Hairballs....again....and a question

[Lucy2008]

OK, you may remember my issue with VERY frequent hairballs.
--Lucy, age 13, is now on k/d for kidney issues. She is eating some dry and some canned. Since I've elevated her bowls, she is vomiting MUCH less, and is eating more. Win/win!
--Silas, age 9, is on c/d for a previous urinary blockage. He eats dry food.

I thought it was Lucy (Himalayan) who was having all the hairballs, but I've come to think it's probably Silas. In brushing him lately, there is a LOT of hair that comes off. Lucy, on the other hand, goes every 12 weeks or so and get a 'shearing', so her hair is even shorter than his.

My question is this: Would Silas move the hair along easier (and therefore throw up fewer hairballs) if he was eating wet food? I'm pretty sure he'd eat it (he'll eat anything!).

 

[di and bob]

He may with more moisture, but dry food is higher in fiber and that helps with hairballs. You usually give an oil-based product to move things along, but the store-bought products have things like vaseline. I give a teaspoon of butter twice a week and that works well.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

This wasn't part of your question, but if you think Silas would eat wet food, I would definitely feed it to him simply because cats with urinary blockages do better with more moisture. You can get C/D in wet food, so he can still get the benefit of that. Even adding extra water to the wet food is helpful.

 

[LTS3]

You can also give store bought hairball remedies or a raw egg yolk or egg yolk lecithin.

How Best to Manage Hairballs

Hairballs are an early warning sign of a motility problem in cats. This article describes how best to manage hairballs.

www.foodfurlife.com

 

[StanAndAlf]

I second the raw egg yolk, works wonders for my cats and haven't seen a hairball in ages! I disagree with the butter suggestion, however, as lots of cats are lactose intolerant and the butter can cause loos stool (which may move the hairball along, but for the wrong reasons). Butter also has lots of saturated fats, which are unhealthy for your cat if fed too often and can cause issues such as pancreatitis.

 

[Catmom1234567890]

If your cat is not eating and looks lethargic, she needs to be seen by a vet. My baby(ragdoll) had a massive hairball blockage and had to be removed laproscopically. If the hairball is massive, it will not pass on its own.