Will feeding my cat butter help prevent hairballs?

Answer 1

How to Recognize Hairball Problems:


Cylindrical (cigar-shaped) masses on the floor or furniture. Once you've seen one, you'll never forget!
Constipation, or hard stools with hair showing.
Dry, matted coat
Frequent dry coughing or hacking, particularly after meals
Lack of interest in eating.
Depression or lethargy.

It would be wise not to wait until these symptoms appear, as hairballs can be so easily prevented. The number one way to avoid hairballs on the floor and in your cat is:
Brushing!

Most cats enjoy being brushed, and the bonding that develops during cat and human during these brushing times is an added bonus. Our cats will practically brush their own faces. One of us holds the brush still, and Bubba or Jasper will rub his face against the bristles, purring to beat the band. Bubba even enjoys being vacuumed following a brushing; he learned at a very early age that the vacuum is harmless, and it's like having his own personal spa.

Other ways of preventing or aiding hairball relief involve feeding "slippery" substances that will help the passage of hair and digestive waste down the intestinal tract. These come in several different forms:


Special Hairball Formula Food
Several of these are available on the market; the trick is finding one with high quality ingredients. See Understanding Cat Food Labels for details.
Commercial Hairball Remedies
These come in various forms, including tube-served gels and granules to be sprinkled on food. They provide assistance in passing hairballs through lubricating action or by providing soft bulk, or a combination of both. It should be noted that many hairball relief remedies contain mineral oil. Taken in quantities, mineral oil can deplete the body of vitamin A. If using one of these formulas, ask your veterinarian if a vitamin A supplement might be in order.
A New Nutritional Solution
In 2003, scientists from University of Wisconsin-Madison worked with researchers at the Nestlé Purina PetCare Company, analyzed the composition of hairballs, and found a large fat content in the mix. They developed a fat emulsifier which breaks down the fat globules, allowing the hairball to pass. (See page two for the press release.)
Home Solutions
Some cat owners have had success by giving their cats a small amount of butter (about 1/2 teaspoon) two or three times a week. Others have offered a teaspoon of canned pumpkin (non-flavored) or baby food squash. Cats generally enjoy these extra "treats," and they may help by adding lubrication or soft bulk to help hairballs pass. The pumpkin or squash are also sometimes used to help with constipation or diarrhea, because of their added fiber.

Answer 2

Ummm, I am not sure that is a good idea. Most cats are unable to digest dairy (in spite of the common misconception that cats love milk and cream). Go to your vet and pick up some laxatone or hairball supplement. It is a gel that you give your cat a small amount once a day to help them get over hairballs. It's flavored, so cats will eat it with no problem, and its probably even cheaper than butter. And it won't cause your cat to throw up, like many cats do after ingesting dairy.

You can also try switching your cat to a hairball formula food. I feed my two Science Diet Hariball Control and it has greatly reduced hairballs nearly to nothing---the cheaper ones you can find in the store will help too-but I found that SD HBC works best.

Answer 3

Ack NO! It'll prevent the hairballs because it'll kill your cat! Havn't you heard of butter being bad for people? It's bad for animals too! Even if you use the 'I can't believe it's not..." kind!

Try a teaspoon of oils like olive or fish. One or the other should do it. Or just buy some hairball treats or medicine. If you can't afford it, try vasaline. Take about a teaspoon on your finger and get your cat to sniff at it (this will only work the first time, you'll have to grab them and do it after that) dab it right under their nostrils, not over but under. They'll lick it off and it will lubricate their throats so they don't choke on the hair.

Most of the time they toss those hairballs back up because the body can't dissolve or digest hair, just like the way owls will cough up pellets...which include fur and bone.

Answer 4

Well you're on the right track - but wrong food. Butter won't really be nearly as good as a fishoil or good 'hairball prevention' food will.

A good brushing and something with some fishoils or labelled as preventing hairballs will help.

Answer 5

That is probably gonna make the cat sick. However at the pet store you can buy something called Laxastat or Petromalt (or get something similar). It's a brownish gel, that you feed to your cat (about a one inch ribbon of it, I think once a day, you'll have to check the package.) It is a laxative, lubricant & hairball remover. It helps the hairballs pass thru the kitty rather than come back up. It's not expensive either.

Answer 6

It would make them sick. They have cat foods and cat treats that will help prevent hairballs. Be aware though, that at first, it could cause the cat to expel any hairballs that may be forming.

Answer 7

1) No, but it will prevent ball hairs

2) That cat will tell you anything for butter

3) If it doesn't, it will make buttery hairballs

Answer 8

Never heard that one before, but Meow Mix makes a Hairball formula. It works really well on my cats.

Answer 9

Not at all. If anything, it would hurt the cat more than help it. Unlike what most people think, cats' immune systems can't tolerate dairy products, and if they get too much, then they become sick and possibly die from it. So it's really not a good idea to give it butter or milk.

Answer 10

yes, if you give your cat butter it will help prevent hairballs, all the butter does is it pushes the hairs down into the digetive tract instead of the cat hacking it up. so, yes it really helps.