Flavorless and odorless hairball remedy

[LTS3]

Is there a hairball remedy that is flavorless and odorless that can be mixed into food like Miralax? Emma used to like hairball gel but won't touch it now. She won't touch raw egg yolk or powdered egg yolk. She does not eat treats so please don't suggest hairball chews or anything. A product that is poultry-free and IBD-friendly is a plus because Leroy will lick Emma's bowl clean. Would digestive enzymes be any help?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Have you considered butter/margarine, or olive oil? I know they are not flavorless or odorless, but a lot of cats like the taste of butter, and a couple of drops of oil in her food would probably go unnoticed.

 

[IndyJones]

I don't think enzymes would work since hair isn't digestible (ie can't be broken down). I've heard of people using a bit of butter or a teaspoon of virgin or extra virgin olive oil.

Other than that there's hairball cat food but I don't think it does much or at least it never made a difference for my guys.

 

[LTS3]

Emma won't touch butter or anything and will not touch food that has been tampered with. She tolerates Miralax but that's not even mixed in since I feed raw bites. Has anyone tried egg yolk lecithin? I wonder if that has any flavor / odor.

 

[Furballsmom]

Has anyone tried egg yolk lecithin?

daftcat75 is currently for his kitty.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Baby Su and Elvis love their Feline Greenies tuna flavor SmartBites "Hairball Formula" treats before bed. IDK if this has anything to do with the fact that they rarely, if ever, leave me any "surprises."

 

[daftcat75]

Emma won't touch butter or anything and will not touch food that has been tampered with. She tolerates Miralax but that's not even mixed in since I feed raw bites. Has anyone tried egg yolk lecithin? I wonder if that has any flavor / odor.

I took one for the team. I have the Swanson brand that has rice flour in it to make it easier to pour. It doesn’t seem to smell like anything. But I don’t have a cat’s nose. As for the taste, it is a very mild taste mostly of rice flour.

I couldn’t get enough egg yolk powder into either Krista or Betty’s food to make a difference. Except in the litterbox. Instead of 1/4 or 1/2 tsp of yolk powder, I only need 1/2 capsule or 1/8 tsp of EYL. Betty is currently on a very conservative dose of 1/4 capsule or 1/16 tsp (the pinch spoon if you have the dash-pinch-smidgen spoons.) And I only dose her twice a week. She’s only had a couple doses and it’s still too soon to say whether its working.

But… I also started Betty on the Gut Restore Program from Animal Biome. It’s FMT (fecal microbiota transplant) or “poop pills” that contain micro biome samples from carefully screened healthy donor cats.

Restore Cat and Dog Gut Health - AnimalBiome

In their studies, 83% of cats who took the FMT pills saw a significant improvement in symptoms.

I’m still waiting for Betty’s specialist appointment to determine next steps from “inflamed intestines” on her ultrasound. She doesn’t throw up food or have poop issues so neither myself nor the vet are racing to IBD and pred. In fact, beyond nausea/hyporexia and hairballs, she seems in good shape. The nausea/hyporexia is being treated with meds (ondansetron, famotidine, and mirtazapine.) I could be overly optimistic, but I think the FMT pills are starting to help with her nausea, appetite, and perhaps even her hairballs.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I took one for the team. I have the Swanson brand that has rice flour in it to make it easier to pour. It doesn’t seem to smell like anything. But I don’t have a cat’s nose. As for the taste, it is a very mild taste mostly of rice flour.

I couldn’t get enough egg yolk powder into either Krista or Betty’s food to make a difference. Except in the litterbox. Instead of 1/4 or 1/2 tsp of yolk powder, I only need 1/2 capsule or 1/8 tsp of EYL. Betty is currently on a very conservative dose of 1/4 capsule or 1/16 tsp (the pinch spoon if you have the dash-pinch-smidgen spoons.) And I only dose her twice a week. She’s only had a couple doses and it’s still too soon to say whether its working.

But… I also started Betty on the Gut Restore Program from Animal Biome. It’s FMT (fecal microbiota transplant) or “poop pills” that contain micro biome samples from carefully screened healthy donor cats.

Restore Cat and Dog Gut Health - AnimalBiome

In their studies, 83% of cats who took the FMT pills saw a significant improvement in symptoms.

I’m still waiting for Betty’s specialist appointment to determine next steps from “inflamed intestines” on her ultrasound. She doesn’t throw up food or have poop issues so neither myself nor the vet are racing to IBD and pred. In fact, beyond nausea/hyporexia and hairballs, she seems in good shape. The nausea/hyporexia is being treated with meds (ondansetron, famotidine, and mirtazapine.) I could be overly optimistic, but I think the FMT pills are starting to help with her nausea, appetite, and perhaps even her hairballs.

*From your keyboard!*

 

[LTS3]

Emma doesn't have any gastrointestinal issue, just the hairballs that gets thrown up every other week or so. The last one was a huge 6 inch one Brushing only does so much. I'll give the egg yolk lecithin a try, maybe switch a raw bite meal for a canned food meal so I can more easily mix the lecithin in and hide it. I'll have to keep Emma's bowl away from Leroy because of his IBD and chicken sensitivity. I'm not taking a chance with an egg yolk product.