Mittens' hairballs..I"ve tried everything I know of.

[myrnafaye]

Mittens has been heaving hair balls more than once a week for a couple weeks.  She is fine otherwise, no inappetance or funky stools.  What I give her:  she eats Natures Variety and that is mixed with about 1 1/2 tsp of the Royal Canine gastric formula (dry food, prescription).  Supplements:  2 capsules of Egg yolk lecithin daily; Nexabiotic, one capsule; pumpkin in the food; 1/8 tsp miralax; and more recently, 1/2 tsp of slipper elm bark.  I dont know what else I can do.  I also tried the Vets Best tabs and they did not seen to be expecially effective, so I stopped.  Oh she also get s capsule of Welactin, which is a fish oil supplement.

She is a long-ish haired kitty, and I also brush her daily with the furminator.

I dont know if cats have started over shedding because the temp has been unseasonably warm but I am still concerned.  I already have one cat on Pred for GI disease.  (Obi).  Mittens  has an appt with the vet next week, and I am pretty sure she will suggest an ultrasound.  I always balk at the US, because they are often inconclusive; they shoe things to worry me and that is about it, or at least that is how Obi's have been, and he seems to be doing really well.

Is it feasible to, for example, ask the vet to put Mittens on a short course of pred, say, a month, then taper?  All thoughts appreciated! 

 

[stephanietx]

Is she on any canned food?

 

[Brian007]

These are probably silly suggestions that you've already tried, but:  Vaseline?  Olive oil?  Psyllium husks?  It would seem that she should be well lubricated already, going by what you're giving her.  Them there's some stubborn hairballs  

 

[myrnafaye]

Oh yes, Nature's variety limited ingredients - chicken, rabbit or salmon.  The  Royal Canine was added in at the vet's suggestion for both my kitties.

 

[myrnafaye]

She was on psyllium along with Obi but we stopped that because we deduced that it gave Obi gas; he would eat, then retreat under the bed.  Since discontinuing the psyllium, she does not do that.  Lubes did not seem to  help for me - ever- with any of my cats.  As I said I do put Welactin in their food.  

 

[Brian007]

Digestive enzymes, probiotics, krill oil (rich in omega-3), marshmallow (like slippery elm), papaya (like pumpkin)?  Does she have asthma that could be effecting her coughing-up ability somehow, as her digestion should theoretically be in good shape, as you treat her extremely well?  It does seem very odd that she's still struggling.  At least you have her vet appointment booked.  I'm stumped.  

 

[myrnafaye]

No she does not have asthma.  I did have a cat with asthma and it was heartbreaking back then.Yes, I do treat her really well..I used to not be so bothered by hairballs until my cat Obi got pancreatitis.  So now I see hairballs as a potential threat.  I know there is a school of thought that says cats "should " be able to handle hair without hacking them back up, but I dont know that I buy into that 100%.  OTOH, hairballs that are more than infrequent do concern me.

 

[stephanietx]

I have one kitty who used to toss hairballs like crazy, several times a week.  We reduced the amount of food we were feeding her and they've drastically reduced to just one occasionally every few weeks.  No change in anything else. I've not brushed her much or anything like that, just cut back on her food serving amount. Have you tried that?

 

[myrnafaye]

Well...She is a petite gal. I hate to reduce her food. Also, although I meal feed them, if she doesn't finish, I leave the food out for them to eat later. I don't mean to be difficult..It's a great thought...I just don't know how to implement it with 2 cats.

 

[missmimz]

The EYL should help, how long have you been giving it for? I'd def consider shaving her belly at this point. I shave my long haired cat's belly once the "spring shed" starts and then he gets a full lion cut in the summer. 

 

[myrnafaye]

I have been giving both cats 2 capsules a day for well over a year. Sigh. I think shaving the belly, or at least trimming it, is a good idea; how do I do that??