Hairball help

[3furbabies]

So Sahsa, my ragdoll, has a very thick winter coat. See below... she looks obese but is actually quite thin.



About a month or so ago I gave her a raw piece of chicken. She promptly threw up this yellow thick log right after she ate it. I never saw that before. So recently she hasn't been eating much. She eats kibble and cannot be transitioned onto wet or raw(I always try and she refuses to eat for days after). Anyways. She eats a few bites and walks away... I have been hearing a rasp when she eats too and her tummy rumbles right after she eats.

So I bought raw bites (nature's variety instincts) to try on my girls who eat wet only. Anyways I put a bite in sasha's mouth(she won't eat that on her own) and again she promptly threw up that weird yellow log(almost looks like a poo). Researching it, it sounds like a hairball. I have been giving her some of that hairball paste but I'm not sure if it works or how long to wait.

I heard of hairball remedy but none of the stores locally have that. Is there anyways to prevent this and/or treat it? I brush her twice a day but she still grooms quite a bit. Thanks

[spirite]

Wow, gorgeous coat.

One of mine throws up hairballs that are logs, but I can always see hair in them. I wish I could tell you whether the various remedies work or not, but I've never been able to get my kitties to take them more than once. And I never manage to smear it on their paws well enough that they don't shake them and send the blobs flying everywhere.

[3furbabies]

Originally Posted by spirite

Wow, gorgeous coat.

One of mine throws up hairballs that are logs, but I can always see hair in them. I wish I could tell you whether the various remedies work or not, but I've never been able to get my kitties to take them more than once. And I never manage to smear it on their paws well enough that they don't shake them and send the blobs flying everywhere.

Ya I put it on her paw and she shook it off. I swipped some on her tongue and she ate it. No clue if it works. I will look around for different ones to try. Not sure if there was hair in it or not but I didn't pick through it.

[snowy]

I tried those salmon flavoured gel too many mths ago, ET shake them off. The whole tube is wasted cos he simply refused it. You may wanna try giving fish oil once a week or even psyllium husk if you have. I happened to have both, cos hubby and myself had been taking that for years. Especially when you use 1 whole fish oil capsule, you will see kitty passing hair out in their poop. But I can only add fish oil in salmon of which I give only once a week. It works so well for ET. Other times, I give psyllium husk, just a little, but looks like it may be too little, cos I don't see hair in his poop daily and then after a while ET cannot keep food down. When I increase dosage of psyllium husk, he will certainly pass out large amount of hair the following day. There may be some forumers here who don't think its safe to add fibre to kitty's diet. But google on psyllium husk, its water soluble fibre, it works to lubricate the intestine.

Anyway, I have read that olive oil or flaxseed oil works too if kitty doesn't like the smell or taste of fish oil.

[spirite]

Originally Posted by 3furbabies

Not sure if there was hair in it or not but I didn't pick through it.

It won't be loose fur. When Margaux has hairballs, the vomit log is darker than when she just throws up food and you can see that there's a serious wad of fur in it.

Maybe there's a ragdoll breeder on the forum who can give you some ideas?

[NutroMike]

Originally Posted by spirite

It won't be loose fur. When Margaux has hairballs, the vomit log is darker than when she just throws up food and you can see that there's a serious wad of fur in it.

Maybe there's a ragdoll breeder on the forum who can give you some ideas?

I agree with your vivid description You really can't miss a hairball and I've never had to dig through vomit to find out if it is a hairball. There is a new product out she might want to try. It's called feline Greenies and they come with a hairball formula. There is also a digestive help formula as well in different flavors. Might be something to look into, at least as a preventative.

[NutroMike]

Originally Posted by snowy

I tried those salmon flavoured gel too many mths ago, ET shake them off. The whole tube is wasted cos he simply refused it. You may wanna try giving fish oil once a week or even psyllium husk if you have. I happened to have both, cos hubby and myself had been taking that for years. Especially when you use 1 whole fish oil capsule, you will see kitty passing hair out in their poop. But I can only add fish oil in salmon of which I give only once a week. It works so well for ET. Other times, I give psyllium husk, just a little, but looks like it may be too little, cos I don't see hair in his poop daily and then after a while ET cannot keep food down. When I increase dosage of psyllium husk, he will certainly pass out large amount of hair the following day. There may be some forumers here who don't think its safe to add fibre to kitty's diet. But google on psyllium husk, its water soluble fibre, it works to lubricate the intestine.

Anyway, I have read that olive oil or flaxseed oil works too if kitty doesn't like the smell or taste of fish oil.

I had the same problem with the gel myself. I then put it on a Qtip and rubbed the gel into a thin layer on her leg and paw. It worked and yes it has helped. The gel no longer falls off and she licks it right off. My senior cat has a horrible hairball problem even though she is brushed daily and Furminated once a week.

[3furbabies]

I'm not so sure it was even a hairball. She haven't thrown up a weird log since. She only ha done it anytime I tried giving her raw meat. It also turned out she really hates the new food I switched her too so I had to switch her back to her old stuff and she's fine eating wise, again. I am still giving her the Hairball paste once a day and combing her lots just in case. I really don't remember seeing any hair in the puke, but it was a weird log. Very strange.

[littlesushi]

i know you mentioned that you aren't sure if you are dealing with a hairball or not but i would suggest canned pumpkin (plain, not pumpkin pie mix) as a hairball remedy our cats were accepting of petromalt type hairball remedies as well as hairball treats but they didn't seem to work during the shedding season. 1/2 tbsp of pumpkin once a day seemed to do the trick for them.

[NutroMike]

Well, I've heard that about pumpkin and it's good for digestive upset issues as well. Unfortunately, I can't get mine interested in eating it. Any tips on getting the cat to eat the pumpkin? I've tried giving as is as well as mixing in food. No Dice