My mother's cat grooms all the time and subsequently spits up large hairballs.The problem right now is that he is trying to spit up,but not much is coming up.He recieves cat lax 3-4 times a week and is eating,drinking,and using his box.Any ideas as to anything else mom could do to promote the removal of the hairball? Thank you very much.
2006-06-19 08:47:35 · 16 answers · asked by zeus2quincy 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
I've always had good results with PetroMalt, and there's a new one that I just found at PetSmart called KittyGreen (or something like that).
The cat will also benefit from brushing, and the availability of kitty grass planters. The grass helps give them fiber to keep things moving along.
2006-06-19 08:59:22 · answer #1 · answered by Dave_Stark 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I have a long haired cat and hairballs were (and can still be) an issue. I used to use the Hartz Hairball Remedy in the tube. Angel used to love to lick it off of my finger. But then he stopped wanting to use it. I started to feed him the Indoor Cat Formula from Cat Chow and that has helped cut down on the hairballs as well. I find that the cleaner his coat is the less he has hairballs. Which is why I have been slowly weening him to some more expensive cat food, the Purina One Natural Blends. Not only is it all natural ingredients and much more friendly to his already sensitive stomach, but his coat is much more shiny and clean, causing him to not have to "clean" so much and decreases his hairballs. It is a bit spendy...but he turned 5 this month, so it's his birthday present to get the spendy food for the rest of his life! Their our little angels afterall!
2006-06-19 18:29:51 · answer #2 · answered by Jules 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's an awful lot of laxative to be giving a cat. Seems he's still not able to pass the hairballs if he's coughing them up. Does he keep food down, and potty normally? If so, you might try some mineral oil, it's supposed to coat the hair and assit in allowing it to pass through the intestines - not get coughed up. Wouldn't quite be as harsh as a laxative. You may just want to add some olive oil to his diet on a regular basis, this will keep is coat qualilty up and he shouldn't be loosing much fur, plus the extra oil should keep things passing on a regular basis. If this doesn't help I'd check with the vet to see if he has a blockage
2006-06-19 15:58:54 · answer #3 · answered by buggsnme2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Put a very little amount of Vaseline jelly to the tip of the cat's nose or on the top of the front paws. The Vaseline helps keep the hairball confined to a small ball and lubricates it so it will pass easily.
This treatment is for the occasional hairball and not recommended for daily use.
2006-06-19 16:03:06 · answer #4 · answered by LOVE2LD 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am not sure what you are referring to when you say cat lax but I used to give my long haired cat this Hairball Remedy that came in a tube. You feed it to them off your finger or put it on their paw and they lick it off. He was starting to catch on and didn't want to eat that anymore. So, I started buying the Hairball Remedy Pounce treats. They worked great! You give them 3-5 a day for the first week and then taper off to just 1-2 a day or every other. They worked great on my cat anyway!
2006-06-19 15:50:33 · answer #5 · answered by boredgal 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your mom can brush the cat daily to help keep the hairloss down. Maybe give the laxitone daily instead of 3 or 4 times a week. A little fish oil added to her food will help too.
2006-06-19 15:52:21 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
More frequent brushing of the cat could help it have less to hack up. We use plain old vaseline instead of any of the expensive flavored things for this the vets sell. Just put some on the cat's front paw and they cat will lickit off.
2006-06-19 16:46:03 · answer #7 · answered by dancin di 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Might not be a hairball...Should try the vet...
iF not...they have some types of dry cat food that says it has ingredients taht help with hair ball removal ...might give it a try...
Does cat have access to outside...if not...try putting some grass seeds in a small shallow pot and grow it inside where cat can get to it...will help...
good luck....cats rule...dogs drool...lol
2006-06-19 15:51:00 · answer #8 · answered by ceasefear 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Long term use of laxatives will result in the cats system becomming dependent on them. Not good! That will definitely cause you problems and money in the long run.
We use to put a little dab of peanut butter on the paw every day. They will lick it off and the protein is good for them.
2006-06-19 17:25:13 · answer #9 · answered by A Great Dane Lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try the hairball remedy treats. The cats loves them and its a great way to get rid of hairballs. I think they are made by pounce.
2006-06-19 18:02:52 · answer #10 · answered by Jenn 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋