hairball question !

[mikemike192]

Hi there RFD friends!

I'm just wondering if any of your cat(s) had hair ball problems and what kind of products you used to treat it.

The foster cat that I have seemed to have hairball problem, so I went to the pet store and got her some snacks that says "hairball control" and snacks that says "indoor cat care".

I gave her some snacks last night (package said 6 pieces for her weight, so I went ahead and gave her six), and found her throwing up big piece of hairball this morning :-0

Question 1. Is it normal for this to occur SO fast, like it's so effective that helps her eliminate the fur balls inside in one night ?!

Question 2. She lost her appetite today after throwing up, she used to eat 2 small cans of wet food per day but she only licked the sauce for the whole day ... is there something wrong or it's "normal" for a cat going through hair-ball elimination?

Question 3. Anything else I should pay attention in my situation? I'm thinking to take her to the vet this weekend if she doesn't eat well for the following day.

Thanks for your help!

[kittypink]

I always thought hairball remedies make it easier for the cat to eliminate the hairball through the other way, so they wouldn't be hacking up a hairball....

I know sometimes one of my cats won't eat for a day, but she's so finicky. I would be worried if she doesn't eat on the second day. Call the vet to make sure, better safe than sorry. And pay close attention to her bowel movements: is she going ok and does it look normal.

The only other advice I have is to grow cat grass on a regular basis. My cats love eating cat grass and it really has helped one of them with her hairball issues.

Good luck and keep us informed!

[ceebee]

Start brushing the cat on a regular basis, this way she will not swallow so much loose hair when she grooms herself.

[gnsgroomer]

First of all, thank you for fostering!
But may I ask if you've contacted your rescue organization about this issue? I`m just asking because I know that with the rescue that I foster for I am not allowed to make any decisions regarding the cats health (food, treats, meds, vet visits) without their permission.
Hope the cat is ok.
Michelle

[Hairball]

I've never had a cat, but hairballs are definitely annoying.

[Matrixvibe]

I've never had a cat, but hairballs are definitely annoying.

I hope your not annoying :razz:

[mikemike192]

First of all, thank you for fostering!
But may I ask if you've contacted your rescue organization about this issue? I`m just asking because I know that with the rescue that I foster for I am not allowed to make any decisions regarding the cats health (food, treats, meds, vet visits) without their permission.
Hope the cat is ok.
Michelle

Yes, yes and yes.

- Contacted the vet there and booked an appointment for today cause I got more concern as the days go by.

- Got the treat as the vet told me to, she was prescribed a ear medicine so the vet recommended me to give her a snack with the treatment to make it easier.

- Cat wasn't *sick* before, she was pregnant and being fostered for better recovery & environment away from the shelter. I suspect her sickness is due to contamination during last weekend's vet visit (how ironic) cause she was walking around the floor at the vet office >:(

Anyway, thanks for all the replies and I'll update later

[ChrisT]

Some olive oil put on the cats nose (head area) will work wonders. As the cat grooms the goop you have put on it's head, the oil goes into it's system and the "hair ball" comes out the other end:)
Best thing for all animals is to be outdoors, they can then graze on grasses with will aid in elimination of hair balls (and anything else they have ingested that is not natural to them)

[Accord_Coupe]

I dont have a cat, but man, hairballs on the floor sound very odd

[mikemike192]

:) Thank you everyone, for all those great advices !

I took the cat to the vet the next day I posted my thread 'cause I was very concern.

It turned out it wasn't the hairball, she didn't want to eat because she had urinary tract blockage !! :-0 It was something that the vet and I didn't expect since female cats usually do not have this problem. We thought she didn't urinate since she wasn't eating anything in the first place.

Anyway, problem solved ! The vet gave her a bladder-squeeze :cry: and apparently it's now "un-plugged", LOL.

Although we weren't sure what caused this, I personally suspect it was the treat I got her :arrow: Whiskas Indoor Care (http://www.whiskas.ca/en-ca/Products/Whiskas-Treats/Whiskas-functional-treats-Indoor.aspx). I mean, what are the odds that this treat targets both hairball and litter box odour and my cat happened to have both problems the night after eating this treat? I have given the treat to the vet to see if it's really causing those problems, but I don't plan to buy those anymore regardless! I knew I should have just stick with my halo treats and not try something so fishy :evil:

[89fan]

I give my male cat laxatone every night and he has only had 1 hairball in the last 2.5 years.

Now my super long haired female cat requires LOTS of grooming. She doesn't like Laxatone. We were feeding her a dry food for weight/hairballs, but now we are switching her to something more healthy.

We also give them the hairball temptations very night.

She gets about 6 hairballs a year...which is WAY better than the 1 per week she was getting.