The Great Hairball Epidemic of 2017 :-)

cheeser

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We didn't have much of a winter this year, and the shedding season sneaked up on us.  Now both of our cats are trying to cough up hairballs, and are failing miserably. :(

They're still eating and pooping well, but are vomiting small amounts as they attempt to hack up those hairballs.  So I want to get a handle on this as quickly as possible, especially as they'll be shedding even more as the weather gets even warmer.

It's been ages since I've had to deal with this problem, and if I understood correctly after reading some posts on this site, looks like Nature's Plus Egg Yolk Lecithin 600 mg. capsules and/or Vet's Best Hairball Relief would be better options than the Petromalt that vets have usually recommended.  Or has something even better come along that I missed?

I've started getting serious about brushing them with the Furminator and the flea comb, but was wondering if there's anything I can do to help our cats cough up or pass those hairballs until the aforementioned products arrive from Amazon.
 

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This isn't related to your issue directly, mostly a story that might make you smile.

The title reminded me of the Great Vomit Epidemic of 2008.

As stated, all three were vomiting in little amounts, ALL OVER the house. I had no idea what was happening, no way to get the cats to the vet right away.

I was in tears, until day two.... when I found that Katie had gotten into a cabinet, found the hairball treats, and disseminated all of them to the other guys. (sharing is caring!) Vomit, vomit everywhere. I'd never been so mad and relieved at the same time. ;-)

[another time they managed to open a bottle of cooking oil, ate it, and... well... litter box was no fun for my boyfriend, who was catsitting...]
 
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cheeser

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This isn't related to your issue directly, mostly a story that might make you smile.

The title reminded me of the Great Vomit Epidemic of 2008.
That did make me smile.  Thanks for sharing your story!  I'm glad it had a happy ending. :-)
 
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cheeser

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orange&white

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Yes, the recommendation is raw yolks.  If you are not comfortable with raw eggs, you can cook soft-boiled eggs and just give him the yolks.  They probably need to be pretty runny though to have the intended effect.
 
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cheeser

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@Orange&White, thank you for clearing that up for me!  I think I'd feel more comfortable giving him the yolk from a soft-boiled egg.  I know a raw food diet would probably be much healthier for our cats, especially for the one with FIV.  Maybe some day. :-)
 
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cheeser

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Yes, the recommendation is raw yolks.  If you are not comfortable with raw eggs, you can cook soft-boiled eggs and just give him the yolks.  They probably need to be pretty runny though to have the intended effect.
Just want to double check something.  Buddy also has a history of FLUTD (inflammation), and I read somewhere that egg yolks are high in phosphorus.  Does that only apply to raw eggs, or any egg product?  I'm trying to figure out if I need to rethink those two products I planned to order from Amazon. ;-)
 

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Egg yolks are high in phosphorus, but lecithin is a phospholipid so the egg yolk lecithin may be more concentrated.  If Buddy is on a phosphorus binder, that may be ok.  I don't have experience with any FIV or FLUTD cats.  The egg whites are very low in phosphorus, so a soft boiled egg with the cooked whites and runny yolk, would end with a lower phosphorus ratio, but the egg whites won't do anything to solve the hair ball issue.  (Plus if I try to offer my cats cooked egg whites they both look at me like I'm trying to poison them.  They love yolks though.)

Since your kitty has health issues, you might check with your vet before giving them anything for the hairballs.
 
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cheeser

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Egg yolks are high in phosphorus, but lecithin is a phospholipid so the egg yolk lecithin may be more concentrated.  If Buddy is on a phosphorus binder, that may be ok.  I don't have experience with any FIV or FLUTD cats.  The egg whites are very low in phosphorus, so a soft boiled egg with the cooked whites and runny yolk, would end with a lower phosphorus ratio, but the egg whites won't do anything to solve the hair ball issue.  (Plus if I try to offer my cats cooked egg whites they both look at me like I'm trying to poison them.  They love yolks though.)

Since your kitty has health issues, you might check with your vet before giving them anything for the hairballs.
Okay, thanks!

Unfortunately, our vet isn't very knowledgeable about feline nutrition, and his solution to what ails our cats is whatever bag of Hill's prescription diet he deems appropriate. ;-)

Oh, well.  Maybe I can figure out something.  Better yet, maybe Buddy and Oscar will hack up those hairballs soon on their own like they usually do.  Fingers crossed. :-)
 

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Okay, thanks!

Unfortunately, our vet isn't very knowledgeable about feline nutrition, and his solution to what ails our cats is whatever bag of Hill's prescription diet he deems appropriate. ;-)

Oh, well.  Maybe I can figure out something.  Better yet, maybe Buddy and Oscar will hack up those hairballs soon on their own like they usually do.  Fingers crossed. :-)
Yes, the Hill's Science Diet sales pitch.  We've all heard it at some point.  Vets study how to heal pets after they get sick, not so much on how keep it from getting sick in the first place.  Or at least, better odds.  Good health is as much or more genetics as it is nutrition.

I know people have given their cats Vaseline or mineral oil for years, which is something I would probably never give my cat, but the idea is that oil helps everything slide out the back end instead of being hacked up the esophagus.  With your kittie's existing health problems, I really hate to recommend anything...but maybe 1/2 teaspoon of fish oil or coconut oil?
 
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cheeser

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Quote:
 
I know people have given their cats Vaseline or mineral oil for years, which is something I would probably never give my cat, but the idea is that oil helps everything slide out the back end instead of being hacked up the esophagus.  With your kittie's existing health problems, I really hate to recommend anything...but maybe 1/2 teaspoon of fish oil or coconut oil?
I've never been comfortable giving our cats Vaseline or any petroleum based product, no matter how highly a vet may recommend it.  The instructions to put it on our cats' paws so they'll lick it off has always made even less sense to me.  I mean, wouldn't they ingest even more fur that way?


We just happen to have some coconut oil on hand that we've used for minor skin issues before, and Buddy has never had a problem with that.  Maybe I could feed him a tiny bit of that, instead of applying it to his feet.

Thanks for the idea and for all your feedback.  It's been a stressful day for a number of reasons, and you've helped more than you know. :-)
 

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Quote:

I've never been comfortable giving our cats Vaseline or any petroleum based product, no matter how highly a vet may recommend it.  The instructions to put it on our cats' paws so they'll lick it off has always made even less sense to me.  I mean, wouldn't they ingest even more fur that way?


We just happen to have some coconut oil on hand that we've used for minor skin issues before, and Buddy has never had a problem with that.  Maybe I could feed him a tiny bit of that, instead of applying it to his feet.

Thanks for the idea and for all your feedback.  It's been a stressful day for a number of reasons, and you've helped more than you know. :-)
You're welcome.  I hope it works for you.  I agree with you about not being comfortable feeding a cat petroleum.  I won't eat Vaseline, and I'm not putting it in my cat. 
 
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We had a scare this weekend, but have turned the corner.  Hallelujah!


Buddy had a hairball that he couldn't hack up, and the situation snowballed from there.  He started eating less and less, throwing up what he could manage to get down, and we were concerned that he had (or was developing) an obstruction.  Unfortunately, the animal emergency clinic is in a crime-prone area, and sometimes you have to stand outside the door with your carrier for awhile before they'll let you in.  Not exactly an ideal scenario after dark.

In a last ditch effort to do something to help Buddy until daylight when we'd feel safer getting him to the clinic, we overcame our fears about feeding Buddy anything raw and gave him some egg yolk as @Orange&White had suggested as an option.  It was truly a godsend, and worked like a charm!  Buddy is eating normally again, isn't vomiting anymore after hacking up a wad of loosely organized hair, his urine output is back to normal, and he's acting like his usual crazy, playful self.

However, he still hasn't pooped since Friday.  That's not uncommon for him, as he usually only has a bowel movement every 2-3 days.  But after this experience, I want to make sure we get things moving along as quickly as possible to get any other hair in his digestive system moving downstream and see the light of day. 


I've been reading lots and lots of threads here about constipation, and I'm still not clear on which remedies are best suited for Buddy's needs. However, I'm firmly convinced that anything has to be better than the Hill's Science Diet Adult Hairball Control kibble and Vaseline that was recommended.  My vet really needs to spend some time reading this totally awesome site!

I ordered Swanson's Egg Yolk Lecithin for the hairball control since both cats are shedding like crazy.

Question:  How do I help Buddy poop as quickly as possible, and what can I do to help move waste through his system more efficiently on an ongoing basis?  Despite reading many excellent threads here on this subject, I'm confused as to when Miralax and the slippery elm bark syrup are indicated, how to coordinate that the meal times and medication times, etc.   [ETA:  Scratch that.  I just read where it would take 2-3 days to see any benefit from Miralax.  Pumpkin doesn't look like it's the answer, either.  Looks like I'm now leaning toward the slippery elm bark syrup recipe per this post for more immediate relief.]

For what it's worth, Buddy has been on a no fish/low carb diet for a couple of years, gets Proviable-DC, and never appears to be constipated, or appears to strain to pass a stool.  He simply doesn't go very often.
 
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orange&white

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Phew!  I'm happy to hear that the egg yolk prevented an emergency visit, particularly in the neighborhood you described. 

If 2-3 days is Buddy's normal poop schedule, then I might wait a few more hours to see if he poops before giving him a laxative.  I've never used any of the medicinal herbs recommended by holistic vets, but the SEM appears to have no side effects, at least in otherwise healthy cats.  I'd worry more about everything with as FIV/FLUTD cat.  One other common product for constipated cats is 100% psyllium husk powder.  It essentially draws up water, turns into a gel and bulks the stool a bit.

Have you considered an annual summer shave or lion's cut for the spring shedding season?
 
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cheeser

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Phew!  I'm happy to hear that the egg yolk prevented an emergency visit, particularly in the neighborhood you described. 

If 2-3 days is Buddy's normal poop schedule, then I might wait a few more hours to see if he poops before giving him a laxative.  I've never used any of the medicinal herbs recommended by holistic vets, but the SEM appears to have no side effects, at least in otherwise healthy cats.  I'd worry more about everything with as FIV/FLUTD cat.  One other common product for constipated cats is 100% psyllium husk powder.  It essentially draws up water, turns into a gel and bulks the stool a bit.

Have you considered an annual summer shave or lion's cut for the spring shedding season?
I can't tell you how grateful we are for your suggestion.  That never would have occurred to us in a million years.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

The more I think about it, I suppose it's not too surprising that Buddy hasn't pooped since Friday, as his intake of food and fluids dropped off rather dramatically for a couple of days.  But I don't care what the vet says, I'm concerned about it.  If Buddy doesn't leave a spectacular present in the litter box by tomorrow morning, guess we'll have to take him to the vet with or without an appointment.  Or maybe I could throw Buddy into the carrier and just drive by the vet's office right now, since that usually literally scares the crap out of him.


As for Buddy's other health problems, it's always a balancing act, and sometimes we're more unbalanced than usual.


A summer shave might be a good idea for our cats this year, especially with hurricane season just around the corner.  It's been a few years since we've had one, and I have this weird feeling that we're probably due.

Thanks again!
 

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  Or maybe I could throw Buddy into the carrier and just drive by the vet's office right now, since that usually literally scares the crap out of him.
That's very funny!  (...Buddy might not agree.)  Haha. 
 

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Having a cat but no sense of humor is totally pointless. ;)
 
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cheeser

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Yay!  Buddy finally pooped, thank God!


We've had cats for nearly 30 years, and never once did it cross my mind that I could lose one from something as simple as a hairball.  Now I understand why so many people give their cats egg yolk lecithin on a regular basis.  Kinda like Drano for hairballs. 


This has certainly been a wake-up call for me about the importance of hairball prevention.  Plus, I learned a great deal about constipation and poop while browsing this site these past few days.  Looks like I'm going to be adding some more 'must haves' to our hurricane/emergency first-aid kit. 
 
 
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