Do Dry Cat Foods With Hairball Control Really Work?

[Seryy'smom]

Hi everyone. Seryy really hates hairball remedies in a tube(I have tried 2 different brands), so I would like to buy her one of these foods if they really work. Right now I have her on New Balance grain free dry food and give her 2 -3 oz. cans of fancy feast per day, but she has the most horrendous stinky farts and poops, so I'm thinking it really must not be good for her tummy to be giving her varieties of canned food every day?

So can anyone vouch for the hairball control food,inexpensive preferred, and are there any that are also grain-free? Thank you in advance

 

[lisahe]

A stinky cat is no fun! We went through that with one of ours and it was eliminating potato that did the trick: cats just aren't built to handle carby vegetables like that. Although lots of ingredients in foods have the potential to cause gas and other evidence of sensitivities or digestive unhappiness -- gums, carrageenan, a specific meat/protein, egg, etc., pretty much everything has come up in one thread or another here! -- I'd probably suggest eliminating that dry food. I say that because most New Balance foods contain peas, which are carby legumes. Here's an old thread that mentions some cats that have had difficulties with peas. I know I also saw an article (something more scientific) recently about peas and cats but of course can't remember where I read it. That said, I also remember some people mentioning that their cats have gas from Fancy Feast! The only thing you can do is try cutting something out, tracking ingredients and symptoms closely, and seeing what happens.

As for hairballs, anti-hairball food did absolutely nothing to help our previous cat! She hated hairball remedies, too, but she loved to be brushed, which did help a lot. One of our current cats is very, very fluffy and the only thing that keeps her from barfing up fur is a good daily brushing when shedding season starts. She used to hate being brushed but has grown to love it, probably because it means more attention. We also feed the cats small amounts of egg yolk powder and pureed (pure) pumpkin, though I think it's the brushing that keeps Edwina's gut happy.

Theoretically, a cat should just eliminate all the fur but some cats' stomachs are more sensitive to it. Cats's digestive tracts also lose motility as they age. I think we're seeing both those factors with Edwina, who is now six.

Good luck! Both these issues you have can be tough ones to crack!

 

[mizzely]

My cat Jasmine puked ALLLL the time. The treats, pastes, and foods did nothing. However, feeding 100% wet food and elevating her food dish 6 inches off the floor drastically reduced the amount. We went from several times a week to a couple times a month.

 

[FeebysOwner]

I can't help with the question about grain-free hairball control food, but have you tried butter or margarine to help prevent hairballs? If she will lick a dab off your finger - or one of her paws - 2-3 times a week, that might just be enough to help - along with frequent brushings, of course.

 

[Seryy'smom]

I can't help with the question about grain-free hairball control food, but have you tried butter or margarine to help prevent hairballs? If she will lick a dab off your finger - or one of her paws - 2-3 times a week, that might just be enough to help - along with frequent brushings, of course.

No, I hadn't thought of margarine, will sure try that, thanks!

 

[Seryy'smom]

A stinky cat is no fun! We went through that with one of ours and it was eliminating potato that did the trick: cats just aren't built to handle carby vegetables like that. Although lots of ingredients in foods have the potential to cause gas and other evidence of sensitivities or digestive unhappiness -- gums, carrageenan, a specific meat/protein, egg, etc., pretty much everything has come up in one thread or another here! -- I'd probably suggest eliminating that dry food. I say that because most New Balance foods contain peas, which are carby legumes. Here's an old thread that mentions some cats that have had difficulties with peas. I know I also saw an article (something more scientific) recently about peas and cats but of course can't remember where I read it. That said, I also remember some people mentioning that their cats have gas from Fancy Feast! The only thing you can do is try cutting something out, tracking ingredients and symptoms closely, and seeing what happens.

As for hairballs, anti-hairball food did absolutely nothing to help our previous cat! She hated hairball remedies, too, but she loved to be brushed, which did help a lot. One of our current cats is very, very fluffy and the only thing that keeps her from barfing up fur is a good daily brushing when shedding season starts. She used to hate being brushed but has grown to love it, probably because it means more attention. We also feed the cats small amounts of egg yolk powder and pureed (pure) pumpkin, though I think it's the brushing that keeps Edwina's gut happy.

Theoretically, a cat should just eliminate all the fur but some cats' stomachs are more sensitive to it. Cats's digestive tracts also lose motility as they age. I think we're seeing both those factors with Edwina, who is now six.

Good luck! Both these issues you have can be tough ones to crack!

Oh I was wrong, her food isn't New Balance it's Beyond. I do brush her, and she's pretty good about it. Where would I find egg yolk powder?

 

[lisahe]

Oh I was wrong, her food isn't New Balance it's Beyond. I do brush her, and she's pretty good about it. Where would I find egg yolk powder?

I looked at a couple of Beyond dry foods (chicken and white fish) and they both have pea ingredients, too. Peas are in tons of cat foods these days!

I buy egg yolk from Food Fur Life (here). It's $15 a bag but a bag lasts a long time. To start, you could try just boiling an egg and seeing your cat likes egg yolk. The page I linked to has links to more information about hairballs. Much of this is similar to what our vet has told us and much of it fits with mizzely 's cat's situation, too, where cutting out the dry food stopped the vomiting.

Good luck!

P.S. And I just realized that your cat must have a Russian name!

 

[Seryy'smom]

I looked at a couple of Beyond dry foods (chicken and white fish) and they both have pea ingredients, too. Peas are in tons of cat foods these days!

I buy egg yolk from Food Fur Life (here). It's $15 a bag but a bag lasts a long time. To start, you could try just boiling an egg and seeing your cat likes egg yolk. The page I linked to has links to more information about hairballs. Much of this is similar to what our vet has told us and much of it fits with mizzely 's cat's situation, too, where cutting out the dry food stopped the vomiting.

Good luck!

P.S. And I just realized that your cat must have a Russian name!

Yes, Seryy is gray in Russian. I looked up Russian names for a female cat.
Are peas, bad for cats? Thank you for the info about egg yolk powder.

 

[BlueJay]

My cat does better when I give her hairball treats, I've given her iams brand as well as greenies. I don't think they're grain free, but since I only give her a bit a day, I don't worry about it too much.

Peas are a carbohydrate, like grains. They have protein that is good for humans, but cats don't process peas the same way humans do, so they don't get the protein benefit from the peas. So the cans might say there is a higher protein content then your cat actually gets.

 

[lisahe]

Yes, Seryy is gray in Russian. I looked up Russian names for a female cat.
Are peas, bad for cats? Thank you for the info about egg yolk powder.

Peas aren't great for cats: they're vegetable matter and kind of carby, I'm totally with BlueJay about peas. (I won't feed them to our cats.)

Yes, Seryy is "gray" in Russian, though, technically, in that meaning she'd be Seraya because that's the feminine form! (Seryy can also be a nickname for Sergei.) That would be the least of my worries, though, compared to hairballs, particularly since Russian names (and Russian in general!) can do some really weird things. Anyway, I think it sounds cute for her! Kind of like how my Russian/American couple friends named their cat Spot.

 

[Seryy'smom]

My cat does better when I give her hairball treats, I've given her iams brand as well as greenies. I don't think they're grain free, but since I only give her a bit a day, I don't worry about it too much.

Peas are a carbohydrate, like grains. They have protein that is good for humans, but cats don't process peas the same way humans do, so they don't get the protein benefit from the peas. So the cans might say there is a higher protein content then your cat actually gets.

Thank you for that info.

 

[momof3b1g]

I tried those years ago. They just threw up more. Instead of pushing them out per say :/