Nathan won't take the hairball remedy

With the summer shedding, we've got hairballs here. Nedicks takes the hairball remedy with no problem--she just licks it off my finger. But Nathan takes one sniff of it and runs and hides. Any advice on how to give it to him?

Put it on his paw - he'll HAVE to lick it off.

I tried putting it on my Louie's paw - rather than lick it off, he flung it off, running and shaking his paw. I ended up with a mess to clean and still no hairball remedy for Louie.

Try a different remedy for Nathan. My cats like Vetbasis and so do I since it contains no petroleum but does have good things in it like taurine and vitamin E. Vetbasis, unlike most remedies, can also be put in food. I wouldn't put it in Nathan's food however, since you don't want him refusing the food if he doesn't like this remedy either.

I'm sorry, but I couldn't help but get a good laugh out of Louie just trying to fling the stuff off his paw. This doesn't work with me either.

I would recommend trying to mix it in with some food and give it to him that way. He'll think it's more of a treat than anything else. If this doesn't work, you might have to get some sort of liquid syringe and force it like you would a pill. Any other suggestions, I'm not sure.

why not just mix in some hairball food with the normal diet during shedding season!!

I rub it on Maisey's side. She cannot help but lick it off then. I had the same problem with her flinging it off her paw.

You have to smear it on their paw, not just glob it on

Originally Posted by hissy

You have to smear it on their paw, not just glob it on

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I don't know about your cat, but mine fights me tooth and nail when she's sees that stuff coming. It is all I can do to get it on her paw - she'd never allow me to rub it in! What I have to do is take it off the shelf when she's not looking, sneak up behind her, grab her, and rub it on her side. Sometimes she still shakes it off, or worse, rubs against my legs or the wall , but it's much easier than going for the paw.

Originally Posted by Hell603

why not just mix in some hairball food with the normal diet during shedding season!!

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That would be ideal, but I can't do it, as they are on a prescription diet.

I'll try putting it on some part of his body and see if he'll lick it off--I suspect he'd be a paw-flinger too , but maybe if I can either put it on his side or manage to smear it on his paw like Hissy said (although I can't imagine him standing for that...), he'll have to lick it. Thanks for the suggestions!

Originally Posted by hissy

You have to smear it on their paw, not just glob it on

Click to expand...

I tried that with Prego once. I rubbed it in really well. But he marched over to the wall, looked at me defiantly and rubbed his paw on the wall

Our cats try and fling it off their paws also but we rub it in really good.

Pet his head, grab the scruff on the back of his head gently (but firmly) so he can't move his head.. insert paste on his gums and you're done He may not be happy about it, but the faster it's over with, the less stressful it'll be for him to take it.

Originally Posted by ShadowBaby

Pet his head, grab the scruff on the back of his head gently (but firmly) so he can't move his head.. insert paste on his gums and you're done He may not be happy about it, but the faster it's over with, the less stressful it'll be for him to take it.

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Oh yeah, that is NOT going to work AT ALL. I know because once when he had a UTI the vet gave me a pain killer to give to him that was in a paste form. The vet showed me how to give it to him--exactly the way you're saying. Of course it worked in the vet's office, but when I tried to do it at home, this was Nathan: He almost took the end of my finger right off. So I'm thinking I'm not going back there again...