Cat w/ hairball issues. Tried everything. Are there edible treatments that cats will actually eat?

Question

Not cream...she hates it! Something in the food dish, please!
Also open to other suggestions...

Answer 1

We used to have a hairball problem but no more! We have our cats strip-clipped (shaved) at the vet's on a regular basis. At the same time we have dental cleanings, shots, and bath. We've been doing this for several years now, and neither one of our 2 cats have had a hairball since. We have them shaved about 1/4" long. (aprox 3-4 times a year) They always look so nice when they're done. Be sure to have the head, tail, and all 4 feet shaved too. Otherwise kitty will look silly. Our cats L-O-V-E their grooming sessions. You can tell by their demeanor afterwards. Give it a try.

Answer 2

Try feeding your cat canned food instead of dry food, or at least adding a daily meal of canned to her diet of dry. Make any diet changes gradually to avoid stomach upset, adding a little bit of new food at first, and then increasing the portion of new food to old food each day until the cat is eating only the new food. The extra moisture in the canned food should reduce or eliminate the hairballs, and most cats will take much more readily to eating canned food than they will to taking hairball supplements. My cats haven't had a single hairball since I switched them over to a mostly canned diet a few years ago. If hairballs are still a problem after you make the switch, you can try adding a little bit of fiber to your cat's diet - you can get fiber capsules for cats at some pet stores that you can sprinkle over her food, or give your cat a tablespoon of plain canned (no sugar or flavorings added) or fresh-blended pumpkin a couple of times a week.

A high-quality canned food will usually cut down on the amount of hair a cat sheds, which will also help with the hairballs. Daily brushing during shedding season (spring/fall) will help too.

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

There are various types of hairball treatments available for cats, many cats like them and they work. Some are additives that you add to your cats food, and there are foods that contain the additives.

You should go to the pet store and buy several varieties of the hairball remedy foods, and see which ones your cat likes best. Then you can combine them all together and feed as usual.

What worked for my cat is ... canned food. I feed one can of cat food at night, and I put a small amount of dry in his bowl in the morning. If I give him too much dry food, he'll start having the hairballs again. I cannot use any of the hairball remedies in the tubes as he dislikes them intensly.

I switch between brands of canned cat food. I don't think any one food is best, so I get a variety... a mixture of the very healthy, and some of the "junk food" type. After all, I like eating McDonald's every once and a while :)

Answer 4

I agree with iwonder. Hills Science Diet also has a hairball formula for the cats. Every so often I dab a little bit of butter (margarine) on the tips of their noses. Works wonders! I can't remember when I had a hairball issue last.

Answer 5

My cat used to have hairball issues but the vet told me to just put a small amount of vaseline on the top of his paw. He didn't like the vaseline being on his paw so he would lick it off. The idea being that the extra oil from the vaseline was what he needed into his digestive track. I put about 1/2 teaspoon on his paw once a day for about 3 days and then let nature take over.

Answer 6

Try Nutro cat food. They have an excellent hairball control formula called Max and also a complete care indoor formula that includes hairball control, dental health etc. etc. in fact everything an indoor cat needs.

Answer 7

Our cats all have hairball issues but one is worse than the others. We give her Whiskas brand Temptations hairball control and they help. We give them to her when we see her hacking one up and usually within a few days there are no more problems for a while. They are inexpensive and you can find them almost everywhere. (We use them as a treat and a reward.)

Answer 8

well,if i'm not mistaken, i beleive that Iam's makes a hairball treatment cat food. if you change types of food like this, be sure not to do it suddenly. first mix increasingly larger amounts of the new food in with the old food, increasing the amount every couple of days, until eventually you are using all new food. also, talk to the cat's vet and see if they have any suggestions. hope I helped!

~iwonder121

Answer 9

I'm assuming you've tried tuna flavored laxatone gel, you can put it on their food too. If that didn't work try Science Diet hairball control food... worked GREAT for my cat. You can also get hairball control treats and canned food. Good luck!

Answer 10

Have you tried the laxatone or petromalt....cats usually like it. You can try plain old petroleum jelly (main ingredient in most hairball OTC meds) which they will usually lick right off your finger. There are also special anti-hairball diets out there as well.