Cat Throw-up - Remedies?

Question

Our cat's occasionally throw up their food/hairballs.
We feed them science diet light hairball control formula.
Does anyone know of any good remedies (conventional or home-grown) to keep our house throwup free...

Answer 1

Science Diet uses by-product meat and whether it says "hairball control" or not it is not a good food.

My cats eat a raw meat diet I prepare and canned foods of high quality meat protein - Natural Balance, Wellness, Lick Your Chops, By Nature's Organic and there are NO hairballs in my house.

I adotped a 17 year old Turkish Angora type cat four months ago. His owner reported that he always had hairballs (ate Science Diet and Fancy Feast). He has not chucked up ANY hairballs in the four months he had been with me. He does eat paper for some strange reason and that comes back up a few times a week.

The cat's body is designed to eat high meat protein diets and they can digest the hair they ingest from grooming if that is what is in their stomach to digest. When you feed a diet that is 2/3 corn which is hard to digest and not appropriate for cat nutrition the hair and food will come back up on your carpet!

Answer 2

I have a 9 year old blue russian. She has a VERY sensitive stomach. I think I tried every single cat food out there!! What I have found that works best for her is Purina Cat Chow. It's the food that comes in the blue bag. There's nothing special about it (like hairball control, etc.) It's made for cats of all ages, including kittens. I got a new kitten about 6 months ago, and I have been giving her the Purina Cat Chow since I got her when she was 6 weeks old. Also, I try to avoid giving her wet cat food. Too much of that will make her throw up. If I do give her wet cat food, its the kind that comes in the pouches. I think Friskies makes it... However, I only give her that MAYBE 2 times a month. I have tried using the hairball control cat treats as well, and she throws up almost instantly after eating that, so those didn't work for her. Also, make sure the food dish always has a little bit of food in it. That way your cat wont chow everything down all at once and then puke it up. Don't worry about your cat getting fat from that. I don't mean putting more than what they should eat in a day in the bowl, just take the daily amount and divide it up throughout the day. I really hope this helps. I know how hard it is to have a cat that pukes all the time. I have been doing this same routine for 5 years now (it took me 4 years to figure all this out!) and she has puked about 5 or 6 times in the last 5 years. Nothing will keep your cat from puking occasionally, but this might help tone it down! Good luck to ya!!!

Answer 3

I have a Persian Cat who throws up a lot because he has a IBD. It was recommended to us to give him 1/4 of a people's Pepcid Pill twice a day after he eats and a B12 vitamin to replenish his system. It sounds like it was just a furball. Follow the directions of the other yahoo-ers like getting cat grass since he doesn't go outside. Before seeing a vet, you might find that your cat doesn't like their dry food anymore. You can switch to an inexpensive dry food for sensitive stomachs. I know even walmart sells Purina ONE® for Sensitive Systems. If you end up needing a Vet, I have found online several Vet’s offer a free 1st exam or provide a very deep discount to make the visit only $20.

Answer 4

The best thing to do is give them Vaseline (petroleum jelly). Put a gob of it on your finger and see if they will lick it off - actually, some really like it! If not, you will have to shove it in there. Do twice a week at first, then down to once a week, then once every other week.
Your cat doesn't need to be on specialty cat food - just a store brand dry food is fine.

Answer 5

Pounce hair ball treats. Since I started using them my cat has had no hairball issues. They are great, if at times a little hard to find. Get the moist kind.

Answer 6

My cats were doing the same thing and I switched to IAMS hairball control. It is more expensive, but it is the only thing I have found that actually works.

Answer 7

If hairball diet and treatment doesn't stop the vomiting, please get your cat checked for intestinal disorders or blockages. Keep track of the cat's intake and output & assess the appearance of the stools - ie: constipation, diarrhea, abnormal color.
Feed smaller amounts at a time, too.

Answer 8

Sometimes if they go awhile with their food bowl empty, then when it is filled they will wolf down their food, it expands in their stomach and too much in there, so they throw up...they can't eat soft food too fast and it doesn't expand like dry food does, but could cause more dental problems and the vet says whiskas is cat junk food (too much fat)..

Answer 9

In addition to the food I would add laxatone. Just give them a little of that as the dosage recommends and it helps loosen up any hair in the stomach and helps it pass. That and just brush out your cat as often as you can to remove any loose hair. hope this helps

Answer 10

Grow your cats a pot of grass to chew (Mr Fothergills sell cat grass seed) - this will help aid their digestion.

How often do you groom your cats? Extra brushing could help.

All the best.x