my vet suggests i add vinegar to my cat's food so her fur will start growiing faster

[catlover1990]

This is my cat nouni before shaving her

2013-03-02 20.06.06.png

• catlover1990
• Mar 18, 2013

And this is after

20130315_230556.jpg

• catlover1990
• Mar 18, 2013

I had no choice, she started having matts which made it really hard for her to walk and sleep (she had matts when i took her to a friend's house to take care of her while im gone, and she didnt groom her weekly) it was painful to see her suffer like that so i decided i should shave her

I miss her long and beautiful hair but i still see her prettier than ever

Anyways, my vet suggested i add a little vinegar to her food to help her hair grow faster

What do you guys think?
Please share your ideas and thoughts

 

[minka]

No.. I wouldn't do that. Vinegar is sometimes used to change urinary balance I believe, and you don't want to do that in a healthy cat.

I think she looks sassy. :-)

 

[finnlacey]

I'm sorry, what? I have never in my life heard of that. Vinegar will not help your cat's fur grow faster, there's no such thing. Plus as the other person stated it's not a good idea. And vinegar is acidic which if given too often can cause erosion in the GI tract. 

 

[yayi]

The fur will grow back. There's no need to rush nature. Oh, and I agree what has been said about vinegar in cat food. I am curious about where your vet got the info. 

 

[orientalslave]

Once her coat is coming back she needs grooming daily, not weekly, with a comb or a slicker brush so it gets right through her fur.  Until then gentle brushing with a soft brush will get her used to being groomed - I suspect she didn't particularly enjoy it, no wonder if she had mats.

Very lovely cat but clearly has a high-maintenance coat.

 

[catlover1990]

Thanks everyone, appreciate it

 

[agentspooky]

I've read lots of positive things about apple cider vinigar, for humans, dogs and cats. I sometimes put a tiny amount of organic a.c. vinigar into my kitties drinking water. I also add a little with warm water to the comb when I comb them. I hadn't heard that drinking it will grow hair, but it may be.

If you search online you will find positive stories about people who have used a.c.v. with their cats. Here's one article I found where a woman gave a small amount of a.c.v. to her cat with FIP and noticed his health improved, including hair growth: http://murphyscats.blogspot.com/2008/11/domino-cat-saved-by-apple-cider-vinegar.html

 

[minka]

I've read lots of positive things about apple cider vinigar, for humans, dogs and cats. I sometimes put a tiny amount of organic a.c. vinigar into my kitties drinking water. I also add a little with warm water to the comb when I comb them. I hadn't heard that drinking it will grow hair, but it may be.


If you search online you will find positive stories about people who have used a.c.v. with their cats. Here's one article I found where a woman gave a small amount of a.c.v. to her cat with FIP and noticed his health improved, including hair growth: http://murphyscats.blogspot.com/2008/11/domino-cat-saved-by-apple-cider-vinegar.html

The vet ran tests and told me he had Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), which is a deadly and unfortunately, highly contagious, disease. He said Domino would live maybe a couple months at best.

FIP can *not* be diagnosed in a live cat, so the article is bollocks before it's even halfway through.

 

[tammyp]

Also, FIP is technically not contagious itself - it is a mutation of a corona virus, which are highly contagious.  There is no knowing whether a corona virus will mutate into FIP.  (But the way that person wrote, it may have just been a quick way of saying stuff that unfortunately disguised the technicalities.)

 

[catlover1990]

Thanks everybody

 

[Aieko]

I add two tablespoons of vinegar to my kitties bath, often to just try and get rid of remaining fleas, I do have my cats on flea medicine but they get out of the house a lot and they get all muddy. I’ve never known of anyone who would add vinegar to food. It wouldn’t be healthy for a healthy cat.

Aieko~

 

[daftcat75]

You want biotin for hair growth and coat quality. Raw egg yolk. Just the yolk. The white has an enzyme that interferes with biotin absorption. Egg yolk is also a potent laxative so start small and slow and watch for that. 1/8 tsp twice a day is a good start.

You can also make or buy egg yolk powder since 1/8 tsp is such a small amount when using eggs.
Make Homemade Dried Egg Yolk Powder

Egg yolk is also good for hairballs. So getting it in her diet now can help with those as her coat grows back.

 

[Aieko]

You want biotin for hair growth and coat quality. Raw egg yolk. Just the yolk. The white has an enzyme that interferes with biotin absorption. Egg yolk is also a potent laxative so start small and slow and watch for that. 1/8 tsp twice a day is a good start.

You can also make or buy egg yolk powder since 1/8 tsp is such a small amount when using eggs.
Make Homemade Dried Egg Yolk Powder

Egg yolk is also good for hairballs. So getting it in her diet now can help with those as her coat grows back.

Wonderful advice. A few years back my kitty went to get a trim, he ended up looking like a hairless cat and the poor boy was a Maine Coon, he looked so...deflated. I started at a bit more, 1/6th of a tsp and within a few weeks, he was back to his normal fluffy self.

 

[posiepurrs]

I would advise against using the vinegar. It changes the PH and therefore could lead to Urinary tract issues. The best thing now is to get her used to daily grooming - use a soft brush as has been suggested, but when the coat starts coming in use a comb. A brush will not get down to the skin and you will be faced with mats again. Also if she will allow you, a bath now and then will help keep the tangles down. You must dry her though you there will be mats.

 

[Norachan]

This thread is from 2013, so hopefully the cat is back to full fluffiness by now.