Persistet hairballs.

[myrnafaye]

Hi All. My cat Mittens has had every test possible, including an ultrasound. Nothing appears wrong but she still throws up hair quite often. She is on Miralax and psyllium..I thought the psyllium was helping but now she tossed a hairball yesterday and today. I do brush her but at times I forget to do so...even still, when I was remembering, she threw up hair. I dont know what else to do. She has been on laxatone type products - they do not help. In the past I have tried with other cats egg yolk lecithin - no help. Please do not suggest slippery elm serum either. Been there, done that. So frustrating...I should add that she seems to have no discomfort..but I dont like the frequency of the hairballs. If it was every couple of weeks..OK, but it is way more frequent.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi! Not all hairball remedies work on all cats. So, ones you've tried in the past might work for Mittens when they didn't for some of your other cats. Also, did you ever try simple remedies, such as olive oil drops added to her food, or the good old butter/margarine?

If over grooming is part of the reason, it could actually cause her to ingest an abnormal amount of hair, and might be the result of an allergy - be that food, litter, or an environmental one.

I have never tried using one, but many members on here have suggested using a grooming product like the Furminator, which really acts more like a de-shedding tool as opposed to a simple brushing/combing.

I would also suggest talking to the vet about follow up ultrasounds if the hairballs can't be abated. If there was any damage at the time of the previous ultrasound, it might not have been enough to clearly show up - and, might show up more easily in subsequent testing.

 

[myrnafaye]

Hi, FeebyOwner. I do have a Furminator. You could sometimes knit an entire cat from the hair that thing can pull. I generally get fussing from Mittens when using it..doesnt mean I should not use it, however.

The ultrasound was very recent. Last month. I do hesitate on the butter or olive oil because her cholesterol is a bit high. That said, it may be worth a try...maybe the olive oil first. Thank you.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I give my cats Vets Best Digestive Aid and Hairball Relief. They are tablets that I break up into little pieces and gife as treats. They work very well on my longish haired guy as long as I give them to him daily. If I don't do that, he will toss up hairballs pretty often.

 

[maggie101]

My cat throws up spit and fur almost every day. Usually morning. No longer since Ive been giving her expensive food with ground meat which I can certainly make myself! No more pate. So more than one problem. It did take a few days to really notice the difference. Instead of laxatone it has sardine,herring,and mackerel fish oil. After brushing, wet a towel and wipe over her body. I do forget to brush.

I used to have 2 morning throwupers. One before eating. One after

 

[stephanietx]

What are you feeding her? Wet or dry, both? What flavors?

 

[myrnafaye]

She is on KD because she has early kidney changes, very slight, according to her SDMA. I mostly feed the canned but add in a little dry, as they do like the crunchies.

 

[myrnafaye]

I give my cats Vets Best Digestive Aid and Hairball Relief. They are tablets that I break up into little pieces and gife as treats. They work very well on my longish haired guy as long as I give them to him daily. If I don't do that, he will toss up hairballs pretty often.

I tried those before with other cats. I did not find them to be effective, and the cat has to like them and eat them. One of my cats threw up after eating one...