Wet Canned Food Causing More Hairballs?

[mirrorakay]

A few weeks ago I started my cat on a canned food diet because of weight issues, terrible constipation, and hairballs. He is slowly starting to lose weight and his stools seem better so we're on the right track there. I'm just a little confused about what it has done to his hairball issue. Fennwick gets hairball remedy twice a week and has for about a year now. Back on dry food we got him down to throwing up a hairball maybe once a month. However, in these last two weeks Fennwick has thrown up 10 hairballs. Is this because the canned food is making it easier to move the hair along or what?

I'm mostly concerned because when Fennwick throws up he irritates his vagus nerve to the point he either passes out of comes very close. We've been to the vet about it and they said it was normal, just not a desirable reaction and that I should do everything I could to keep his vomiting to a minimum. We've also been to the vet in the past and confirmed he has a big wad of hair in his stomach that rolls around causing stomach ulcers so we do need to get that out too.

So I'm wondering if anyone knows why the wet food would cause this massive increase in hairballs. Thanks in advance!

 

[mirrorakay]

We just got back from the vet. She said he looked really good. Nothing very concerning. However, she said if he's still throwing up in a week to come back and we'll do xrays to see if he's got a massive hairball in his tummy. For the time being we got some meds for stomach ulcers to try and sooth his stomach lining.

Still, I'd appreciate any mention of anyone who has had a similar issue with canned food since my vet still seemed confused by the whole thing.

 

[abbyntim]

My cat had a problem with frequent hairballs and also had a couple of really bad constipation/obstipation episodes. After episode #2, we transitioned both cats to canned food. I did not notice a decrease or increase in hairballs with this food change and everyone figured he was just prone to hairballs, despite getting Laxatone almost daily.

In February, he started throwing up after every meal. Visits to our regular vet and the emergency vet revealed no obvious problem. Because he had developed a lot of other problems, I decided to change his food. It was after I changed to a limited ingredient canned food without carrageenan or any gums that he stopped vomiting hairballs. I also put him on a probiotic to improve his digestion. I'm still "tweaking" his diet and supplements, and he gets a blend of the active ingredients in Vet's Best Hairball Remedy (psyllium, marshmallow root, and slippery elm bark). I give him these supplements instead of the product because there is other stuff in the product that I am afraid may irritate his sensitive stomach.

What food are you feeding? It could be that his digestion isn't is good as it should be, quite possibly due to something in the food. Cats should not vomit hairballs; hair should pass in their stools. I would take a look at the ingredients and see if anything looks suspicious. It's often trial and error and takes some detective work.

 

[mirrorakay]

Fennwick get Authority canned food. I realize it isn't the best, but I can't really afford much beyond that. I'm fairly confident he has a wheat gluten sensitivity too.

For a hairball remedy Fenny gets Petromalt. He's not a big fan of it, but he likes it better than Laxatone so that's what we're going with. Fennwick just really hates oily textures on his face, which makes it very difficult to find a hairball remedy we don't have to fuss with.

 

[abbyntim]

I looked at every single brand of canned cat food at Petsmart when trying to figure out what to feed my cat. Chicken is also a suspect ingredient, so we avoid all foods that contain any chicken. Authority looked decent, it was grain- and carrageenan-free, but every flavor had at least some chicken, so I did not buy it.

However, I just looked online and it looks like there are several varieties of Authority that include wheat gluten and carrageenan. I would avoid those, if I were you. I would also look at Fancy Feast, but only the "classics" line, as they are grain- and carrageenan-free. Fancy Feast is a little more expensive, but perhaps you can rotate Authority and some other brand. If you have a Whole Foods near you, check out their "Whole Paws" line as well; the food is pretty limited-ingredient and not too expensive. Getting Fennwick on a rotation of a few different foods might help a lot. The fact that your cat's hairballs are worse on canned tells me it's something in the food, so you really should look into that. Or at least not feed the same food day in and day out for every meal.

Talk to your vet about a probiotic, which should help digestion and may help him pass hair through, instead of it forming a big wad. There are pet probiotics (I use Proviable DC) or even human probiotics will work (search this site for recommendations, they've been discussed a lot). You might try to increase the Petromalt for a few days to see if that helps move the big wad along. Maybe even try something else as a preventive once you get the big wad out. Many swear by Vet's Best Hairball Remedy - the psyllium helps move things along, the marshmallow is a hair de-tangler, and the slippery elm coats the intestines; both slippery elm and marshmallow root also help things "glide" along. Others have had success with just plain psyllium husk powder - up to 1/8 tsp a day (just make sure you blend with plenty of water!). Most cats enjoy eating the Vet's Best. I mentioned in my previous post that I use the three powders, which I just mix with water then add to the canned food - very simple!

 

[mirrorakay]

Chicken is one of the few meat sources that Fennwick has never had an upset tummy on. I do read the ingredients on the individual flavors so I know we have good ones. I do plan on rotating foods more often when I have a bit more cash. My dog cleaned out my bank account last month so I'm still recovering.

For the time being we're doing Petromalt every day, but he's liking it less and less as we go on. He really hates the feel of it. I placed an order for the Vet's Best along with some Petromalt chewables and some Laxatone chewables. We'll see what he likes. I'll ask about a probiotic as well. I know that Fennwick's digestive tract isn't the best so it certainly couldn't hurt.