Sad Hairball Kitty

rosegold

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My very fluffy NFC Chilli/“Mao” has gotten maybe 3-4 hairballs in the past six months I’ve owned her. I can usually tell when another one’s coming on as she gets a bit lethargic for a few days and licks her lips a lot.

Today she’s been showing all those signs so I’m monitoring her (and hoping she doesn’t choose to throw up on my carpet!). But she does seem more gloomy/lethargic than last time. Still eating and drinking but a gurgly tummy and is giving me the sad eyes. Only a tiny bit of hacking so I’m not too worried yet, but it’s very sad to see her not feeling good.

I have some Petromalt but she HATES the smell of it. Refuses to taste it. The directions said to put a bit on their paw but when I did that she freaked out and ran around the house shaking it off, and then yelled at me for ten minutes about how I’d mistreated her. Elsewhere in this forum, however, I saw the suggestion to open their mouth and wipe some on their tongue or cheek.

So I guess my question is, do y’all recommend I torture the poor kitty further and force some Petromalt into her? Or should I just wait and see if a hairball manifests? (She’s actually very compliant about medicine. But does yell at me and give me the evil eye for a while afterward).
 

okeelady

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I've had a bunch of cats and have tried numerous hairball remedies. The only one that my cats have actually liked is"Cat Lax". They have licked it right from the tube. It's cheaper than the others and you can get it online Amazon etc. My daughter has a problem with her cat. She puts Laxatone on his paw, he flings it then after he uses the litter box she has to clean the litter off thats stuck to the laxatone!
 

di and bob

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Hairballs make them miserable. The best way to help is to prevent them. I know it's a pain, but get a good hair brush specifically for cats and brush her daily or as often as you can, set up a time maybe while watching TV, or some other time you react with her. You might try hairball food, they are out there and are formulated to help. Some cats won't eat it though. There are treats formulated to help too, my cats WILL eat those, so it wouldn't hurt to try. They have the 'laxatone' and oils needed to pass the hairball through the system. research on the internet and see about other remedies or ask your vet the next time you are in. My Burt had hairballs regularly, and he lived to seventeen, the treats did help him to go longer between episodes. He, too, HATED that 'paste' on the paw.
 

duckpond

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I agree that the best thing for hairballs is the brush. I brush mine daily, just for a min or two. then once or twice a week they get a longer brushing. I also got the Furminator, i only use it every few weeks, but it sure got rid of loose hair!

I have had cats throw up a hairball, but i dont think i ever had one that acted sick with it. Just bam, there it was :eek: I have read that some cats get blocked with hairballs, scary. So watch her close and maybe a vet visit if she isnt better soon!
 

cheeser

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Egg yolk lecithin (or cooked egg yolks from hard-boiled eggs) has worked wonders for our kitties when they get hairballs. Well, that, and brushing them a lot. :)

We're huge fans of the Kong Zoom Groom for brushing our cats. I thought we had been doing a pretty thorough job of removing as much loose fur as possible with our other brushes and combs. But once we started using the Zoom Groom, we were embarrassed to see how much hair we had been missing. :paperbag:

But, yeah, some cats can get blocked from hairballs. So a visit to the vet might be in order if your kitty doesn't get better soon.
 

daftcat75

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I’ve read that pumpkin also helps for hairballs as the fiber helps pull them through. How old is your cat? It may be time to supplement her diet with digestive enzymes. My 14-year old, Krista, was cycling through three or four good days of eating followed by two or three days of hairball misery. With pumpkin-based food (Tiki Cat Aloha Friends Tuna with Pumpkin) and digestive enzymes added to every meal, she no longer cycles like that. It’s been almost a month since we made those changes and not a hairball since.
 
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