Hairball

[Brandy DW]

So I've never really dealt with these before, with my siamese who I had for 17 years, I don't think I ever saw him have a hairball and if he did, it was outside (he was an indoor, outdoor cat). Neka never had hairballs. Today Sabriel had her first hairball (at first I didn't know what it was, until I cleaned it up and realized it was all fur and some of her stomach fluid I suppose. She's been shedding a lot lately but her coat isn't overly long and she's not losing tons of fur. Just every time I pick her up I get a lot of hair on me, like any normal cat.

Now my question is with her having this one hairball, is she likely to have more? After I cleaned up the hairball mess (thank god for vinyl floors), while she was eating I was brushing her with a brush (she usually doesn't like it, that's why I don't do it), she barely tolerated it tonight. Anyway right now I feed her blue buffalo, anyone know of a good quality food that's good for hairballs, or maybe treats? I don't want her to possibly get a stomach blockage. I know that's not entirely likely, but this little thing of fur looked like it could potentially cause issues if it got bigger.

All in all I'm a lot happier to be dealing with a hairball, than some other issue. She just got 2 shots at the vet on wednesday, and when I saw the vomit at first I was like what the hell, did she have some sort of reaction? Anyway any comments would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[Patti]

Check the fiber amount in the Blue Buffalo products. You want a formula that has at least 8% fiber to help with the hairballs. I have used Iams Hairball in the past and I currently use Natural Balance Fat Cats - this is also a low calorie formula but its protein content is 35%.

 

[John Popp]

If your cat is shedding a fair amount of fur I would try to give them some salmon or krill oil with their food to help with how much fur they are ingesting and shedding. it won't help much with the fur they do ingest as they absorb the fish oil, just helps make sure their coat is in good shape. A single 1,000mg capsule is plenty per day and stay away from any pump bottles as they tend to go rancid even if refrigerated.

Also, as Patti suggested, a small amount of fiber helps them pass the hair balls, and our domestic girl with medium length fur gets as much pumpkin as she'll tolerate with her raw food. Too much and she'll turn her nose up at it and for whatever reason our SV boy seems to like the stuff. In that sense, they always continue to baffle me and once I think I have it figured out they change the rules on me.

 

[Per Lausund]

And the occasional use of a damp microfibre cloth to remove some spare hair doesn´t hurt, either

 

[Brandy DW]

So Sabriel had her 2nd hairball tonight. Apparently it wasn't just a one off, hopefully it just happens in the summer when she's shedding though. I got laxatone catnip flavor for her around the end of june and I put it on her arm about once every week, I should probably do it more often but she doesn't like the taste or the feel of it. But I at least feel better using it as this way she's hopefully getting them either passed or out better..

 

[Kristin]

I think it might be time of year...Zeddie is puke happy too lately.
She decided to puke up some corn on the cob she stole....on my birthday....all over my room...at 5 in the morning

 

[Brandy DW]

Sabriel likes the laxatone now, it's catnip flavored and last night she licked the bottle she wanted more! - So I'm happy she got over her aversion to it. She's also decided that I need to be cleaned better as well, because every time I pick her up now, I get licks, and a lot of them! lol