Help With Hairballs

[nwfn]

My 4-year-old medium-haired cat has hairball issues. She throws up a hairball at least a couple of times a week. She already takes two Vet's Best Hairball Relief pills daily (total of 100mg psyllium husk, 50mg marshmallow root, 50mg slippery elm bark), and these reduce but do not eliminate her hairballs.

Can anyone speak to what has helped them combat hairballs with their cats?

 

[abyeb]

I feed my Charlie treats with laxatone, but some people give their cats egg yolk leichitin to take a more natural route. Also, frequent brushing will help a lot, because this helps get rid of some of that loose hair that your cat would otherwise swallow. Thanks for caring!

 

[Lisaloowho]

I had the same problem with my medium haired cat. I just make sure that I brush him thoroughly a couple times a day, and that has helped improve the problem. I also feed him Nutri-Vet salmon flavored hairball gel he likes the taste of it

 

[nwfn]

Thanks for your helpful responses!

Yes, I brush my kitty daily, and she's been on a raw diet for a couple of years now, so I don't suspect any dietary irritations. She's playful, she has a normal appetite and normal bowel movements, but we're stuck on this stubborn hairball problem. I'll start with the egg yolk lecithin, and if that doesn't work, I'll try laxatone or similar.

 

[babiesmom5]

Hairballs are not an issue to be taken lightly. I lost a beloved male cat due to complications of IBD. The problem originated with hairballs.

There is an excellent article in the July/August 2017 issue of CATSTER

magazine entitled "Hairballs...oh the horror!", page 63-64. It can be bought on the newstand or read on www.catster.com. This article described what they are, what they mean and what to do. I encourage you to read it.

Brushing your cat, hairball diets, fiber supplements and GI lubricants are all good, but new research shows that it may be just treating symptoms and ignoring underlying disease.

The fact that your cat throws a hairball a couple time a week, despite your dietary efforts is a "red flag". As Dr. Norsworthy said in this article, "Vomiting two times per month or more for several consecutive months is abnormal and justifies an ultrasound study".

The fact that your cat is throwing hairballs a couple times per week raises the possibility of decreased digestive motility. The question needs to be asked "why is your cat having problems moving swallowed hairs from the stomach through the rest of the GI tract and expelling them in his stool in the first place?"

I would strongly recommend taking your cat to a vet for further examination to determine IF the hairball vomiting is just about the hairball OR a symptom of small bowel disease.

Just treating symptoms for an issue that occurs this frequently delays diagnosis and compounds the problem. Been there, done that!

 

[nwfn]

Thanks, that is a good point too. I do plan to ask the vet for guidance as well when I take my kitty in for her checkup in a couple of weeks.

 

[bonepicker]

My 4-year-old medium-haired cat has hairball issues. She throws up a hairball at least a couple of times a week. She already takes two Vet's Best Hairball Relief pills daily (total of 100mg psyllium husk, 50mg marshmallow root, 50mg slippery elm bark), and these reduce but do not eliminate her hairballs.

Can anyone speak to what has helped them combat hairballs with their cats?

Have you tried eliminating dry food and using a furminator every day, my cat is ocd when it comes to grooming and when seasons change she pukes hairballs a lot. I think the Febreeze added to Fresh Step aggravated it, I switched to fragrance free!