Unchewd Food In Hairball 2 Days In A Row

[Kitcat2017]

Hi all,

My 2 year old neutered male kid just vomitted out 2 hairballs 2 days in a row. Both time it was a lot of vomit with a lot of unchewed food. He refuses to eat wet food and I get him high quality dry food from Chewy (Dr. Elseys)

We have had hairball issues before and not chewing as well. So I got him a big plate to spread around his food. I also give him laxatone every other day and brush him every 2 days! Since then it got a lot better and he hadn't puked in 3 weeks! And now 2 hairballs back to back inspite of laxatone and no chewing! Not sure if both issues are related or separate but either way I am concerned! Is it normal to have 2 giant hairballs 2 days in a row? Why won't he chew!

He's playing and acting normal and I found plenty of poop and pee in the box everyday so I'm assuming it's not a blockage. Then what is it

 

[She's a witch]

He may have some GI issues, has vet ruled it out through ultrasound?
Cats rarely chew their food, usually they swallow it whole and it's ok, so that's not a problem, but vomiting and frequent hairballs are and I would definitely have him checked by cats only vet. He may have some food sensitivities, maybe try some novel good quality wet food and see it anything changes. The less ingredients, the better.

 

[Kitcat2017]

The last time we went to vet was a month ago. She said to give him laxatone everyday and that's what we have been doing - that's why he hasn't done this in a month. He won't eat wet food he never does!

 

[She's a witch]

The last time we went to vet was a month ago. She said to give him laxatone everyday and that's what we have been doing - that's why he hasn't done this in a month. He won't eat wet food he never does!

There are ways to transition cat from eating dry to wet if you have patience and extra love, I've seen even most reluctant cats finally accepting it. The first step would be scheduled dry meals rather than free feeding. Of course wet food is not some magic solution but in general has fewer fillers and is generally gentler on a stomach than dry. Then you could try different proteins to see if it agrees with him. Good alternative would be freeze dried raw food if you can afford it, it's possible that kibble eater would accept it easier.
But I would also encourage you to find a good cats only vet, they are usually more informed about cats' nutrition and they know that hairballs, barfing, it's not something that is normal and they can find a cause.

Also, instead of laxatone, you can test some natural solutions like butter, oils, raw egg yolk (never raw white).

 

[Kitcat2017]

So, instead of laxatone, you can test some natural solutions like butter, oils, raw egg yolk (never raw white).

Really? I can give him oil? What kinda oil do you recommend? I thought fat and oil was bad foe them

 

[FeebysOwner]

Really? I can give him oil? What kinda oil do you recommend? I thought fat and oil was bad foe them

I am not sure what oils are appropriate because every time I read about them, I see conflicting information. Why not just try the butter/margarine? A dab of that won't cause any issues.

However, you might want to call your vet and tell them that it appears the laxatone is not being effective, and see what they have to say. Also, if you choose to use butter/margarine, ask the vet if it is OK to use in conjunction with the laxatone.

 

[daftcat75]

Adding fat to a hairball issue is like pouring grease down a clogged drain. Fat is how you got here (also motility issues but that's for another paragraph.) More fat isn't going to get it going again. Normally, ingested hair passes on through with food. Fat can bind hair until it's balled up and has nowhere to go but the front door. You want something that digests the fat to liberate the hair. Egg yolk will do this. More specifically, the lecithin in egg yolk will essentially liquify the fat. If that sounds messy for the litterbox, it is. It can be trial and error finding the right egg yolk dose and some cats will need the egg yolk lecithin directly.

How Best to Manage Hairballs

Now the bad news. Increased hairball frequency may be your first indicator of a digestive disorder like IBD. You can try hairball remedies for weeks or months and not make any headway if the gut motility is impaired or inflammation is too much. If you can afford it, I would schedule him for an ultrasound just to make sure that it's just hairballs. Otherwise, I'd start saving a little each paycheck because you may end up needing that ultrasound further down the road.

 

[She's a witch]

Really? I can give him oil? What kinda oil do you recommend? I thought fat and oil was bad foe them

My vet actually recommends coconut oil and olive oil, but as much as I trust her, I don’t like the idea of giving them vegetable oils (although it still convinces me more than laxatone). Personally I give them unsalted butter 2 or 3 times a week for practical reasons- that’s when I eat it myself But- we’ve never had any problems with hairballs, if we had, I’d certainly give them the egg yolk as explained by daftcat75 .

 

[daftcat75]

Pumpkin has also helped Krista. But now that I think about it. It could be a combination of both the pumpkin and the lower fat content in pumpkin-based foods. Krista's most recent hairball issue started when I added salmon oil to her food. And it seems to have abated since I have been mixing food with added oil with food without added oil to bring the total amount of added oil back down. I add a pump of salmon oil directly to a 5.5 oz can. So adding less than a pump is not as practical (or possible?) than diluting oil-added food with regular food.

 

[FeebysOwner]

And if you just need to push things through sometimes...

A pat of butter will grease the chute just like Vaseline or hairball gel but Chloe will actually like the taste.

A tsp of raw egg yolk will disolve the fat that binds ingested hair into hairballs. This one is like cat Drain-O so don't over-do it.

Both will take 12-24 hours to work their way through so don't double up until you've given them a chance to work.

What happened since one of your last posts to change your mind about butter? As far as I know, the amount of fat in a small amount of butter/margarine that would be used to help with hairballs cannot be compared with the amount of grease it takes to clog a drain.

If there is substantiated documentation that you have found since your previous post in January, please share!!

 

[Kflowers]

Of course if you can get a cat to eat food with pumpkin in it you and your cat are rare individuals.

A couple of decades ago we gave the cats Vaseline for hairballs. It was the same thing that was in the hairball medicine from the vet. They preferred the plain petroleum jelly to that with flavoring. We haven't had hairball problems in that amount of time. I don't count a couple of thrown up hairballs a season a problem.

 

[daftcat75]

What happened since one of your last posts to change your mind about butter? As far as I know, the amount of fat in a small amount of butter/margarine that would be used to help with hairballs cannot be compared with the amount of grease it takes to clog a drain.

If there is substantiated documentation that you have found since your previous post in January, please share!!

I don’t know that I did recommend butter for hairballs. I recommend butter for constipation.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oh, OK. But, in the post of yours that I inserted above it also mentioned hairball gel - so I assumed you were referring to hairballs. So, if that wasn't your intent it just confused me. How does butter/margarine help with constipation if it tends to clogs things up? Just trying to understand, and be open to all I can!!

 

[daftcat75]

Oh, OK. But, in the post of yours that I inserted above it also mentioned hairball gel - so I assumed you were referring to hairballs. So, if that wasn't your intent it just confused me. How does butter/margarine help with constipation if it tends to clogs things up? Just trying to understand, and be open to all I can!!

Fat can get things moving because bile acts like lecithin to liquify fat making it easier to pass. But fat in the stomach bound up with hair can create a mechanical plug that stops the drain and prevents it from moving out of the stomach. If the fat and hair can't be digested into something more manageable, the cat will eventually bring it back up. I think (don't quote me 4 months from now ) the reasoning behind hairball gel, vaseline, mineral oil, etc is a matter of viscosity but also regular use. I think some oils and fats bind hair less well than others. But you also have to give these oils or gels regularly to keep hair moving along and prevent it from forming a ball in the first place. Once it's already formed the ball, more fat and more oil isn't going to make the ball smaller. Greasing the chute won't help past a certain size of hairball.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Ok! So, butter - and other similar type products - is/are OK as a preventative and even an aide in passage as long as the hairball hasn't amassed to a size that is blocking the passage way - which I think from what I've read once that has happened, neither pumpkin nor egg yolk will do the trick either.

So, bottom line, once a member realizes their cat is possibly prone to hairballs - or is just concerned it might be a factor - it is best to treat it preventatively - regardless of the specific treatment.

 

[maggie101]

I use Food for Life which is egg yolk powder. My cat Maggie used to throw up spit and fur every day. Now only occasionally. Try to get your cat on wet so he can get moisture.

 

[daftcat75]

Ok! So, butter - and other similar type products - is/are OK as a preventative and even an aide in passage as long as the hairball hasn't amassed to a size that is blocking the passage way - which I think from what I've read once that has happened, neither pumpkin nor egg yolk will do the trick either.

So, bottom line, once a member realizes their cat is possibly prone to hairballs - or is just concerned it might be a factor - it is best to treat it preventatively - regardless of the specific treatment.

I would discourage the use of dietary fats like vegetable oils and butter for hairball prevention. These are the fats that bind hair. I am undecided on the use of petroleum oils (Vaseline, mineral oil, hairball gels.). If you give them regularly, they may aid in keeping the hair moving along. But I don’t like the idea of feeding petroleum oils to a cat. Would you want to eat a spoonful of Vaseline every day? Egg yolk can break up a formed ball. It can dissolve the fat that’s holding the hair in a ball. Hair can accumulate in the stomach beyond a meal. That’s how it forms balls. Hunger actually helps pull hair through because the stomach will keep trying to bust up the ball and pass it in on through. Some people give their cats a whole yolk once or twice a week. I suppose that acts like drain-o and just busts up whatever has been accumulating since the last yolk. I just fear what a whole yolk would do to Krista’s litterboxes. Oh yeah. She’d use them both.

 

[FeebysOwner]

daftcat75 , Admittedly, only 1 of my 3 cats LOVED Vaseline, but I certainly did not give him a whole teaspoon a day!

I'll look into the idea that egg yolk actually breaks up a formed hairball. Never heard it put quite that way!

I think the idea that the digestive system, through muscular action, pulls things through the digestive tract is what is the difference between that and a drain - no such action like that goes on in a drain - making it easier for a clog to occur.

Anywho, Kitcat2017 , hope all of this dialog helps - hope you don't feel your thread was hijacked; certainly not our intent!

Keep us posted on what happens!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Oops - dup post.

 

[daftcat75]

If you scale up the cat dose to a person, it’s probably similar to taking a teaspoon. I know there is muscle contraction in the gut vs a passive drain. That’s just how I think of it. Some of the principles still apply.