it wasn't Zander so it must have been Luci (she just returned home with my daughter). She has medium long hair and I guess it has to be hers.

I've never had an issue with hairballs so I'm not sure what to give her. She has free access to dry food and gets canned food once a day. I have read a lot about coconut oil and even found some in the grocery store. Is this something I can give to her? I also heard it was pretty good for fleas. They don't go outside but when the dogs left, they left us with fleas. I am now working on getting rid of those pests. But I know she needs something to remedy her hairball situation. I have to work with her on brushing because she don't like it but she will have to get use to it because I don't like cleaning up HER 'mess' LOL.