Increase In Hairballs

[permanentruby]

I've had my cat since January, and she'd get a hairball here or there, maybe once every couple of months or so, but lately it's been multiple times per week. She's been shedding more, which I understand may be her growing in her winter coat (she's a long-haired cat, btw), and I brush her regularly, but it still keeps happening.

I give her hairball treats, and have some hairball gel that I give her a few times a week. Is there more I should be doing? I bought a can of Authority Hairball Formula wet food a week or two ago on a whim and she liked it, but I'm not sure how much those actually help....I also have a can of pumpkin from the Authority line, would it help to give her that with her food?

Anything else I should try? I hate to see the poor thing heaving all the time. Cleaning it up isn't the most fun, either

FWIW - she's still pooping daily, she drinks a good amount, and she's on Simply Nourish Grain-Free dry food and mostly Sheba wet food with a Fancy Feast Classic, 4Health, or similar can thrown in on occasion because she gets bored of the same thing every day. She's been on this regimine since soon after I got her.

 

[GoldyCat]

One of my friends gives her longhaired kitty KFC original recipe chicken, with some of the skin. She says it does wonders getting hairballs to pass on through.

 

[prairiepanda]

Slippery elm worked wonders on my old longhair cat. I made a syrup out of it by mixing some slippery elm powder in boiling water and (after letting it cool) gave some by syringe. I've also seen treats that contain slippery elm, and simply sprinkling some over the food may work if your cat isn't too finicky. I ended up with hairball poop instead of hairball puke; much easier to deal with for both me and the cat!

I also noticed that food had a dramatic impact on hairball frequency. Foods advertised as being specifically for hairballs made no difference relative to the regular versions of the same food. I think those foods just have added oils or something. But some brands were definitely better than others. I didn't notice any patterns with regards to specific ingredients, but my cat had virtually no hairballs with Orijen dry, Royal Canin dry/wet (prescription diet), or Friskies wet, but would puke up multiple hairballs a week on Fancy Feast wet, Spot's Stew dry, and Merrick dry. Various other brands had results somewhere in between. It probably depends on the individual cat, though.