My cat coughs up furballs a lot. How do I stop this?

Question

My cat is a house cat and is over three years old.
Ever since I got him (at 3 months) he coughs up a lot of undigested food. I have tried stuff from the vet's, I put oil on his food (dry food) and have bought different kind of "hairball" food.
What else can I do to prevent this?? Nothing works!!

Answer 1

A teaspoon of Vaseline once a week. It works very well (it is actually an ingredient in Laxatone which is the stuff from the vet), and most cats love the taste. Continue feeding the hairball formula, and brush the cat daily to remove excess fur.

Answer 2

Some cats just do this more than others. It's gross, but it comes along with the territory of having a little feline buddy around the house.

Go to your local petsmart or pet specialty store and ask about options for hairball control (food, namely). Maybe they can direct you toward a product that's better than what you've been using.

Brush your cat regularly. This will get rid of a lot of excess hair that it'll otherwise be licking off, and they absolutely adore being brushed. It's never a chore because you don't have to fight them at all. Most cats really like it.

Next time you have a vet visit, tell him/her about what's going on with the cat and what you've tried so far to limit it. There may be more options for you.

You can never stop this from happening completely in a cat (it's a natural part of their lives, comes from normal diet and regular grooming), but there are certain measures you can take to make it happen less often.

Answer 3

Yeah, we have a (long hair) cat who does the "two-way meal ticket" thingy occasionally along with the "wanna see all the fur I licked off my body?" bit.
We brush her at least twice a day with a soft tip brush and a soft tip comb. We also give her "Tonix Lax" from our vet (we call it cat glue).
Barring any medical problems, barfing up undigested food is usually the result of gorging. Try feeding your cat more frequently each day but a lot less food at a time. This way, only a small amount of food is being ingested at a time which reduces any effects of gorging.
Bear in mind also, that an anxious and oversensitive cat is likely to have problems with keeping food down. When you feed your cat, make sure there aren't any other sources of anxiety around, such as curious toddlers, dogs and even other cats.
If those things don't work, then take your cat to the vet...again. It sounds like you've done that already (many times?) but you may have to do it again. Be sure to note when your cat vomits and what else is going on around him at the time.

Answer 4

You can start by getting a cat comb at the local pet store and comb your kitty at least 2 times per week. Also you can buy Iams dry cat food for hairballs which help to digest the buggers. Finally,
also in the pet store there is actually an oil which you give the cat orally to help to rid the hairball issue on a regular basis That should make a huge difference. Good Luck

Answer 5

I have 2 cats - we use PETRO MALT. That' the "vasoline" like stuff for cats. It has a "malt" flavor and mine LOVE it! I squirt some out on one of my fingers and let the cat lick it off. I do a "ribbon" shape of about 1" for each cat.

As has been mentioned, brush a lot. Feed something oily once and a while or add some veg oil or tuna oil to WET food occasionally. Even if you normally give him dry, give him wet just once and a while and have the oil added.

But yeah, cats throw up frequently anyway. You probably know your pet and if this is simply hair balls or a bigger problem. During your next check up, and you do that right????, ask the vet then.

Answer 6

An occasional isolated vomit is completely normal. BUT frequent vomiting, even a little bit here and there, is not normal. There could be a hairball hung so get some laxatone at Petsmart, smear a dab on her paw, let her lick it off and see if that helps move it along so the food can get to where it's supposed to go. She could have a parasite making her vomit. Ours vomited lots when she had tapeworms and when we treated for tapes she stopped vomiting. Cats can develop food allergies/aversions at the drop of a hat. You might want to try a bit higher quality food with a different protein/carb source and see if that helps. But digestive diseases are not uncommon in cats so I would suggest turning to a professional for further advice. Good luck

Answer 7

I have this same problem, I recently bought a siamese cat, I gave her soft & dry cat food, normal milk & water, & she threw up something yellowish, I waz DISGUSTED! I didn't know what the hell waz wrong with her, she'z only 4 monthz old, anywayz, I asked around, looked up info online & also called the vet where I bought her, & from what I got, she vomitted bcoz of one of the following reasonz:

1-I fed her too much, coz in a pet shop, animalz arn't used to walking & playing, therefore the amount of food they eat iz much less than the amount we give her, that'z why she threw up " from eating too much/too fast"

2-The cat felt nervious & waz trying to cope with her new home.

3-Becoz I gave her cow'z milk, I read that kittiez & catz don't digest milk very well, causing dhiarria & vomitting

4-Hairballz, I did this trick there i put some butter over her pawz, she had to lick them to get them off, well, this makez her more capable of dealing with hairballz. U can find any other remedy for hairballz at pet storez.

Hope I Helped!
& Good luck with your kitty!

Answer 8

Is it hairballs or just food or both?

If it's hairballs, try brushing him a bit to get rid of the excess loose hair. Cats swallow alot when they clean themselves.

If it's food, maybe he's eating too fast? Mine does that all the time. Eats like he's going to the electric chair, then hurls in his food dish...yuck. Try smaller amounts. Less to eat, less likely to puke.

On the down side...I did have a cat that threw up alot. The doctor scoped him and found that he had stomach cancer....who knew? But he did survive chemo and was cancer free for almost 5 years....I don't want to be a downer, but I just wanted you to be aware of other things besides the obvious.

Good luck, hope he gets better soon.

Answer 9

I have the same problem. I use the hairball food mixed with his vet prescribed food and the hairball treats. I was told it's from them licking/grooming themselves and to make sure he gets brushed. Also my cat tends to nibble on things like ribbons, rafia, anything shiny. It's not as bad as it once was but still happens.

Answer 10

They make "Petmalt" for cats. It's specifically for hairballs and easy to give and cats LOVE the flavor. It works too.