Can anyone recommend either a good hairball treat, or a home remedy?

Hi everyone, it's me again!

My newest baby, Eddie, has hacked up two hairballs in the past month that I've had him (because he grooms himself, AND my über fluffy butterball, Binx), so I'm trying to find simple solutions. I groom them regularly (thinking about getting a Furminator for Binx, because of his dense coat). It's shedding season, so that may play a role, but Eddie and Binx eat only Halo Impulse wet food and nibble on the cat grass I buy for them... they both take a lysine supplement, and I'm using calming treats because Binx is a bit too hyper for Eddie at the moment.

Suggestions for good hairball treats, or remedies? I'd prefer treats, or something I can mix into their food, because both cats flip out if I try to put anything liquid near their faces, or on their paws.

Thanks, everyone! I hope to hear from y'all, soon!

Raksha

Hi Raksha. 

That is a very concerning rate of hairball episodes with Eddie!  Hairballs more than once or twice a year would give me concern.

I do not know about treats nor edible remedies, but I am aware that there are cat chows specifically indicated to help cats prone to hairball problems.  You might want to try one of those formulations, ground in your blender to granular or powdery form, and then mixed into their wet food with additional water added to keep it at the consistency to which they are accustomed.

I understand the Furminator is a great tool for helping to manage long, very fluffy coats like Binx’s.   Brush their coats lots too, and often!  You might follow with brushing by a flexible silicone brush which would better tend to grab those hairs already loosened/shed.

One more thing that would be helpful – and yes, I know it is not the type suggestion you wanted, so of course, evaluate it and either apply or disregard it on your own – even with so much regular brushing, bathing also takes out an appreciable amount of shed hair.  That might be reason enough to bathe cats regularly.  Another reason to bathe them regularly is that the time may come that a cat would need (usually frequent) therapeutic bathing, whether partial- or full-body baths.  That job is much less troublesome if the cat already has regular bathing in his or her experience.

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

Some people have had good luck with egg yolk lecithin for hair balls.  Some people add a raw egg yolk to their kitty's food once or twice a week.  If you are concerned about salmonella which given the recent salmonella outbreak among chickens in the U.S is a valid concern you can get it as a supplement.

Vet's Best Hairball Relief is also a good choice.

Also consider a belly shave. A good chunk of self-grooming is the tummy. The belly shave alone stops hairballs in the two of mine with the worst problem.

I don't recommend bathing. My cats groom themselves entirely after a bath to put all their scents back. This would be self-defeating, IMO.

Thank you all for the suggestions! I will look into them, but at the moment, the Furminator I purchased it working wonders on Binx. I think I got enough loose hair off him to make another cat!

I  love the Furminator.  I use it on my longer hair kitty with a deep undercoat and I always get a lot of fur out of her coat with it.  I actually have the one for small long haired dogs and it works fine on my kitty.  I wouldn't be surprised if they are actually the same just different colored handles.

We have one kitty (Audrey) that has a hairball problem (she not only grooms herself but our 110 lb dog).  Our vet has her on Cat Lax hairball gel which I usually order online which contains:   Cod liver oil, caramel, lecithin, malt syrup, white petrolatum, 0.1% sodium benzoate (preservative), vitamin E (dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate equivalent to 0.033 mg/g d-alpha tocopherol) (antioxidant), purified water.  This is the only hairball gel that seems to really work for her.  Audrey receives a small amount every other day during shedding season and once a week otherwise. Good luck with your Eddie.

My kitty Fennwick spent years struggling with hairball issues. He would hack them up every few days, pass out trying to vomit them, get severely constipated several times a year, and would go through bouts of upset tummy. Just like your kitty, he hated the liquids and the pastes that went on the paws. We settled on the Laxatone chews. They come in bags of 60 or so treats for about seven dollars if I remember right. He gets one treat every day and absolutely adores them.

Fenny's been on them for about eight months and it's made a massive difference. The upset tummy and constipation are completely gone. He still vomits a hairball occasionally, but they are very small and easy to get up. No more passing out luckily! Starting him on the treats was a bit rough though. He had a massive ball of hair trapped in his stomach and the treats did a really good job of breaking it up; that meant he was throwing up big balls of hair every other day for the first two weeks. Since then though, he's been golden.

I can't find the Laxatone treats locally. I have to buy online, but I buy two or three bags at a time so it's not too bad.