What else can I do to avoid hairball vomits?

[Babypinkweeb]

I recently learned that hairball vomits should not be a normal thing for cats so I've been trying out things to reduce it for my long hair cat. He doesn't like being handled nor held, and he's quite independent so I don't get many chances to brush him. I try to brush him whenever I can but don't want him to associate being close with something he hates. He hates all brush types.

I bought dried egg yolk supplement from EZ that I read can help with hairballs, as well as got some cat grass he seems really into. He still has to have some kibble as he's slowly transitioning to all wet, but he hasn't thrown up dry food in a long time.

I recently brought him to the vet for an unrelated check up and asked her about it, and she said before she didn't see any results in previous testing to show the throwing up is due to any health reasons.

What else can I do to help him with the hairball vomits? I don't want to shave him.

 

[Maurey]

The egg lectin should help soon, in all honesty. With a diet transitioning into all wet, and egg lectin, there’s little else to be done, as you domt really want to mix hairball additives when you don’t know for sure how he‘ll do on the egg long term. If he doesn’t like being brushed, may be worth trying some tools that allow a cat to brush itself.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI4EU/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S5FYSEG/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI2PG/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089KBPTYY/?tag=thecatsite
Amazon.com : KONG Connects Kitty Comber 28 x 19 x 18 cm : Pet Supplies

If you haven’t previously tried something like this, the king zoom groom may be worth a try https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AR18M/?tag=thecatsite Jum doesn’t much like being brushed usually, but she likes this and a greyhound comb :>

TCS seems to break amazon links, so you may be best off copying the links without the TCS tag.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

The egg lectin should help soon, in all honesty. With a diet transitioning into all wet, and egg lectin, there’s little else to be done, as you domt really want to mix hairball additives when you don’t know for sure how he‘ll do on the egg long term. If he doesn’t like being brushed, may be worth trying some tools that allow a cat to brush itself.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI4EU/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00S5FYSEG/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3NI2PG/?tag=thecatsite
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089KBPTYY/?tag=thecatsite
Amazon.com : KONG Connects Kitty Comber 28 x 19 x 18 cm : Pet Supplies

If you haven’t previously tried something like this, the king zoom groom may be worth a try https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002AR18M/?tag=thecatsite Jum doesn’t much like being brushed usually, but she likes this and a greyhound comb :>

TCS seems to break amazon links, so you may be best off copying the links without the TCS tag.

Thank you for your reply!!

I've bought catit self groomers before years ago but he completely ignored it. I had it up until I moved from my last place haha! It was there for at least 2 years.

I've bought a similar sillicone brush like the purple one you linked before and sadly he also hates it. We tried a brush version and a glove version. Right now I just use a mix of the glove and the Safari prickly brush to get some brushing in whenever he is tolerant but the belly area is largely unexplored

 

[GoldyCat]

Comb tend to work better on longhair cats than brushes, especially for getting mats out. It a different feel so maybe your kitty would tolerate it better.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Comb tend to work better on longhair cats than brushes, especially for getting mats out. It a different feel so maybe your kitty would tolerate it better.

I use a comb in my rotation. He doesn't really get mats, which definitely helps since he's already so picky about being brushed. I kind of give him a little brush or comb depending on his mood everyday but since he's very touchy about it, that's why I'm trying to also figure out other ways to help reduce hairball vomits >_< I even bought a soft bristle boars hair brush for him. Not sure how good it is at removing hair but he still won't have any of it.

There was a miraculous point in time when I came home from vacation and he was so clingy and affectionate I could brush him all over everyday for a week or so before he returned to his usual self haha...

 

[game misconduct]

treats and one brush/comb stroke(on the cheeks or top of back ) per session at a time its a really long gradual proccess but in time you can get him used to a barely decent brushing i did that with graycie.she will now jump next to me when i hold a brush in hand and tell her brush brush graycie icant brush her belly though she isnt a cat that likes belly rubs in general unless i catch her sleeping. but things are far better than the hissing and claw swipes i recieved when i first took her home. also just make sure they arent junk grain type treats i prefer using the freeze dried chicken ones. healthier i thinkalso keep one eye on your cats tailif it begins swiping/lashing around claw swipe will be incoming soon best to stop then give a treat put the brush away

 

[maggie101]

I recently learned that hairball vomits should not be a normal thing for cats so I've been trying out things to reduce it for my long hair cat. He doesn't like being handled nor held, and he's quite independent so I don't get many chances to brush him. I try to brush him whenever I can but don't want him to associate being close with something he hates. He hates all brush types.

I bought dried egg yolk supplement from EZ that I read can help with hairballs, as well as got some cat grass he seems really into. He still has to have some kibble as he's slowly transitioning to all wet, but he hasn't thrown up dry food in a long time.

I recently brought him to the vet for an unrelated check up and asked her about it, and she said before she didn't see any results in previous testing to show the throwing up is due to any health reasons.

What else can I do to help him with the hairball vomits? I don't want to shave him.

Some cats have a special spot they like brushed,no where else. For Peaches it's on her back next to her tail. I also have gloves and give her a swipe when she walks by. Not as effective but fun! Wipe her with a wetted towel after brushing or anytime. Maggie has a major problem with hair balls. Feeding her late at night has helped. As you are trying to,only canned or add water to dry. I give her laxitone 3x a day usually less because I forget.

 

[ObeseChess]

I’ve found the Greenies “hairball control” treats to be effective, and Sassy is more cooperative with a grooming glove than she ever was with a brush (though she also loves the Furminator so YMMV).

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ Hair ingested will come out one end or the other. A dropper of fish/olive oil each day may keep the hair moving toward the backend . `

 

[Babypinkweeb]

treats and one brush/comb stroke(on the cheeks or top of back ) per session at a time its a really long gradual proccess but in time you can get him used to a barely decent brushing i did that with graycie.she will now jump next to me when i hold a brush in hand and tell her brush brush graycie icant brush her belly though she isnt a cat that likes belly rubs in general unless i catch her sleeping. but things are far better than the hissing and claw swipes i recieved when i first took her home. also just make sure they arent junk grain type treats i prefer using the freeze dried chicken ones. healthier i thinkalso keep one eye on your cats tailif it begins swiping/lashing around claw swipe will be incoming soon best to stop then give a treat put the brush away

That's something I never thought of. I do give a wet treat (churu) when I have to wrap up my boy for nail cutting so I can get it done in one go, but he usually ends up so mad he doesn't even lick the treat. I didn't know how I can manage that while not being able to wrap him up in a towel. Guess it's time to ask my gf to help me

Some cats have a special spot they like brushed,no where else. For Peaches it's on her back next to her tail. I also have gloves and give her a swipe when she walks by. Not as effective but fun! Wipe her with a wetted towel after brushing or anytime. Maggie has a major problem with hair balls. Feeding her late at night has helped. As you are trying to,only canned or add water to dry. I give her laxitone 3x a day usually less because I forget.

Once in a blue moon he will like being brushed under his chin and on his neck and chest but I'm talking like once every few weeks! Sometimes I pet him as he walks by and if I notice his hairs are flying off I grab a brush and give it a go. He hates being brushed or wiped so I think the wipe would only make him more mad tho. I leave his dinner out overnight (he eats mix of mostly wet with some dry) as he grazes but I still once in a while find a hairball in the morning.

I’ve found the Greenies “hairball control” treats to be effective, and Sassy is more cooperative with a grooming glove than she ever was with a brush (though she also loves the Furminator so YMMV).

He used to eat a hairball formula dry food before I learned more about cat nutrition but it didn't really help much. I think he barfs the same amount, maybe slightly less on his new food than the hairball formula. As mentioned in my other posts he doesn't tolerate any of the gloves or types of brushes I have, which are basically every kind on the market.

~ Hair ingested will come out one end or the other. A dropper of fish/olive oil each day may keep the hair moving toward the backend . `

I was considering fish oil as a supplement in general before but didn't know it can help with hairballs! I will definitely get some when I have some funds again (just bought their food for the next 2 months)

 

[game misconduct]

hat's something I never thought of. I do give a wet treat (churu) when I have to wrap up my boy for nail cutting so I can get it done in one go, but he usually ends up so mad he doesn't even lick the treat. I didn't know how I can manage that while not being able to wrap him up in a towel. Guess it's time to ask my gf to help me

its kinda like distraction by bribery

 

[She's a witch]

Egg yolk didn’t really help with my girl’ hairball issues, but egg yolk lecithin did make a difference. In the shedding season I need to use even two capsules a day to stop it though.
the more biologically appropriate food should also help by itself, lots of raw feeders swear the hairball issues stopped since the transition (it wasn’t the case with my girl though, although she isn’t fed exclusively raw).
I think probiotics also help, the way I see it, the healthier digestive track is, the less motility problems in the intestines. I love Love Bugs by Adored Beast probiotics as they use prebiotics too.

 

[artiemom]

I have the same problem with Geoffrey. Hates brushing!!!
I have tried it all. I have a drawerful of groovy things. Just hates it.

I am giving him laxatone, daily. Some days twice a day.
I am also feeding him some dry hairball food.

Yet, he still vomit, usually after I try brushing him. He just does not like the sensation.

Good Luck!!

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Egg yolk didn’t really help with my girl’ hairball issues, but egg yolk lecithin did make a difference. In the shedding season I need to use even two capsules a day to stop it though.
the more biologically appropriate food should also help by itself, lots of raw feeders swear the hairball issues stopped since the transition (it wasn’t the case with my girl though, although she isn’t fed exclusively raw).
I think probiotics also help, the way I see it, the healthier digestive track is, the less motility problems in the intestines. I love Love Bugs by Adored Beast probiotics as they use prebiotics too.

Thank you for the reply!

The supplement I got for now the boys don't mind it in their food, so I will hope it gives a little improvement during this shedding season. I can't feed raw for several reasons at the moment but I've been trying to share stuff like cut up gizzard with them slowly. My older boy (the vomiter) is still picky about wet food after a 3 month transition from full dry. I definitely learned lots about ingredients and been feeding them the best ones I can afford which seem to help with his overall vomit rate

For the lecithin supplement, is there a brand you suggest? I might not get it right now as I still have the yolks but I definitely want to bookmark it for future. Thank you for the probiotic recommendation as well, I will bookmark that. I've seen probiotics in toppers before like Stella and Chewy magic dinner dust as well and fortiflora, but didn't know it can help with hairballs!

 

[She's a witch]

Thank you for the reply!

The supplement I got for now the boys don't mind it in their food, so I will hope it gives a little improvement during this shedding season. I can't feed raw for several reasons at the moment but I've been trying to share stuff like cut up gizzard with them slowly. My older boy (the vomiter) is still picky about wet food after a 3 month transition from full dry. I definitely learned lots about ingredients and been feeding them the best ones I can afford which seem to help with his overall vomit rate

For the lecithin supplement, is there a brand you suggest? I might not get it right now as I still have the yolks but I definitely want to bookmark it for future. Thank you for the probiotic recommendation as well, I will bookmark that. I've seen probiotics in toppers before like Stella and Chewy magic dinner dust as well and fortiflora, but didn't know it can help with hairballs!

I use Swanson brand of egg lecithin. You’d need to play with it to see what works with your boy, I know that for some egg yolk alone is enough, for others both egg yolk and egg yolk lecithin gives results, or as in my case, egg yolk lecithin alone is enough.

Btw I did manage to bribe my boy into liking brushing. He now comes running when I take his brush. My girl however is easily overstimulated so I can only very gently use comb on her when she’s asleep.

there’s also a product called coco therapy and I know people had good results with it,but I haven’t tried it and personally it sounds weird to me but that might be something to consider if nothing else helps.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

I use Swanson brand of egg lecithin. You’d need to play with it to see what works with your boy, I know that for some egg yolk alone is enough, for others both egg yolk and egg yolk lecithin gives results, or as in my case, egg yolk lecithin alone is enough.

Btw I did manage to bribe my boy into liking brushing. He now comes running when I take his brush. My girl however is easily overstimulated so I can only very gently use comb on her when she’s asleep.

there’s also a product called coco therapy and I know people had good results with it,but I haven’t tried it and personally it sounds weird to me but that might be something to consider if nothing else helps.

Thank you. I will wait a month to see if anything improves on the current egg yolk supplement, if not I will get the Swanson one. He doesn't constantly vomit but sometimes he vomits 3 hairballs a month, sometimes 1 per 2 months, and that's both within shedding season.

Sadly he has never been super food motivated. I started giving him a wet tube treat and brushing him lightly with the comb instead, and he only tolerated it for half a tube. Normally he eagerly eats the whole tube and wants more. I think if it was between food and avoiding what annoys him, he always chooses the latter. He's so sensitive about being touched and held that even in his deepest sleep, I can only clip maybe 1 nail before he fully awakens. His back and sides get decent brushing from my persistence but I know he's ingesting lots of underside hair that I can't get to.

 

[strider rose]

i brush my girls every day and feed them sensitive stomach dry cat food