Hair balls, butter or hair ball paste?

Hi,

I have a beautiful, ginger, long haired little boy and this time of year he gets more hair balls.

I groom him and that helps but I noticed recently that he was struggling to cough one up. I put a little butter on his paw and he licked it off and I think it helped.

I am going to buy some proper hair ball paste at the weekend but I wondered how often you should give it to them?

Do you give it to them regularly to avoid the hair ball or just when you notice that they need it? Do you use butter or hair ball paste? What's best?

Thanks for any advice : )

If a cat had a hair ball stuck, would they be in pain in the stomach or chest area? I'm a bit worried about my cat but I don't know if I am overreacting.

He is eating, drinking, weeing and pooing and active but when I touch his chest/tummy area, he hisses at me. I don't know if I have just annoyed him or if he is in pain.

No replies so far so I shall ask on another site and see if any advice available.

I will make an appointment for the vet.

A bad hairball can actually cause a blockage, in which case it can cause vomiting, etc.  But I've never heard of it causing pain to the touch.

As far as preventing hairballs in the first place, plenty of brushing, consistently, always help, plus feeding a good high quality food, preferably wet food, and many of us add Egg Yolk Lecithin to our furkids' food to assist the hairballs in traveling thru the digestive tract.  Ever since I started doing that, I've found no more hairballs.  Not sure it will work on an already existing hairball that is stuck, but it helps keep them from forming.

As far as HOW to use the hairball paste, I think you should just read the direction on the tube.  I don't use it so can't say, but I'm sure the tube will direct you.

If your little one started vomiting, try to get him in ASAP to be seen.

Hi there and welcome!!

Of course grooming regularly, even daily when Spring comes and he will shed a ton of his long fur, but petromalt is fine.

Squeeze a ribbon (it's like a tube of toothpaste) on to his arm and he will lick it off.

It can even be given daily, maybe half a ribbon length is [plenty, but it will lube any fur that wants to build up in his throat, which is actually where the furball accumulates.

He's probably one who does not like his underside messed with

Thank you for your replies.

I was really worried about him as he wasn't himself at all.

This morning I woke up to a hair ball and he is in much better spirits. I'm so relieved!

I am going to pets at home tomorrow and I will get hair ball paste and other hair ball remedies.

I wasn't sure about butter because although it helps with the hair balls, I don't how good it is for his health in other ways.

Thank you for replying, I appreciate it : )

SO glad he was able to get that hairball out

MrPurrrfectCat said:

Thank you for your replies.

I was really worried about him as he wasn't himself at all.

This morning I woke up to a hair ball and he is in much better spirits. I'm so relieved!

I am going to pets at home tomorrow and I will get hair ball paste and other hair ball remedies.

I wasn't sure about butter because although it helps with the hair balls, I don't how good it is for his health in other ways.

Thank you for replying, I appreciate it : )

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This is great news!

I can't begin to imagine what it feels like to have a wad of fur stuck in my throat..........

Just an fyi, but I would get the original petromalt paste, their newer fish flavored is awful and the cats hate it !!

I have never been so overjoyed to see a hair ball on the floor! Lol

You're right, poor little lad, having that stuck, it must be awful.

Thank you for all the advice, I have a furminator brush and that keeps his coat nice and gets a lot of it out and he doesn't mind being groomed.
I have taken note about hair ball paste which has been really helpful.

He is so much better now and I will do more to help him with it.

Thanks again, other people's wisdom and experiences are so helpful and I am so grateful for the replies I had, thank you so much for taking the time.