Any advice on hairballs?

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Tinky started coughing up her first hairball the other week. I went and got her the Pounce treats with hairball gel in the middle, and gave them to her for a couple days. Still last night she was coughing more. Has anyone used a hairball medicine that they found worked good. I hate to see her coughing like that. Thanks. :confused:

[C.C.'s Mom]

My cats never ever throw up hair balls. Or if they do it, than somewhere outside where I don't know about.
I give both of them dried food mixed with hairball treatment that I get from the vet.

My vet-friend told me that every cat that grooms herself, throws them up. It's normal, they have to leave the body.

You can of course make sure that you brush your cat with gloves that attract any loose hair. My cats love it and jump on my lap in the evening when I get the gloves out. They hardly shed and I never have cat hair on my clothes eiter (instead I have dog hair all over the place :D )

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

I used to use the stuff you can get at PetSmart. It comes in a tube like toothpaste, but I don't remember the name of it. It worked good for Tubby. Peanut, even though she has longer hair, has never really had a problem with hairballs like Tubby. Tubby would eat it right out of the tube. Peanut wouldn't so the directions said to squeeze some out onto their paws, then they have to lick off. However, Peanut would flip her foot (kind of like it was wet) and the stuff would go flying, usually ending up on the wallpaper instead of in her stomach. :rolleyes:

Unfortunately I've had to stop giving it to Tubby because with his kidney problems it was making him throw up more instead of less, but I would still recommend it. Science Diet now also makes food with hairball remedy right in the food. By the time I tried that, Tubby was already having kidney problems and all it did was make him constipated, but Peanut had no problem with it, so that might be an option also.

Good luck because I know I hate it too when they start coughing and hacking like that. Makes you feel so useless. :(

[Former User]

No hairballs here, ever. And we don't even give special food for them. The other day we bought cat grass though, and now we try to make it grow...stress on try. Casper and Kitty are pretty anxious for it already :rolleyes:

[K & L]

We've used Laxatone and it worked quite well. Plus the cats loved licking it off our fingers.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Thanks for the info everyone, and cute stories. Ci Ci's mom what kind of gloves do you use to groom your cats? I use a brush on Tinky and she doesn't seem to like it, she watches it and gives it this crazy look and eventually gets up.

[Randi]

You can get some dry food called Hairball Control, I think it's Hills. I haven't tried it, but it's supposed to work.

And ..... as C.C.'s mom suggest, use a brush at least a couple of times a week, cats usually love to be brushed. Do it for about 5-10 minutes every time, long firm strokes. I have a rubber brush which works very well. Fister even tries to bite it. (that means he likes it) You can also try to make it wet before using it. I'm not sure whether it's meant to be used for dogs, but you can also use it for cats.

My cat Fister never throws up hairballs, I have only once seem him throw up and that was liquid.

Good luck! :)

[Randi]

Casper & Kitty! Patience!! LOL! I have also just put cat grass in a pot 4 days ago and I can already see it coming up, so I bet you'll see yours (C & C's) in a couple of days! :D

By the way, do you know when to cut down an Olive tree? I should probably cut mine to get it a bit thicker!

[purrley]

Sara - hairball remedy put out by Hartz works real well for my kitties. You put it on the top of their paws and they lick it off. Brushing is really the best hairball remedy of all. It's good for the kitty and its good quality time for you and her:) :)

[Former User]

LOL Randi, we have the patience yes, Casper and Kitty no! :rolleyes:

No idea when to cut olive tree...sorry, hope someone else knows.

[lizbud]

I've used the stuff from a tube(don't remember the name)
that you put on their paws and they lick it off.Seemed so
hit and miss really b/c sometimes they would resist &
even run when they saw me open the tube.They needed
something b/c there were hairballs almost everyday.
I started using Purina Special Care dry cat food about
1 -2 yrs ago and they all love it, whala ..no more hairballs,
or at least hardly ever. Actually my kitties have three
different kinds of dry food to choose from, but Purina HB
will always be one of them.

[C.C.'s Mom]

Originally posted by Randi
By the way, do you know when to cut down an Olive tree? I should probably cut mine to get it a bit thicker!

It's in German, but you might be able to read it. Ask me if you need a translation.

***
Du kannst zu lang gewordene Triebe problemlos einkürzen. Nehme eine sehr scharfe Schere und lasse 3 oder 4 Blattpaare stehen.Du solltest das im zeitigen Frühjahr machen, nach etwa 4 Wochen sollten dann an der Stelle der letzten Blätter je Blatt ein neuer Zweig wachsen. Wenn Du nach einiger Zeit den Dreh raus hast, kannst Du die weitere Entwicklung der Baumkrone durch den Schnitt recht gut beeinflussen.
***

[yumyum6970]

We use science diet hairball dry food for dutchess and her hairballs...she always seems to get them on fridays before
we leave for work. it helps some.

http://pepeirce.tripod.com/thekittycorner

[AvaJoy]

Lily is an upchucker, usually the very next day after I have cleaned the rug . . . I feed her Science Diet Senior Hairball formula (dry food), AND mix Laxatone in her wet food; she will not partake unless it is mixed into her food. I also give her a Pounce Hairball treat once a week. Despite all of this, she still deposits a hairball now and then. I also brush her regularly, so . . . I give up on ever totally eliminating the problem!:confused: Only resolution I can think of is giving her the lion clip, a la Spencer!:cool:

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Thank you everyone for your advice :) . Today I went out to PetSmart to look at some products. I found the stuff in a toothpaste tube, the nice gentleman who helped me said to take it to the vet (they have a vet office inside the Petsmart) and told me to get their advice on that product. Would you believe I stood at the counter (alone, no other customers) for ten minutes with a vet talking on the phone (a very loud personal call) and an assistant staring at him and no one ever asked to help me ?!?! :confused: :o I am glad to know how those people are, I feel sorry for the animals they treat. Needless to say, I left and did not purchase that product. Untill I can make it to my vet to buy something else we will have to stick with the Pounce treats. But again thanks for ya'lls advice, I guess I just needed to vent. :rolleyes:

[shais_mom]

Kylie is long haired so she has hair balls.
Lately she has been vomiting and I thought it was b/c I changed her food, so I changed it back. A guy I work with said his cat was doing the same thing and he talked to the vet and they said it could be some hair that was irritating his stomach even tho he wasn't vomiting hair.
So I am trying the hairball gel from www.drsfostersmith.com. Kylie doesn't like it at all!
She does the same thing that Peanut does! So I have been opening her mouth and squeezing it in! Not fun either!
I just mixed some wet food with it and she seems to be eating it. We shall see. ;)
Kylie LOVES Purina Right Bites Hairball formula. She would jump thru fire for those I think!
Oh and the cat grass I bought some and in about 1 week it was 6 inches! I put Kylie up on the table and she loves it!
so does Keegan she pulled it off the table!

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

LOL

Kylie LOVES Purina Right Bites Hairball formula. She would jump thru fire for those I think!

That is funny. I just love reading ya'lls replys!!!!:D You guys can really make a person laugh.

[Freckles]

In the past I've had cats who loved Laxatone, but not Freckles. It would end up as gobs in her ruff. I put Vaseline on my dry feet in the morning, and one time Freckles started licking it off my finger. Vet said that was ok because its the main ingredient in the hairball products. So every couple of days I give her about a teaspoon worth. Seldom have hairball problems now.

[Logan]

I have rarely had a hairball with my longhaired Mimi, who is an expert groomer herself! But, I find that she only throws them up when I go away and leave her for a few days. She has had the occasional night or two alone in the house, without anyone, back when I used to board my dogs (and BB...before Butter). She would always leave me a nice hairball glob somewhere conspicuous. Yuck!!!

We don't use any hairball treatment. I guess it isn't necessary if you're not having a problem, right?

:)

[Freckles]

I think everyone deserves a laugh right now, so I'm sharing this picture of me and Jerry in 196x. Since he was short hair, he really didn't need much Laxatone, but it was fun to show off as a trick. http://home.sprintmail.com/~jwalborn/_uimages/jerrytreats.jpg

[purrley]

:D :D Cute, Cute, Cute Freckles - I love it!!!!:D

[Tubby & Peanut's Mom]

Cute picture Freckles. :D

Jerry looks like a sweatheart. Did you have a Tom also? ;)

[Freckles]

I used to get kittens from the Humane Society, and just one at a time.
First was
Jinx, then
Jingles, then
Jerry, ect.

Current cat is Freckles and the only one I got as adult. Her name suits her so never changed it.

[AvaJoy]

Love the photo, Freckles . . . thanks for sharing it!! :)

I notice the red harness . . . did you take Jerry for walks on a leash? He looks like a handsome guy.

I have to mix the Laxatone in canned food; Lily won't lick it from my finger. I pay about $6.99 for it at PetSmart, and found it selling for $4.99 at the cat show I attended about a month ago! Like a dummy, I only bought ONE tube . . . and regret that I didn't clean out the vendor's inventory since I give it to Lily on a daily basis.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

THAT IS THE BIGGEST CAT I HAVE EVER SEEN !!!!

I could curl up with that kitty and just fall in love, what a big ball of purr furr. I WANT ONE!!!!!:D :p

[Freckles]

I moved into a mobile home and Jerry was allowed outside on a leash only . He didn't like walking with me so I tied the leash to the porch and made it just long enough so he could reach the edge of the street. He did enjoy laying in the grass so neighbors would stop and pet him.

There are other pics of him on my website. It's kind of clunky - just started it because of Webshot and Photogra inconsiderations. Joan and cats (http://home.sprintmail.com/~jwalborn/index.html)

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Freckles..........
You did a real nice job on your website. Did you go to school and learn how to build one? I would like to start one for Tinky, but I wouldn't know where to start. Anyway it looks real good.

[Logan]

Terrific picture, Joan, and your website is great too!! :D

[Freckles]

I use Earthlink and that includes a website for me. They have a few versions, depending on your skill level. I started with the most basic. It's call Click-n-Build. It's just a matter of selecting from several templates, themes, how many pictures per pages, etc. It has limitations but when I just need a place to park my pics so I can use them in PetTalk, it works fine.

I just found a picture of Jerry in one of his misadventures outside, so I'll be adding that soon.

[AvaJoy]

Nice job with your website, Freckles! I, too, have Earthlink and am ashamed to say I'm been afraid to attempt utilizing my webspace for anything more involved than just storing some photos :o . . . but you have given me some motivation and I will make this a project to tackle someday soon . . . wish me luck!:)

[Freckles]

but fits the last few posts.
http://home.sprintmail.com/~jwalborn/_uimages/jerrycaught.jpg

He wasn't caught very long - just until I could get my camera.

[I_love_cats]

My three cats has cough hairballs lately, Joey is DMH and we brushed him couple times a week but we having done his brushing lately. To prevent hairballs, you should brushed them at least once a week. I try hairball treats on my guys and they wouldn't eat my treat so I am not buying any hairball treat for them. I am going to brushed my guys.