Too much hairball vomit!

Novus888

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My Buddy has taken to puking matted hair/vomit every two or three days. He has anointed all his beds, my bed, carpet, and about every place else possible (but the litterbox). Aside from being a chore to clean up, and extra stinky (all fish diet?), it can't be healthy for him. Been looking on internet, and this was suggested:

"Use a hairball product or laxative. There are a number of different hairball products on the market today, most of which are mild laxatives that help hairballs pass through the digestive tract."

Anyone have a favorite brand/item to recommend?
 

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Hi
Try brushing him as much as possible, a little mushed cooked egg yolk, (small amount at first) and this product is one I've used; GNC malt flavor Hairball formula.

However, if possible try and add other proteins than just fish, and this frequency of vomiting suggests to me that he needs to see a vet if he hasn't been in lately.
 

daftcat75

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Laxatone is the one vets recommend frequently:
Laxatone® | Vetoquinol USA

I haven't tried this brand with my Betty. But another brand she had no interest in and nearly made a mess of my home running around like a nutcase with a smear of the stuff on her arm that she was trying to shake off rather than groom off. So if Buddy is like Betty, you may not be able to get a hairball gel into him.

Here's an article on using egg yolk and egg yolk lecithin for hairball control:
How Best to Manage Hairballs

Here's another that recommends the addition of digestive enzymes and a quality probiotic (which they sell both and I have nothing but good things to say about their probiotic. For digestive enzymes, I use Optagest which seems to be better received by Betty than their Super Pet Enzymes product)
Furballs! - Vitality Science

And for a really difficult case of hairballs, you might consider FMT pills (poop pills) from carefully screened healthy donor cats:
Your Cat Has Hairballs: Should You Worry?

I wouldn't try the FMT unless you are able to either pill Buddy everyday or you can find a way to get him to pill himself. You cannot open the FMT capsules--there's dried poop in there, and also the capsule protects the contents past the stomach to the gut where they're needed. I can't pill Betty. But I get her to pill herself by smearing the pill in her favorite food and depositing the food plus pill morsel on the carpet. The carpet greatly reduces her ability to lick and flick (lick the food off and flick the pill away.)

While it's still too soon to tell, I think the Optagest and the FMT pills are helping Betty. I can't get her to eat egg yolk powder and egg yolk lecithin seems to be a 50/50 proposition with her (she ate one dose but skipped another.) She loves brushing! We do that just about every chance we get. I keep multiple brushes and brush-like products (Zoom Groom and a grooming glove) around the home. There's always some kind of deshedding tool within arm's reach whenever an eager Betty is looking for some love.
 

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Vetooquinol laxatone my cats liked the tuna but not maple so if your cat does notlike one she might like the other. My cat Coco gets very excited when I pull out my brush. She meows loud!
 

cataholic07

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Hmm yah you need to figure out what the underlining cause is. Is your cat overgrooming? Hairballs every few days isn't hairballs it's just vomiting with hair in it so something is going on with the tummy. Try switching to a novel protein wet food and off the fish to see if it helps. You may also wanna get an ultrasound to ensure it's not IBD/GI lymphoma.
 

BoaztheAdventureCat

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My Buddy has taken to puking matted hair/vomit every two or three days. He has anointed all his beds, my bed, carpet, and about every place else possible (but the litterbox). Aside from being a chore to clean up, and extra stinky (all fish diet?), it can't be healthy for him. Been looking on internet, and this was suggested:

"Use a hairball product or laxative. There are a number of different hairball products on the market today, most of which are mild laxatives that help hairballs pass through the digestive tract."

Anyone have a favorite brand/item to recommend?
Coconut oil and canned pumpkin help with digestion and hairball control. Slippery elm is an herb that also aids in digestion.
 

BoaztheAdventureCat

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My Buddy has taken to puking matted hair/vomit every two or three days. He has anointed all his beds, my bed, carpet, and about every place else possible (but the litterbox). Aside from being a chore to clean up, and extra stinky (all fish diet?), it can't be healthy for him. Been looking on internet, and this was suggested:

"Use a hairball product or laxative. There are a number of different hairball products on the market today, most of which are mild laxatives that help hairballs pass through the digestive tract."

Anyone have a favorite brand/item to recommend?
BTW, you might want to dramatically reduce the amount of fish you feed him. Too much fish causes hypothyroidism in cats.
 

daftcat75

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Fish can also be an inflammatory food. Inflammation in the gut leads to slower transit time and less efficient digestion. Hairballs today can be a leading indicator of developing IBD. If you can reduce or eliminate the fish, that alone may fix or reduce the problem. But cats are stubborn. This can be a parallel project while you seek more immediate relief.
 
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Novus888

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Hi
Try brushing him as much as possible, a little mushed cooked egg yolk, (small amount at first) and this product is one I've used; GNC malt flavor Hairball formula.

However, if possible try and add other proteins than just fish, and this frequency of vomiting suggests to me that he needs to see a vet if he hasn't been in lately.
I don't see how it could possibly be lack of brushing. He eats four small (half of a 2.8 oz can) meals a day, and I brush him after each meal with the Safari Self-Cleaning Slicker Brush. Cannot say I'm that impressed with it, despite the Amazon reviews (and his addiction to it), but it gets more fur than my mixed bristle hairbrush used to. I'm definitely open to a brush that works better.

The only thing he eats is Fussy Cat Tuna and Salmon. That's it for wetfood. A big no way for raw food and anything I can fix him. He is hooked on Hills Urinary Care C/D dry food (thinks it's a treat). Sorta likes IAMS Healthy Senior dry food, and Greenies. That's it. That is ALL he will eat without using that appetite stimulant.

Already mentioned it to the vet, who was not at all concerned. When pressed he said I could make an appointment for an ultrasound in three months, but was not encouraging. Acted like it is normal.
 
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Novus888

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Laxatone is the one vets recommend frequently:
Laxatone® | Vetoquinol USA

I haven't tried this brand with my Betty. But another brand she had no interest in and nearly made a mess of my home running around like a nutcase with a smear of the stuff on her arm that she was trying to shake off rather than groom off. So if Buddy is like Betty, you may not be able to get a hairball gel into him.

Here's an article on using egg yolk and egg yolk lecithin for hairball control:
How Best to Manage Hairballs

Here's another that recommends the addition of digestive enzymes and a quality probiotic (which they sell both and I have nothing but good things to say about their probiotic. For digestive enzymes, I use Optagest which seems to be better received by Betty than their Super Pet Enzymes product)
Furballs! - Vitality Science

And for a really difficult case of hairballs, you might consider FMT pills (poop pills) from carefully screened healthy donor cats:
Your Cat Has Hairballs: Should You Worry?

I wouldn't try the FMT unless you are able to either pill Buddy everyday or you can find a way to get him to pill himself. You cannot open the FMT capsules--there's dried poop in there, and also the capsule protects the contents past the stomach to the gut where they're needed. I can't pill Betty. But I get her to pill herself by smearing the pill in her favorite food and depositing the food plus pill morsel on the carpet. The carpet greatly reduces her ability to lick and flick (lick the food off and flick the pill away.)

While it's still too soon to tell, I think the Optagest and the FMT pills are helping Betty. I can't get her to eat egg yolk powder and egg yolk lecithin seems to be a 50/50 proposition with her (she ate one dose but skipped another.) She loves brushing! We do that just about every chance we get. I keep multiple brushes and brush-like products (Zoom Groom and a grooming glove) around the home. There's always some kind of deshedding tool within arm's reach whenever an eager Betty is looking for some love.
Anything that can be concealed in his beloved Fussy Cat, I can get into him. He has become food fixated to the point he can tell time, is always just minutes away from starvation, eats like a dog, and licks the saucer clean. All I have to do is be an hour late and even vet dope concealed in a Pill Pocket will be swallowed without hesitation.
 
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Novus888

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Would you want to try a furminator? ...a different vet?
The furminator has mixed reviews, but I'm willing to try it, on the chance I can cut down on janitorial duty. I'm stuck with the vet. The SPCA hospital is the only one here not taken over by the Branch Covidian fanatics, and their curbside dropoff/pickup malarkey.
 

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Novus888

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a hairball product or laxative
Hmm yah you need to figure out what the underlining cause is. Is your cat overgrooming? Hairballs every few days isn't hairballs it's just vomiting with hair in it so something is going on with the tummy. Try switching to a novel protein wet food and off the fish to see if it helps. You may also wanna get an ultrasound to ensure it's not IBD/GI lymphoma.
I'd assume overgrooming is the cause. He licks when he wakes up, and since he is sleeping most of the day (off and on) that is a lot of licking, plus more after each meal. And he's shedding. I definitely need a better brush, and a hairball product or laxative. Did see a tip on another site that you can wet your hands, fling off the excess water, then give the cat a massage, the hair sticks to your hands, then you rub your hands together to get rid of it. It works! Unfortunately I'm really good at massage, Buddy gets overstimulated fast and wants to bite, so I have to keep the sessions very short, and repeat a lot.
 
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Novus888

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BTW, you might want to dramatically reduce the amount of fish you feed him. Too much fish causes hypothyroidism in cats.
I have extra virgin coconut oil. Been rubbing it on his balding spots between eyes and ears. According to the internet the dosage for hairballs is 1/8 teaspoon twice a week. I'll melt it in my hands before giving him a massage, and he will have to lick it off. I very much doubt I could conceal enough pumpkin in his Fussy Cat to do anything.

I'd love to expand his diet. Fussy Cat Tuna & Salmon is always hard to find since the hoarders discovered it, and a monthly source of worry for me. Other than taking him to the vet and having a feeding tube shoved down his throat, or addicting him to the appetite stimulant, I don't know any way to make Buddy eat anything he doesn't want to eat. I've tried everything sold by the single can at the supermarket, tried raw food, tried five recipes for DIY catfood off the internet, and altered some of my recipes to be cat-safe. He sniffs and won't even taste it.
 

maggie101

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This is the ferminator I have. Make sure you get the wide,not narrow. How old is your cat? Try canned weruva. My cats like steak frites and cats in the kitchen. Any small petstore will have weruva. I never feed my cats fish. It is addicting and high mercury,especially tuna. Sardines are okay to occasionally be fed. They do not swim as deep where all the bad bacteria is. Weruva is high protein and moisture,what he needs
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Novus888

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Cannot believe the price these are selling at...fortunately I'm good at bargain-hunting:


So bought one for under $14 (large cat/short hair).

My sciatica was nasty yesterday, so never went out. I'll wait for a break in the hurt, then buy the cat lax, and maybe check for single cans of Weruva. I'll not be buying any 24 can case til I know Buddy will eat it, as I'm already stuck with a lot to donate to the SPCA. Found a can of Blue Wilderness Duck Recipe I got somewhere, which won a sniff and halfhearted lick before getting shot down. I did learn Buddy will eat tuna in oil, as I made some Tuna Helper today, and he got the can out of the garbage and was licking it. I got it away from him before he cut his tongue. First time he ever invaded the garbage.
 

maggie101

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Catfooddb.com
A lot of the weruva food(any brand) will say chicken when it includes fish. If nothing helps then vet. My cat was continuously licking her tummy,hiding,not eating, threw up almost every day. End up having struitive crystals and possible pancreas and ibd. Now she had loose stools so got a steroid shot.
 
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