Hairball

[catladyboo]

My cat Boo is currently struggling with a hairball problem.
I brought her to the vet yesterday as her eating has dwindled down - we ran blood tests, urine and did an X-ray. Thankfully, after all her liver problems these past few months her blood panel came back great. Urine was good and her X-ray shows what looks like a hairball/food. After losing a cat two weeks ago to cancer (and one two years ago to cancer) I asked the vet numerous times if there's anything pointing towards masses etc, she said there's nothing causing her to believe that Boo is dealing with the same issue. That's my worst fear right now.
I've been told the best thing I can do is continue giving Boo the hairball remedy I have and try to get her to pass it. Boo hasn't stopped eating but as I mentioned her appetite has definitely decreased. This past Monday, Boo had a 45 minute fit trying to get a hairball up - she managed to get a tiny piece of one out. Tuesday is when the eating went down.
Looking for advice/experience/helpful tips to try and get her to pass this darn hairball. I've been brushing her with both a furminator and another brush - she's a longer haired cat and shedding like mad. Other than the eating, she's still very perky, not lethargic at all. Still very affectionate, using her litter box like normal etc.

Any tricks/tips would be super appreciated!!

 

[stephanietx]

Oh bless, she's a tortie! Gotta love those tortie girls.

Now then, what are you feeding her? Wet or dry? What hairball remedy are you giving her? Is she tossing hairballs or not passing them in her stool?

We used to have a hairball problem. Figured out we were overfeeding our girl. Doh! She wasn't overweight, but cutting back on her food has helped almost eliminate the hairball problem. Also, we increased her wet food serving, but cut back on her dry food and that has helped as well. We add water to wet food to make it the consistency of a slurry or thin oatmeal just to get more water in our kitties.

I would recommend an all-wet, grain-free diet with some added plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) to help her pass her hair and food. The pumpkin acts as a gentle laxative. Dry food sucks up moisture from the body and can cause constipation or for the bowels to move slower. Since wet food has a high water content, that helps keep them hydrated and keeps things moving.

 

[IndyJones]

If she doesn't pass it chances are they will have to surgically remove it. Is she gagging at all? Are you checking her poo at all? Sometimes a cat will poop the hairball our rather than hack it up.

 

[forcryinoutloud]

I would also suggest the wet food and pumpkin - I mix them together as mine won't eat the pumpkin alone - as well as adding some extra water to the mix. My Jack is having mild constipation at the moment so I understand your worry - had him at the vet yesterday and she prodded his belly quite thoroughly (as his growls attested to) and said she couldn't feel any hard faeces so it's not full constipation - did your vet do the really deep uncomfortable prodding of your furbaby's belly to make sure there's no worries about there being a hairball obstruction? If there was nothing, then likely it's just a matter of trying to get that hair in her belly into her bowels to pass. The wet food and pumpkin should help with that. My vet also prescribed laxatone, and thera-bites hairball treats.

My Daniel used to have a hairball issue - he could never get them out, because he would keep swallowing it back down, like he didn't want to throw it up. He was the one that I had to even give unflavored metamucil to (at the vet's direction) to try and get that fur through him. You can mix a little of the metamucil powder directly into the food/pumpkin/water mix as well. It turns kind of gel like if it sits for a while, so definitely just mix enough of everything together that she will eat, so it doesn't turn gel like - my cats all refused to eat it once it the metamucil had gelled.

 

[catladyboo]

Oh bless, she's a tortie! Gotta love those tortie girls.

Now then, what are you feeding her? Wet or dry? What hairball remedy are you giving her? Is she tossing hairballs or not passing them in her stool?

We used to have a hairball problem. Figured out we were overfeeding our girl. Doh! She wasn't overweight, but cutting back on her food has helped almost eliminate the hairball problem. Also, we increased her wet food serving, but cut back on her dry food and that has helped as well. We add water to wet food to make it the consistency of a slurry or thin oatmeal just to get more water in our kitties.

I would recommend an all-wet, grain-free diet with some added plain canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) to help her pass her hair and food. The pumpkin acts as a gentle laxative. Dry food sucks up moisture from the body and can cause constipation or for the bowels to move slower. Since wet food has a high water content, that helps keep them hydrated and keeps things moving.

I totally forgot about pumpkin! I'll pick some up today!
Boos diet isn't the greatest. She suffered some pretty bad liver issues recently due to an anti anxiety medication we had her on. She had stopped eating completely so I was feeding her whatever I could manage to get her to eat - that being said it's all been junky cat food. She took a liking to Fancy Feast so she gets wet food everyday and we also have her on the Royal Canin calorie control hard food as she has a fair bit of weight to lose (she wouldn't eat the wet kind). Last week I picked up a couple different cans of grain free wet and she won't eat either - she's beyond picky!
I just cleaned her box yesterday and didn't see any hairballs but then again I didn't really know what I was looking for until I talked to the vet last night and she explained how to find a passed hairball. Typically she brings the hairballs up.

Thank you for the pumpkin suggestion!

 

[catladyboo]

If she doesn't pass it chances are they will have to surgically remove it. Is she gagging at all? Are you checking her poo at all? Sometimes a cat will poop the hairball our rather than hack it up.

This is what I'm worried about - i would hate to see it having to be surgically removed which is why I'm going to try my hardest to get her to pass it!
She's not gagging or having any troubles breathing. She seems totally normal other than the decreased appetite. I'll be checking her box thoroughly these evening when I clean it again!

 

[catladyboo]

I would also suggest the wet food and pumpkin - I mix them together as mine won't eat the pumpkin alone - as well as adding some extra water to the mix. My Jack is having mild constipation at the moment so I understand your worry - had him at the vet yesterday and she prodded his belly quite thoroughly (as his growls attested to) and said she couldn't feel any hard faeces so it's not full constipation - did your vet do the really deep uncomfortable prodding of your furbaby's belly to make sure there's no worries about there being a hairball obstruction? If there was nothing, then likely it's just a matter of trying to get that hair in her belly into her bowels to pass. The wet food and pumpkin should help with that. My vet also prescribed laxatone, and thera-bites hairball treats.

My Daniel used to have a hairball issue - he could never get them out, because he would keep swallowing it back down, like he didn't want to throw it up. He was the one that I had to even give unflavored metamucil to (at the vet's direction) to try and get that fur through him. You can mix a little of the metamucil powder directly into the food/pumpkin/water mix as well. It turns kind of gel like if it sits for a while, so definitely just mix enough of everything together that she will eat, so it doesn't turn gel like - my cats all refused to eat it once it the metamucil had gelled.

I believe the vet did a pretty good check over!
I'm going to pick up some pumpkin today and see if that helps. I'm also using the Laxatone hairball remedy but she hates it. She runs every time she sees me pick the bottle up!
If the pumpkin doesn't work I'll be looking into the Metamucil! Thank you!
I hope Jack feels better soon!

 

[forcryinoutloud]

C catladyboo Is the laxatone the malt or tuna flavored? My cats would run from the tuna one too - they HATED it. They really like the malt one though (the thera-bites are also really easy to give, since they're in treat form, and my cats chomp on the bag if I forget it on the desk, desperate to get at them so I keep them in a drawer).

 

[stephanietx]

Believe it or not, Fancy Feast classics is grain free! I would see if she'd go for an all wet diet for now. Increase her wet food intake to 2 servings a day and use the dry food for "snacks". We give dry food as treats as well, but not a daily thing. Our cats get a small daily feeding of dry food, probably 1/8 C or less total spread out through the day.

 

[catladyboo]

C catladyboo Is the laxatone the malt or tuna flavored? My cats would run from the tuna one too - they HATED it. They really like the malt one though (the thera-bites are also really easy to give, since they're in treat form, and my cats chomp on the bag if I forget it on the desk, desperate to get at them so I keep them in a drawer).

The laxatone is tuna - I figured because she's a big sea food fan with her food it would be the the better choice. I'm going to pick up the malt one tonight now! I'll also try some of the Thera bites. Thank you so much!

 

[catladyboo]

Believe it or not, Fancy Feast classics is grain free! I would see if she'd go for an all wet diet for now. Increase her wet food intake to 2 servings a day and use the dry food for "snacks". We give dry food as treats as well, but not a daily thing. Our cats get a small daily feeding of dry food, probably 1/8 C or less total spread out through the day.

No way!!! That makes me feel so much better feeding it to her!

 

[catladyboo]

C catladyboo Is the laxatone the malt or tuna flavored? My cats would run from the tuna one too - they HATED it. They really like the malt one though (the thera-bites are also really easy to give, since they're in treat form, and my cats chomp on the bag if I forget it on the desk, desperate to get at them so I keep them in a drawer).

Got some of the malt hairball remedy, she still hates it lol. Took one sniff and ran away! I'll have to keep forcing some into her.

 

[IndyJones]

Are you able to squirt it into her mouth with a syringe?

 

[catladyboo]

Are you able to squirt it into her mouth with a syringe?

I never thought of that. I have a couple of syringes left over from having to assist feed her back in December. I'll give that a go. I've just been opening her mouth and putting it in there lol.

 

[catladyboo]

How long could it take for her to pass this hairball? I feel like I'm trying everything under the sun lol. She must be uncomfortable.
We did get her on her leash and outside this evening, she really enjoyed that! It was her first time with a harness/leash and going outside without howling. She's been a strictly indoor cat since I got her 6/7 years ago.

 

[catladyboo]

We have a hairball!!!!! I've never seen one so big! No wonder she wasn't really eating. We took her outside this afternoon and allowed her to eat some (non fertilized/pesticide) grass, I think that did the trick! I've never been so happy to walk home to a hairball on the floor!

 

[IndyJones]

Glad to hear she's better. Keep an eye on her she may still have a few remnants in her.

 

[orange&white]

Glad to hear she finally passed the "little critter". Munching on a bit cat grass is a nice, natural remedy.

Also, I probably sometimes sound like "Egg yolks cure everything," but I recommend 2 egg yolks per week for passing hairballs (out the back end of the cat). The other "miracle cure" of egg yolks is to get extra calories and nutrition into a cat who has stopped eating or is losing too much weight. So egg yolks don't cure everything, but for those two issues, they work a charm.