Hair Ball Question . . .

**christa** · 06-30-2004, 09:34 PM

Josie has been hacking around on hair balls a lot lately. She doesn't actually throw them up though. She coughs for awhile and then swollows . . . is she swollowing them down again?

Anyway, I need to get her something . . . what do you do for hair balls?

Any suggestions would be great. What do you all use???

**Laura's Babies** · 06-30-2004, 09:48 PM

There is hairball remedy you can get at the vets or pet stores I think. I had one I had to give it to and he lOVED it and always wanted more! It is a paste in a tube...

**AmberLee** · 06-30-2004, 09:48 PM

Livvy's favorite is called "Cat Lick Stick" -- she licks it like candy... Vaseline also works. Good luck!

**kimlovescats** · 06-30-2004, 09:56 PM

There are many brands out there .... if you have a PetSmart or another pet supply store, they are sure to have one.

Cat -a- Lax
Laxatone

Those are two of many!

**Freckles** · 06-30-2004, 10:03 PM

VASELINE

Frecks doesn't like those smelly, sticky products in tubes. She loves vaseline - it's a treat to her. Vet approved.

**Grace** · 06-30-2004, 10:17 PM

I feed mine Science Diet Hairball cat food. It must work, because we haven't seen any hairballs, and we have 5 cats.

**slick** · 06-30-2004, 10:26 PM

Originally posted by Freckles
VASELINE

Frecks doesn't like those smelly, sticky products in tubes. She loves vaseline - it's a treat to her. Vet approved.

Right on!! I don't even bother to buy those tubes. I just shove a bit of vaseline down the throat and voila, all gone. It either comes out one end or the other. If you read the ingredients of the stuff you buy it contains petroleum jelly which, in essence, is vaseline.

Also, brush, brush, brush. The more you brush the less Josie will have hairball problems, especially this time of year.

**boscibo** · 06-30-2004, 10:59 PM

Are you sure it is hairballs? I'm just asking because my cat Abby has asthma and when she has an attack she acts like it is a hairball coming up, but nothing comes up. She swallows many times afterwards. Try the hairball remedies, but if they don't help a trip to the vet to rule out asthma might be in order - an asthma attack sounds just like an unproductive hairball session.

For the longest time I wondered why Abby couldn't get her hairballs up, but when I described it to my vet she immediately recognized an asthma attack.

**christa** · 07-01-2004, 12:24 PM

wow, i never even thought that it could be anything else but a hairball. i'll definitely try a hairball formula . . . but if it doesn't work, we'll make a trip to the vet.

what do you do for a cat with asthema???

**smokey the elder** · 07-03-2004, 07:14 AM

I think they get steroids; it's really hard to get a cat to use a metered dose inhaler. I think they get shots and/or pills. Good luck with your cat!

**carole** · 07-04-2004, 08:02 PM

I use Cat Lax too, but be careful it can give them the runs, as I accidentally discovered once with Ash,maybe I gave him too much, he has hair ball problems, so I use that once weekly and hairball biscuits, they all help but donot alleviate the problem all together.

**jazzcat** · 07-04-2004, 09:16 PM

All the hairball remedy treats that are available make Ripley throw up - ironic, huh? Anyway, I used to feed him a little Vaseline about once a week and it always worked like a charm until he got tired of the taste after a few years. I'm glad to see others use that too.

**leonsmom** · 07-05-2004, 05:39 PM

My cat hair a bad hairball problem recently -- he was vomiting, not eating, and terribly lethargic. I took him to the vet, who diagnosed a big, stuck hairball as the likely problem. (Yuck!) I began to give him Laxaire 2X/day, and in about two days, the giant hairball passed. Now I give him Laxaire 2X/week, and I switched him from the Science Diet Light to the Science Diet *Hairball Relief* Light, and he hasn't coughed up a nasty hairball since!! (That was about six months ago.) I really think the Laxaire has helped, and I recommend it highly.