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I'll give the DIY egg yolk a test. I got one egg boiling now, and will follow the instructions to powder it. Will see if I can get enough secreted into his Fussy Cat to do anything....before he goes into finicky mode. Already tried a scrambled egg before, which was quickly rejected.Laxatone is the one vets recommend frequently:
Laxatone® | Vetoquinol USA
I haven't tried this brand with my Betty. But another brand she had no interest in and nearly made a mess of my home running around like a nutcase with a smear of the stuff on her arm that she was trying to shake off rather than groom off. So if Buddy is like Betty, you may not be able to get a hairball gel into him.
Here's an article on using egg yolk and egg yolk lecithin for hairball control:
How Best to Manage Hairballs
Here's another that recommends the addition of digestive enzymes and a quality probiotic (which they sell both and I have nothing but good things to say about their probiotic. For digestive enzymes, I use Optagest which seems to be better received by Betty than their Super Pet Enzymes product)
Furballs! - Vitality Science
And for a really difficult case of hairballs, you might consider FMT pills (poop pills) from carefully screened healthy donor cats:
Your Cat Has Hairballs: Should You Worry?
I wouldn't try the FMT unless you are able to either pill Buddy everyday or you can find a way to get him to pill himself. You cannot open the FMT capsules--there's dried poop in there, and also the capsule protects the contents past the stomach to the gut where they're needed. I can't pill Betty. But I get her to pill herself by smearing the pill in her favorite food and depositing the food plus pill morsel on the carpet. The carpet greatly reduces her ability to lick and flick (lick the food off and flick the pill away.)
While it's still too soon to tell, I think the Optagest and the FMT pills are helping Betty. I can't get her to eat egg yolk powder and egg yolk lecithin seems to be a 50/50 proposition with her (she ate one dose but skipped another.) She loves brushing! We do that just about every chance we get. I keep multiple brushes and brush-like products (Zoom Groom and a grooming glove) around the home. There's always some kind of deshedding tool within arm's reach whenever an eager Betty is looking for some love.