Public Service Announcement -- Those Hellish Hair Balls

[Marissa]

Ewwwwwwww, you had every reason to pout. Stepping on those things is in the top 10 of grossest cat surprises. I would have indulged in some quality chocolate to make myself feel better. That and vodka tonics are my "go to" stress relievers.

oh I'm a gin and tonic person, got one in hand, but think the ice melted it down since I have been way to preoccupied with typing or reading on this addictive forum.. Haha, I wish I would have thought to rip out the chocolate covered pretzels, at that point all I wanted to do was pee and then sleep haha

 

[Trish Allearz]

You know- after I responded to this post, I've seen two nasty hairballs Blech.

 

[Medesha]

Sorry to necro-post but is it weird I've never seen a cat cough up a hairball, nor found one?

It kinda makes sense for the outside ferals, seeing as they do their own thing most of the time and most only show up for food, but even with the ones I had in the house, never found any hairballs or caught them coughing.

 

[WitchyWoman]

Hi Witchy, Kitty has a bit of a problem with human hair. No matter how much I sweep and keep hairbrushes away, it seems unavoidable. I shed like a dog. Poor thing doesn't huck up hair balls but theres almost always hair in her #2s. She's even had poop hanging from her bum by a hair (excuse me for TMI). Would an egg yolk once a week aid with this as well?

It should. Add in a 1/2 tsp of pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) into her food 2x a week too. The additional fiber will help keep things moving along.

 

[Carykd7kau]

Awww poor Leia. I know the feeling. Regie used to eat my hair, until I cut it.

 

[Sugarislove]

Glad there are no photos here. O.O I heard egg yokes are great for shiny fur. Is egg whites toxic to them? Do your cats love pumpkin? I find miss Kairi runs away from almost anything different from her kibble and milk.


~Emily

 

[WitchyWoman]

Glad there are no photos here. O.O I heard egg yokes are great for shiny fur. Is egg whites toxic to them? Do your cats love pumpkin? I find miss Kairi runs away from almost anything different from her kibble and milk.
~Emily

Raw egg whites can interfere with biotin absorption so should always be fed cooked. Raw yolks aren't a problem.
Over the years, I've fed pumpkin to 2 cats to help with the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. They didn't love it but would tolerate it when I mixed in into their canned food.

When you have a cat on kibble, it's difficult to get them to accept any other food. If you want your cat to have a more varied diet, you'll have to wean her off kibble and onto a quality canned.

 

[Sugarislove]

Raw egg whites can interfere with biotin absorption so should always be fed cooked. Raw yolks aren't a problem.
Over the years, I've fed pumpkin to 2 cats to help with the symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. They didn't love it but would tolerate it when I mixed in into their canned food.

When you have a cat on kibble, it's difficult to get them to accept any other food. If you want your cat to have a more varied diet, you'll have to wean her off kibble and onto a quality canned.

I decided to switch her food to something better quality and have been doing loads of research.

When I moved away from home, my mother kept on sending me bags of the kibble she was used to. I just found out part of that mixture was Whiskas which is supposedly a one star rating with corn, fillers, and salt.

Luckily she drinks A LOT of fresh reverse osmosis water, but no excuses for my ignorance! It may not be 100% natural, but I want the best for her now, and to start Zuko off right.


~Emily

 

[Sugarislove]

Is it true that male cats are prone to urinary issues? And wet food is the best way to prevent? I have heard this several times, but my breeder never heard this before.


~Emily

 

[WitchyWoman]

Is it true that male cats are prone to urinary issues? And wet food is the best way to prevent? I have heard this several times, but my breeder never heard this before.

~Emily

Males have narrower urethras than females which is often cited as a reason for them being prone to urinary issues. I have no idea if it's true. Most of my cats have been male and only 1 had a blockage and only one time.

Wet food is always better to feed than kibble. No matter how much cats drink on a kibble diet, it is insufficient for their needs. Lots of excellent info here http://www.catinfo.org/