What hairball gel would you recommend?

[Mutation]

One of my cats has recently started getting large hairballs, and quite frequently too. It isn't really something that I can control with regular grooming. He's a short hair cat and doesn't appear to over groom himself. I feel really bad for him every time he tries to throw up a hairball, it sounds really painful. I heard that hairball gel could be a good solution to help him pass them instead of throwing them up, so now I ask, what hairball gel would you guys recommend? Any specific brands or flavors that you've had luck with?

 

[daftcat75]

One of my cats has recently started getting large hairballs, and quite frequently too. It isn't really something that I can control with regular grooming. He's a short hair cat and doesn't appear to over groom himself. I feel really bad for him every time he tries to throw up a hairball, it sounds really painful. I heard that hairball gel could be a good solution to help him pass them instead of throwing them up, so now I ask, what hairball gel would you guys recommend? Any specific brands or flavors that you've had luck with?

Ingested hair should be able to pass through the cat. That he's not able to pass the hair may be an early indication of a problem like impaired motility or inflammation. It could be an early warning of developing IBD. Is he eating dry food? Dry food doesn't have enough moisture. If he's not drinking enough to compensate (and most cats won't), things move slower than they should. You might be able to solve this by reducing or eliminating the dry food. Otherwise, a more natural and healthier alternative to hairball gel is egg yolk. You need so very little egg yolk here that it makes sense to use egg yolk powder instead. This article discusses hairballs, why they happen, how egg yolk is beneficial, and provides you the option of either making your own egg yolk powder or buying theirs.

How Best to Manage Hairballs

 

[Mutation]

We primarily feed him wet food, but he might sneak some dry food from one of our other cats. I am actually concerned he might not be drinking enough. Our other cat (who eats only wet food, she can't access dry food like him), still drinks water even though she's eating the same food as him. Might that be the reason he's having hairballs?
We'll definitely try giving him some egg yolk powder if the problem persists. <3

 

[neely]

TCS has an Article that discusses how to treat and prevent hairballs in cats that might have some helpful information for you:
How To Treat – And Prevent – Hairballs In Cats

 

[MissClouseau]

I use GimCat malt paste daily. This one: GimCat Malt-Soft Paste Extra 50 g - GimCat English

Small meals throughout the day instead of 2-3 big meals is easier on the digestion and better for hydration (with wet food). Especially if you add a bit extra water to the food portions. My own cat recently puked late at night and I believe it was partially over dehydration - the dry food she had 2-3 hours earlier was still fully formed. I guess she thought so too, since then she started to drink water after her last dry food meal at night. Maybe you see some clues like that.

I'll say also check if there is something that prevents him drinking (enough) water. Maybe it gets too warm during the day. Or the bowl needs to be cleaned better or more frequently.