Home remedies for hairballs?

[Freedom]

I have changed foods, as a result of reading and being more educated from my time here on PT. An unexpected benefit: the more the dry kibble is close to a "raw" diet, the less hairballs!

I used Petromalt for years. I never had any success putting it on the paw and letting them lick it off. I always put in IN the mouth, like a pill, and held the head, nose up, ad stroked the throat to get the cat to swallow. I haven't used Petromalt since January of this year, when I switched foods.

The food I used for 13 years: Science Diet Dry Kibble (regular, and lite)

The food I switched to in January 2007: Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul, dry kibble. Here is the site:
http://www.chickensoupforthepetlover...products/cats/

The food I am using just now is quite expensive: Nature's Variety Raw Instinct. No grains in it at all. Here is the site:
http://www.naturesvariety.com/conten...71D6wNPv98B8C1

I do not know enough to tell you WHY or which ingredients are helping. But both of these foods have my cats just about hairball free. (With 8 cats, one hariball per month and I don't know which cat is GREAT in my book!)

FYI both these brands have a dog food line as well. Each time I changed the whole house, to keep everyone consistent.

[Emeraldgreen]

Freedom, are you mixing the grain free food with the Chicken Soup food or are your cats just on the grain free now. Do you think the grainfree is better than the CHicken Soup? I"m always on the lookout for good food for my cats. My cat George is on a grain free blueberry and potato dry food by First Mate (a B.C. company) and the others are back onto the Wellness Healthy wise kibbles.

[Freedom]

No, I am not mixing them.

I was quite happy with Chicken Soup for all the pets. I used it for almost 9 months.

My cat Bobby has LOT of food allergies. When I was doing the food trials to find something he can eat, I came across the Raw Instinct. I just changed the whole house to make feeding times easier for me. Didn't work. Bobby is allergic to all grains, fish and chicken.

He is now on a prescription food, Royal Canin Green Pea and Venison. It works, he has finally stopped itching! It is expensive and I didn't switch the whole house. I have to put him in one bedroom, close the door, get his food for him. Then feed all the others, cats and dogs. After 10 to 15 minutes, I pick up all the dishes, let the dogs snuffle up any cat food remains, then let Bobby out. Even one piece of kibble makes him break out in the itchies, poor boy!

I will probably go back to the Chicken Soup as it costs less than the Raw Instinct, is at a store I can get to more easily, and everyone was fine on it. But it is nice to know it is out there. Oh, the Raw Instinct is coming out with a rabbit meal dry kibble formual after January 1st; it is up on the web site already.