Giant "esophagus" hair/food ball

Hello all,

My much loved and MUCH spoiled cat Jack (in profile pix) chokes up a hairball like, once every 6 to 8 weeks.  But it's MASSIVE.  It literally is the shape of his esophagus.  It's about 6 inches long and the size of a nickel in diameter.  He takes about 3 "heaves" to bring it up.  I've noticed that, right before he's about to bring one up, he gets very needy.  Follows me everywhere and meows a lot, so my guess is it feels horrible and he's in distress.  I brush him a lot to keep the fur under control, I don't do Petromalt as the petroleum is not something I want my cat ingesting.  The esopha-ball is relatively dry and I just pick it up quite easily... no mess. 

ANYway, does anyone have a similar issue?  Should I be concerned?  

J

Hairballs really should be going out the backend rather than the front end if everything is working correctly.  That being said, it seems that you are not alone in having a cat that throws up the occasional hairball, albeit, ajck's seem unusually large.

What I do to keep them working properly, and I have a long haired cat who really doesn't appreciate being brushed, is to feed only wet food with lots of water added, AND I add in daily probiotics.  But the MAIN THING I do is give them Egg Yolk Lecithin every day without fail.  Normally I give them each 1/2 capsule mixed into their food.  During shedding season I up that to 1 capsule each.  Works like a charm. 

Are you feeding him a mostly wet food diet?  That might help keep things moving, including the hair.

How much are you brushing him? I know it sometimes seems like you're not making a dent in all the shedding cats are capable of, but being very regimented with daily grooming sessions for the long term can really make a difference. Experimenting with different brushes might help, too. Some cats will love a furminator-style brush, which will definitely remove a lot of hair, but many find it uncomfortable. Rubber brushes that work by generating static cling as you brush and attract loose fur are very gentle and usually very effective.

As always, great feedback.  Jack is now going to get daily brushings, wet food and egg yoke lecithin.  Hope he likes that!