What else can I try to treat the cats hair ball?

Question

We have my mother's cat and she doesn't cough on it, she swallows & swallows until it goes back down. Just petting her will cause her to do this.
My mom is aware of it. We've consistently given her over-the-counter hair ball remedy and it isn't working, the poor kitty.
Would mineral oil or olive oil help? I used to use castor oil on my cat, but she hated it. The only way I know that the vet can help is to surgically cut the kitty.
I know that it's a hair ball and she is being brushed. We've tried two different types of hairball remedy and given more than instructed when it didn't work. I don't think a trip to the vet is going to help.
Any suggestions?

Has anyone tried Mineral Oil or Olive Oil, if so, did it work?

Answer 1

The best thing that I have found is to put a glob of petroleum jelly on the cat's whiskers. The cat will NOT like it; she will lick it off, and it will help the hair pass through the digestive tract. My vet told me this MANY years ago, and I've used it for at least a half-dozen cats.

Answer 2

Two ways can be used. Petroleum Jelly, wipe a gum ball size evenly on both paws. Your cat will lick it off. Do this every day for a week. And just to be on the safe side give you cat some fresh grass from outside as-well.

Do not give your cat tuna everyday or tuna oil everyday. The Mercury from the tuna will kill it over time! Tuna once a month is OK, but never everyday!!!!!

Hope your cat coughs it up. It's probably just so big.

Cat cat coughed for a month. All three of them tried to get a hairball at the same time. The Petroleum Jelly helped.

Shalom,
Felicia

Answer 3

Never tried the oils, they wouldn't be safe. Best thing to use is Vaseline (petroleum jelly). Some cats will actually lick a blob of it off your finger - don't know why some like the taste. If your cat won't lick it, you have to shove it in there! Do once a week, then down to once every two.

Answer 4

Your regular vet will be able to treat the cat more cheaply than the emergency vet, probably by a pretty good margin. As for the mass, I have never seen anything like it. However, when the vet removes it they will do tests to determine if it is cancerous and can determine what medical treatments your cat needs from there.

Answer 5

We gave ours half a can of tuna fish packed in oil twice a day until it worked its way out of his system. Petroleum jelly can work, or there are flavored treatments sold in pet supply stores. If it gets too bad, it can be fatal, so make sure that if the cats stops eating and going to the bathroom, you get it to the vet.

Answer 6

We have four housecats and a foster cat, and I have always found the hard food that helps prevent hairballs to be helpful. I would still take the cat to the vet. It might not do any good, but as far as any of our animals health goes, better safe than sorry is our motto. Good Luck

Answer 7

All I can think of is get a can of tuna in oil and feed half to the kitty and then maybe refrigerate the other half and feed it the next day that way she will get some oil in her and the tuna is good for her. Just be careful cause too much oil will cause diarrhea

Answer 8

I have two long-haired cats (purebred persian and a himalayan). My vet said rubbing a little bit of vaseline on top of the front paws would probably work as well as anything...and wouldn't hurt.

Answer 9

You could always try a little bit of the oil in the bottom of the tuna/sardine tin, mix it up well with her food, it may help. It worked with my cats, but they're both short hairs.
Good luck!

Answer 10

i know you said that you used over the counter stuff but there is a product called petromalt (not sure if i spelled correctly). you can find it at pet supply shops. if that doesn't work, try going to a natural health store, they may know of an herbal remedy. good luck to the kitty!