Hairball treatments?

[story1267]

Ah, it's spring (almost) and my beloved furry gentlemen are shedding....and barfing.....ugh.

They're both healthy, I've taken them to the vet for their visits just recently.

The vet recommended a hairball treatment, something...lax, I can't remember the name. Especially for Friendly who is a neurotic belly-licker. But I forgot to get it when I left (the cat was HOWLING to get out of there and I was distracted). So, I can go back to the vet but before I do I thought I'd check and see what my options are.

What do you folks use for your kitties? Commercial preparation? Home remedy? Please share.

 

[cataddict]

Hi!

I've found in the years I've had cats (more years than I'll admit!) there are some that barf and some that don't. We feed the cats Science Diet Hairball light all year around. Starting in February (I'm in the south and we sometimes get periods of warm weather before "real" spring begins so the cats start shedding) we give 3 of them a commercial hairball malt product---our guys like 8 in 1 (I think the brand is Excel?). The fourth cat refuses any brand of malt in a tube and he gets DeFurr'ms (it's a crunchy nugget). You'll probably have to go through some trial and error---two of ours will eat any brand, one will eat only one brand, one won't eat the gel at all!

So far, so good. The only one that barfs with any regularity is the shortest haired cat, so this regimen seems to work. The vet told us that the products have to already be in their system, it doesn't help hairballs that are already in their digestive system so that's why we feed them the hairball light all year around.

Good luck! A kitty we used to have barfed almost like clockwork in the middle of the night. My DH got so attuned to it that he would jump out of bed at the first retch and pick her up and carry her to the bathroom so she'd barf on the tile floor!

 

[story1267]

Cataddict, thanks for your post which was both informative and funny!

You're absolutely right in that I'm sure one will tolerate one kind of thing and the other one surely won't. Because they're like that!

DH says he's used something in the past - CatLax or something close to that which sounds like your malt product. He says it was a paste you put on their paws and that it smells really awful.

I'll bust out the Rubba-Scrubba and brush them both down, and try to keep on top of it. We had a couple of warm days in a row but I think it's supposed to cool back down. The vet did say that he wanted to see the neurotic belly-licker especially have a product on-board since he's certainly got more fur in his system than would be ordinary.

And there's something special about their barfing, isn't there? That lovely middle of the night time, fast asleep, cat on chest, and then you hear the tell-tale sound.......Kitty! Off the bed!! And then the groan, knowing that you'll probably find the evidence next morning - with your bare feet.....

 

[cataddict]

And there's something special about their barfing, isn't there? That lovely middle of the night time, fast asleep, cat on chest, and then you hear the tell-tale sound.......Kitty! Off the bed!! And then the groan, knowing that you'll probably find the evidence next morning - with your bare feet.....

DH absolutely HATES it when he steps in the hairbarf with his bare feet! I think that's why he developed hypersense about the pre-barf retching sound.

The gel/paste that we've used for hairballs doesn't really smell bad and apparently doesn't taste bad either, not that we've tried it! It's an event in our house---we put a glob on two spoons and two of them come running for it when they hear the sound of the spoons, the third one gets his glob on a plate since he tosses it with his tongue as he eats it.

 

[Liann]

Suz - I don't have cats anymore, but I used this product when I did (for both my cats and my ferrets): http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2755239 . "Most" cats like it enough to eat right off a spoon. It keeps the digestive track well "lubricated".

 

[story1267]

The gel/paste that we've used for hairballs doesn't really smell bad and apparently doesn't taste bad either, not that we've tried it! It's an event in our house---we put a glob on two spoons and two of them come running for it when they hear the sound of the spoons, the third one gets his glob on a plate since he tosses it with his tongue as he eats it.

Maybe the stuff has undergone some improvement since the last time DH used it. I'll stop at my favorite pet place on the way home and see what they offer. Worth a shot. Plus my fab-tailed ginger boy seems to have some chronic constipation issue and this may help with that as well.

Liann, I love the "family size" option on that link! For all us crazy cat ladies!

 

[kathryn]

Daily brushing.
Canned, plain pumpkin (the fiber helps push the hairballs through, and many cats love the flavor).

 

[story1267]

Thanks Kathryn! Now that I see that I think you had mentioned the pumpkin previously. I'll share my pumpkin with my kitties, sure! I usually have some around because I love a scoop of it in my morning oatmeal.

 

[josiespcah6ojsh]

i use otc Laxatone-gooy sticky stuff and brush her.

laura

 

[story1267]

Any "Furminator" enablers?

All we have is an old, sad, and tired slicker brush. It just isn't up for the job. Friendly is a short-hair, and not particularly plush, so he doesn't need all that much brushing except to keep the overall hair down to make up for the extra he gets off his belly.

Johnny, OTOH, I guess he's technically a short-hair but he is VERY plush, I swear he has a double coat......

Has anyone tried a Furminator? The reviews I see all rave but $40 for a cat brush? Really?

ETA: We likely have a 3rd indoor kitty coming in our not-too-distant future. That was part of the deal when I married DH for my DD, that she be allowed to adopt a kitty of her own when we got settled in......so she'll pretty much get to choose (a female of her choice - oy, the spraying these two do!) and there's a chance she could choose a long-hair.

 

[cataddict]

Has anyone tried a Furminator? The reviews I see all rave but $40 for a cat brush? Really?

I'd like to hear people's experiences with it as well. I've been considering it simply because I've got one girl who is a Maine Coon mix and sheds when you just look at her. I do brush her daily but it never seems to be enough! My concern is that the Furminator would scare the hairballs out of her in an unpleasant way....

I do remember hearing about the pumpkin. I'm going to try that as well. I would prefer that over the petrolatum/malt products.

 

[story1267]

The Furminators are a bit spendy - and I am a bargain hunter. They're $40 at my local BigPetMart type store and $30 at my favorite local pet place. Looks like you can get them for about $20 on eBay so I'll go that route and gladly report back.

 

[exer_cited]

Daily brushing.
Canned, plain pumpkin (the fiber helps push the hairballs through, and many cats love the flavor).

I second the daily brushing.

My cat doesn't mind the hairball goo that I put in her food, but then again, she's scarf up just about anything. Even with the goo, we still have a hairball problem.

Daily brushing is the only thing that seems to help.

 

[kathryn]

All we have is an old, sad, and tired slicker brush. It just isn't up for the job.

Most cats don't like slicker brushes (try one on your arm or head, and you'll feel why!They are VERY rough and nasty feeling).

The only cats I've known who like them have thick, long fur.

I highly recommend picking up a small plastic brush intended for application of shampoo/conditioner. You can find them in the (human) hair-care aisle in most pharmacies, for either $1 or 2/$1 (depending on the style). I have yet to find a cat who doesn't like them (and I brush MANY cats at the shelter), and many cats LOVE them. They also do a good job of removing fur.

Another option is a human hair brush (the kind with plastic 'bristles' tipped with a round plastic nib. I use one of those on my cats as well (almost every brush that used to be 'mine' has become a cat brush!

Like the shampoo/conditioner brush, these feel good to the cat (I imagine so, as they feel good on my scalp, and cats are all scalp!) and pick up fur nicely.

I have the Furminator as well, but hardly ever use it (again, it's best for thick-furred, long-haired cats, and I only have short-haired guys right now). It's better than a slicker brush, IMO, but still a bit rough.

 

[story1267]

Furminator review

Ordered one off eBay for about $20 and it arrived the other day. I've used it a couple of times on both cats....

It gets off an astonishing amount of fur! Kathryn, I agree with what you're saying about the kitties being all scalp. Gentleness matters. The old brush did have the little nibs on it and was very gentle...but didn't get much fur off.

The new brush doesn't have the nibs, but is fairly smooth, and gets some fur.

The furminator, isn't a brush at all, but more like a rake. It gets a LOT of fur. The packaging recommends using it gingerly, with long, light strokes rather than digging down into the fur. This will avoid irritating the skin.

Johnny (fab tail boy) LOVES it. Every day when I arrive home he comes running and meowing to see me and jumps up on the counter and chirps at me until I set my things down and get to work. He's a short hair cat with a very thick coat.

Friendly loves it a bit less, but he generally does not love to be groomed. In the evening he'll come sit on my lap and I brush him then. He's a short hair cat with a normal thickness coat. I brush him very, very gently and still manage to get out vastly more fur than with the other type of brush.

So...there you have it. JMHO and YMMV.

 

[cataddict]

Thanks for the update/review, Suzanne. I think I could probably use it on Tuscawilla since she is a Maine Coon mix and is very furry, but I'd have to get a good deal since I don't think the other three would tolerate it (and don't really have as big a problem with the shedding). I have to brush 'Willa constantly or she gets mats in her haunch area. She's a bit sensitive to brushing around those parts so I'm not sure if I could use it "down there!"