Automatic Litterbox Central

Hi group, one of my cats is throwing up about 3 times a day and then skips a day and starts over again. She is eating and drinking water and shows no signs of dehydration. Her coat is shiny and she is active. I feed them a good quality food that has the stuff for hairballs in it. Do any of you use a hairball ointment that you prefer or any other advice. I am fairly new to the world of cats and this has not happened until recently. We are having record breaking temps and the cats are shedding like crazy. They are brushed everyday. Any advice would be appreciated. Sage

I would ask your vet for a recommendation.

Some people put vaseline in tuna to help the process. We have taken to shearing our long-haired cat. He looks funny, but is overall happier. He has a fresh lion cut this week. When his hair is long, I've watched him pull it out and eat it in big clumps. No wonder he vomits.

Another help is brushing. If you can help get rid of the shedded hair, there can be less for the cat to ingest.

Hi Cas, they are both long hair and my husband brushes them faithfully everyday. Both cats seem to enjoy it. I had not thought of shearing them. That would definitey help. The one throwing up is the one that is always cleaning herself. I hope throwing up bc of hairballs is different than when we throw up bc I truly hate it when I have to. I feel so bad for her. Thanks for the fast reply. Sage

Please note: We have our vet give Shadow the haircut. We've done it ourselves in the past. It gets the job done when money is tight, but it is a lot easier and better looking when the vet does it.

Good luck.

sage wrote: Do any of you use a hairball ointment that you prefer or any other advice.

One of my cats is Persian, so I need to give him hairball remedy. Usually I use "Petromalt":



You can buy it online here:

http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_ ... 0270917873

Our vet says that vaseline is basically the same thing, and it's a whole lot cheaper. You can flavor it if you want. Or you can just smear it on their coat, and they'll clean it off. It sounds gross, but he insists it isn't harmful at all. And cats lick worse things

That was my next question.....how to get them to take it. lol I would have never thought of that. The one having the problem is a Persian mix. She is doing better at the moment. Thanks for the fast reply! Sage

sage wrote:That was my next question.....how to get them to take it. lol I would have never thought of that. The one having the problem is a Persian mix. She is doing better at the moment. Thanks for the fast reply! Sage

As for the "Petromalt" my cats love it Even the Russian Blue (who doesn't need it) wants to have a little bit

Smash a dollop onto her paw. She will lick it off. Haha! Its the old trick-the-cat-into-taking-meds routine. Works every time.

My long haired kitty used to hack up hairballs all over the place. I tried the little treats that you give them for hairballs and it didn't help. So I started giving him Nutro Max Cat Hairball Management almost a year ago. He's had one hairball incident since. I hope your kitty is doing better.

Hi Wendee, I feed mine the same thing! It really makes their coat healthy looking too, and they love the food! Always a plus with the darlings. Tasha is doing great. The Petromalt seemed to do the trick. She has been fine since. Sage

I have two long-haired Maine Coons who can produce MEGA hairballs. I tried the Petramalt type stuff and vaseline but they hated it and I ended up having the force it down them and I think the carpet, my shoes, the walls and the cat's fur got most of it.

I tried the hairball formula food (Science Diet) but it didn't help and my vet didn't think it was a good food for them. I tried the Pounce hairball treats which were essentially little globs of petramalt-type goo coated in a treat. They didn't really like them and would leave them in the bowl for days until they realized I wasn't going to give them some better ones.

Then I found the Purina Essentials hairball treats. They are little heart-shaped semi-soft treats and my cats LOVE them. I found this out the hard way when I dumped the whole package in the bowl and they ate them all. Boy did that clean them out! They still have some hairballs but it's a lot better using the Purina treats.

Sage,
Everyone has talked about some version of hairball remedy ( I buy mine from my vet at $7.00 a tube, called Laxatone, tuna flavored), but the throwing up might not be from the hair. I experienced this same problem with my oldest (10years) recently. She was throwing up 1-2 times per week. Finally, my vet ran blood tests to make sure it wasn't her organs, etc. Ended up that she is alllergic to the proteins in most brands of food. She is now on prescription Z/D Science Diet (at my vet's office only) and has not had a puking incident since. It is expensive, $40.00 per 10lb bag, but my cat and my carpet is happy once again. I live in Texas and understand the heat, but if your conventional methods are not working, your cat might have an allergy related food issue.

My cats don't get hairballs. I brush them with a flea comb to get rid of the loose hairs. Just remember to do it often enough (every 10 days is often enough). They absolutely love it.

If you have an indoor cat with no flea problems, you can get a rubbery brush that just yanks out the loose fur. Most cats like this brush more than a metal comb but you'll probably still need a comb if you have a long-haired cat.