# hairball nightmare



## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

I have a 4 year old long hair male cat and in the last 4 to 5 months he has a hairball everyday - I'm at my wits end with this feline - it occurs every night between 12:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. The hair is only about the size of your first thumb knuckle but has a brown/greenish funky liquid with it, all of my carpets are stained cannot get it out as that seems to be the first place he runs to throw up. He just started this like I said about 4-5 months ago, before it was maybe once a week or every couple weeks when he would throw up. I was using Lax-A-Tone and it got to where he would not eat it so gave up for awhile and food that he was on was Meow Mix Hairball formula. So when all this started I decided to change his food and go to Science Diet Light Hairball formula and try a different hairball remedy (Hairball Solutioin by Pet Ag, Inc.) that I give him about twice a week and then also starting giving him Calm Coat Hairball Treats once a day. I brush him daily and with all this he still throws up. I do not notice that he grooms excessively, he is not losing any weight, still eats and drinks like he always has and still as active too. My vet says that long hair cats are high strung and that this is just a trait with them. I had a short hair for 12 years (now deceased) and she groomed all the time and she had hairballs maybe once every 2-3 months and they were formed into like a long tootsie roll and no liquid. So I am wondering if anyone has experienced this I am losing my mind - I starting to feel like a cat myself on the prowl all night cleaning up his mess. Any suggestions???? HELP!!!!


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Use egg yolk lecithin. Those hairball products use petroleum as the active ingredient, so bad for cats, toxic.

Hairballs form when the cat can't pass the hair the way they are meant to. They are made up of fur and fat. Lecithin breaks down the fat freeing the hair to pass through the body and out the other way, like it is supposed to do.

Egg yolk lecithin is safe and even nutritious for cats.

You also need to change his diet. Get him off the kibble. As you have discovered "diet" foods do not work and kibble is very bad for cats. Getting him on an all canned diet will help a LOT. 

Here is a link that can help you understand why cats need a wet diet.

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition :: healthy cat diet, making cat food, litter box, cat food, cat nutrition, cat urinary tract health.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

PS

Two of my cats get a half capsule of egg yolk lecithin every other day during shedding months (March through October). One cat needs a lot more help, she has a lot of digestive issues from being on a bad diet for many years, she gets a whole capsule of lecithin every day during shedding season, half in the morning, half at night. 

My cats are raw and canned fed.


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## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

Where do I get the yolk lechtin?? How fast will it work - I am going on vacation at the end of May and my parents will be taking care of Lucky and know that they do not have good stomachs to clean up his mess!! haha


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## mumof7kitties (Jan 27, 2013)

Petroleum jelly is NOT toxic for cats. If it were then it wouldn't be in all of the hairball remedies. 

Personally I give my cats a dollop of unscented plain petroleum jelly twice a week to help prevent hairballs. I usually only see one or two per year now. 

I also grow wheat grass for them which helps immensely with hairballs as well. In the wild a cat will eat roughage (grass) when they're stopped up with hairballs or just plain constipated. 

Between those two things hairballs aren't ever a problem in my household. 

That said, are you certain they're hairballs? Have you taken one in to the vet? It may be an underlying issue and that won't be addressed by hairball remedies. 


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Of course it is toxic. It is petroleum. Petroleum isn't meant to be eaten. That it is in all the hairball remedies does not mean it is not toxic. Lots of things that are sold for cats are not good for cats. I believed in it for years. Now I know better.

There are currently two brands of egg yolk lecithin, Swanson's and Nature's Plus. Both can be found on Amazon. Other online stores like iherb or the actual Swanson website are also options. Make sure it is Egg Yolk not soy lecithin.

Like most things, a diet change will take time to see improvement (with the exception of switching to raw, the improvement seen of which is very dramatic). I would start slow with the egg yolk lecithin, at least that's the way I did it.

I started with a half capsule every three days and gradually worked up to the doses they are on now.

Raw egg yolk could be used too, but you would need about three egg yolks a week. 

Taking him to the vet is good advice.


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

Oh my! That's a lot of hairballs. What kind of brush do you use? I use the FURminator, and it works really well. Although since changing their dry food, I don't even get that much hair off of them when I brush. Their coat is super soft and shiny. Food really makes a HUGE difference.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

I use a teaspoon of canned pumpkin (not pie filling, just plain pumpkin) once a day when my cats are having hairball issues.

Frequent brushing with a grooming tool designed to reduce shedding may also help.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Canned pumpkin is a good idea! (if the cat will eat it. )

I have a cat with chronic constipation, even on a raw and canned diet. She gets one tablespoon of pumpkin daily split between a morning and evening meal. When I try to reduce the dose her trouble comes back. Even with the daily pumpkin, she still gets the egg yolk lecithin every other day during shedding months (March through October)

I use an organic brand of pumpkin called Farmer's Market, at first because their cans are BPA free, but I then discovered my cat greatly prefers the Farmer's Market brand.

When I open a new can I put one tablespoon servings in ice cube trays and freeze. Once frozen the one tablespoon servings are stored in a freezer bag, and each night I take out one serving and store it in the refrigerator in a covered glass pyrex food storage dish for the next day.

When you purchase pumpkin make sure it is pure pumpkin, nothing else added, not pie filling. 

But I want to stress again, that a diet change, to a wet diet, will make a huge difference, not only with hairballs, but in the general health of the cat.


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## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

I use a flea comb as this is the only thing he will let me use on him and I get alot of hair everyday, I have a Furminator and he is too long haired to even use, it just glides across his fur. I feel I have accomplished alot to comb him at all, I bought everything imaginable - have a regular pet store in my closet


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## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

My deceased cat was a wet food only and with the way we work and when we go away for weekend or vacation you have to have someone come in twice a day and feed them and my husband said that if this one didn't eat dry I couldn't keep him. I have an automatic feeder and portions out 1/4 cup twice a day it is wonderful not worrying about him if we are gone a couple hours hours longer than expected. Sorry just can't do the wet.


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## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

What food do you use???


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Feeding a better diet will help greatly with the hairballs. 

Meow Mix and Science Diet are both very bad foods. I'm not judging you, _it's not your fault_ if you haven't ever been told differently. Read the ingredients on the packaging. Cats are obligate carnivores, they need meat and moisture, not corn and a dry diet.

I feed my cats a combination of raw diet and canned food.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

camskyw said:


> My deceased cat was a wet food only and with the way we work and when we go away for weekend or vacation you have to have someone come in twice a day and feed them and my husband said that if this one didn't eat dry I couldn't keep him. I have an automatic feeder and portions out 1/4 cup twice a day it is wonderful not worrying about him if we are gone a couple hours hours longer than expected. Sorry just can't do the wet.


Even if you can't do all-wet, what about at least adding _some_ wet food to his diet for the meals where you're able to be home? It would probably help with the hairballs.

A drinking fountain to get him to take in more water may help too.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

^^ good advice. Any wet is better than no wet. Adding water to the wet meals can help get more moisture into him. (don't add water to dry food though)

And, (though it goes against everything I believe in to advise on dry feeding at all) do improve the quality of the dry food, find a food that contains identified meat as the first three or four ingredients, and no corn.

Do spend some time reading the link I provided. The information is written and researched by a vet who is extremely knowledgeable about feline nutrition and feline health.

Adding wet food to a cat's diet will help prevent many health problems including hairballs. Hairballs can be more than just an annoyance to the human who has to clean them up. They can cause blockages in the cat, and frequent vomiting of them is very bad for the cat's esophagus and teeth. (from the acids coming up with the hairball)


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## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

Thanks for all your replies, now that I feel like the worst cat owner in the country. I am going to scoop up a hairball mess and take to the vet and see if this is a medical problem and then see what I can do to change his diet.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

I don't think you're a bad cat owner at all. Obviously you're a very caring one, since you're concerned enough to ask your question. 

That said, you asked what you can do to solve a problem you're having... and people are telling you how you can do that.  It's actually a good thing, because it means there's something you can do. Try not to hear it as criticism, but as ways you can do even better for your cat.


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## Lovemychanel (Mar 20, 2013)

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ I could not have said it better and agree you are loving and if you didn't care you wouldn't be here seeking help 


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Yes, what they said. We all do the best we can, with what we know. You're here, looking for help and learning. Those are attributes of a good pet owner.


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## JungliBillis (Mar 20, 2013)

Yes! No need to feel like a bad pet owner. Adding wet food might ease the hairball problems for sure


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## misschloe (Mar 20, 2013)

camskyw said:


> Thanks for all your replies, now that I feel like the worst cat owner in the country. I am going to scoop up a hairball mess and take to the vet and see if this is a medical problem and then see what I can do to change his diet.


Trust me, I know how you feel. I've been feeling like the worst cat mom ever these last few days. 

The guys and gals here have been super reassuring and helpful. Like others have said, you're obviously not a terrible cat parent. The fact that you're concerned and are seeking help and guidance says you are in fact a great cat parent!


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## jusjim (Jun 30, 2009)

Blakeney Green said:


> Even if you can't do all-wet, what about at least adding _some_ wet food to his diet for the meals where you're able to be home? It would probably help with the hairballs.
> 
> A drinking fountain to get him to take in more water may help too.


Missy's wet food is always pate, and her extra moisture comes when I mash the food , spread it and add a little water. She does have a bowl of water and kibble always available. Lately her occasional vomiting has stopped, but I won't say she'll never do it again. That's asking for trouble.

Kibble is not always bad.

Don't to do a full brushing every time, but maybe a little more every time.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

I like the egg lecithin thing, though I haven't used it before. Anyway, more option for you, Fish oil and psyllium husk, and somebodyelse in this forum had also suggested slippery elm.

I have been using psyllium husk all along and it really works for ET. He is also one with a hairball that doesn't get passed out the other way even with daily brushing, but its not a daily thing like yours, its once a week. So long as i keep up with pysllium daily, no problem with vomitting hairball. Just don't over dose with psyllium, at most 3/4tsp daily split over 3 meals, that is 1/8tsp per meal, and *SOAK* in water before adding into wet food. The good thing about feeding wet, is, its easier to add any supplements like fish oil, lysine, psyllium or even egg lecithin. I'm not sure about other forumer's dosage of psyllium, but 1/8tsp x 3 meals works for ET. Too high a dosage can cause constipation in human, I suppose its the same with a cat.


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## mumof7kitties (Jan 27, 2013)

There is a lot of good advise here, and some misinformed. That said I think priority would be a vet visit to figure out if they are indeed hairballs and go from there. 

Don't let the advise given here get you down. We all want the best for our kitties and we are all at different places in our lives to provide that. If all you can afford food wise is meow mix or friskies so be it. It's not the end of the world and it is better than a starving kitty. Are there higher quality foods out there? Of course. Mac & cheese is nothing in comparison to a chef salad and filet mignon, but both will sustain life. 

You're doing an awesome job and the fact that you are here seeking answers speaks volumes about your love for your kitty. 


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

This person is trying to _improve the health_ of her cat. Feeding Meow Mix kibble is not going to do that. Fortunately she understands that, clearly she wants to do the best she can for her beloved cat.


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## lovetimesfour (Dec 1, 2010)

Learning has to start somewhere, after all. And here is a good place to start.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

My cat Beep still has a hairball incident about ever week or two, she always has. I have a furminator, and does help get all that fur out. I agree, no one is wanting to make you feel like a bad cat owner, not at all, it's just that when you know something is not good for a person, or a pet, and you speak from your own personal experiences many times, you just want to get the word out and tell people. I had a former free feeding kibble addict who was 14 pounds (Beep) and she was a small cat, so she was huge. WHen I changed her to wet food only, a year later, she is 9 pounds, no more constipation and less hairballs than she used to have....way less. I think.....at least this was my experience, that when you free feed kibble, you have it in your mind (at least I did) that they need to have access to food 24/7 or they will be hungry, and they like to be able to eat when they want to, when that is not really what cats need. My two indoor chunkies (and Beep is still a little chunky at 9 pounds) literally eat 1/3 of canned food 2 x a day, and that is it. And one is a 15 pound maine **** who is still a chunk butt on that amount. I do feed them good quality canned food, grain free, wellness, and they are satisfied with it. They get some water mixed in with it, and I do actually give them a little spoonful of food before bedtime, so they don't bug me all night. They do not need a lot of food if they are indoor cats, so for me, feeding more expensive food is not that bad, because they don't eat so much of it. On the other hand, when I have fed them a lesser quality food, they were hungry more often and I did have to feed them more. Sorry to ramble, but what I'm trying to say is that I see people every day, in my family, friends, that free feed cheap quality dry food, and I see all the health problems their cats go through, and usually (not always but a lot) that they end up with kidney failure or worse. So it's hard to not say something to people when you know that wet food is for the best, and yes, it is a royal pain in the &* at times, it's what is so much better for them. Hopefully you will read the link that someone put up about wet food versus dry and hopefully you will realize that people are not trying to make you feel bad, they are trying to help you see why it is that wet is better than dry, and how nutrition is everything for cats to be able to live a long, healthy life. And I didn't realize all of this for years, it took me years to finally make the change once I already knew, but chronic UTI's and urinary blockage in one of my male cats finally convinced me to make the change. If you get to that point, where your cat has UTI's and is peeing everywhere....you will have to make the change then, and he may not be very happy about it, because you will have to do it suddenly. Many cats, like mine, are addited to kibble and they do not make that change easily. Anyway, I was not trying to be a meanie or a bossy know it all either, and I'm sorry I rambled


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

So I just had this thought- how about getting your kitty groomed before you go out of town? If they shave her down there won't be any hair to ingest, thus preventing the whole thing for now. You will then have time to research food options and decide what to do.

Check with local groomers to see if they accept cats. My vet does it and they were able to do it with sedation which worked for Molly and I at the time.

It might be the short term solution that you are looking for.


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## Penny135 (Apr 6, 2011)

mumof7kitties said:


> There is a lot of good advise here, and some misinformed. That said I think priority would be a vet visit to figure out if they are indeed hairballs and go from there.
> 
> Don't let the advise given here get you down. We all want the best for our kitties and we are all at different places in our lives to provide that. If all you can afford food wise is meow mix or friskies so be it. It's not the end of the world and it is better than a starving kitty. Are there higher quality foods out there? Of course. Mac & cheese is nothing in comparison to a chef salad and filet mignon, but both will sustain life.
> 
> ...


I so understand and agree with you on feeding what you can afford. I adore my cat and tried to feed her a "better" food than I could really afford as I felt guilty utherwise. Cant do it on Social Security. She gets the best I can afford which is Purina but she has more love given too her than she knows what to do with. Which is REALLY more important? :kittyturn


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

I don't think you have a hairball problem at all. I think you have a vomiting problem and there just happens to be some hair in it. Without debating the toxicity of petroleum based hairball remedies, the fact is they work. This shouldn't have been an ongoing issue when you were administering hairball remedy and brushing regularly. Especially in the winter months. 

Vomiting can have many causes...

One cause of vomiting is hunger. You say he's vomiting in the middle of the night...what time is his last feeding prior to this? If you're getting up over 8 hours (say he's fed at 5pm) then it might be as simple as giving him a snack before bed.

Another cause would be food related. You are feeding low quality foods and he may be having a reaction to the ingredients. If it's not hunger related, improving the food quality would be the next step imo. Just moving to a grain free higher end dry food might solve the problem. I wouldn't recommend adding canned food right now, changing too many variables at once can cause more harm than good. It could also be protein related, so if just changing the quality of the food doesn't work, you might want to choose a meat source that you haven't used before. 

If the new dry food doesn't do it, then I'd suggest canned food. Though in the end, even if the dry food works, you eventually do want to get as much canned food into him as you can. You can do a combo...but try to get at least 50%-75% of his diet switched to canned. I typically feed canned for breakfast & dinner and give a little dry (1/8 cup) before bed. This way dry is part of their diet if I need that convenience for times when I'm going to be gone for an extended period. 

If food changes don't do it, then you're probably looking at something medical or even maybe he ingested something foreign (although that would typically have caused an acute situation by now). The fact that your vet dismissed daily vomiting as caused by being high strung and that he stereotyped all long hair cats as high strung suggests that you need to find another vet and get some tests run.


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## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

I had a couple cans of fancy feast and decided to try giving him half a can twice a day and it has been 2 days and no vomiting!!!! I finally got a couple full nights of sleep! I do appreciate all the comments and guess I was having a bad day sorry I sounded ungreatful - as I do love my kitty very much and I really am trying to figure this out. I did have someone tell me about a dry grain free food that I am going to get tomorrow as well as trying to add more canned. I am also going to call my vet and see if when he vomits again that I can drop off and hopefully figure out what is going on. Again thanks everyone and I will post any results.


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Is the one can a day of FF all you gave him or was there dry food too? If it was only the canned, that isn't enough food (unless your cat is less than 5 lbs). Typically, a 10 lb cat requires a 5.5-6 oz can per day...which may vary a bit depending on the cat.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I don't know if your grocery store sells Newman's Own Organic canned food...my store does here in FL. It is supposed to be a decent canned food, and my 19 year old daughter feeds it to her cat. It's actually cheaper than fancy feast, because you can get several feedings out of one can (the tuna sized can). Her cat is 9 months old, and he eats 1/2 can in the morning, and the other half at night. He is fine and chunky on that small amount. If you feed fancy feast, you would ideally need to feed 2 cans a day, which would be 1.20, roughly, and one can of the Newman's Own is slightly over a dollar. Just a thought. They really don't need that much...if he's a kitten( I can't remember if he is) he may need to eat 3 times a day, but after 8-9 months, you can feed him 2 x a day. This will save you aggravation down the road, if he is on only dry food, he will likely have problems down the road with his kidney's and you will have vet bills.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

howsefrau32 said:


> It's actually cheaper than fancy feast...


Just out of curiosity, I calculated how much I spend on cat food now versus how much I would spend on Fancy Feast, and I would actually have to pay _more_ per ounce for the FF than I do for the grain free organic human-grade EVO in the 13.2 oz cans. 

The lower list price of Fancy Feast can deceive people into thinking it's cheaper than it is; the cans are tiny and the product to packaging ratio is very poor.

Some of the Fancy Feast Classics aren't the worst thing on the market (although they aren't the best, either,) but it's extremely hard on the wallet. Of course the specific prices of brands vary by area, but for the money someone would spend on FF, they can almost certainly get something better.


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## Tiliqua (Jan 22, 2013)

So glad the problems seem to be sorted out!


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## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

Oh no I still have the dry out so that he can have a snack if he needs one, he will just nibble here and there so don't worry about him overeating the dry just because it is out. Thanks!


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## camskyw (Jan 10, 2012)

This is just a little update on Lucky. Since my last post on 4/8 Lucky has still been doing great, still not fond of the wet food just a couple flavors I can get him to eat but he is getting at least 6 oz. of wet food per day and about 1/4 cup of dry Taste of the Wild and we have not had any vomiting problems at all. On April 29th at 3:30 a.m. he had his first full fledged hairball!!!! No goopy brown liquid just about a 2 inch long tangled mess of hair - whoo hoo!!!! Seems funny to celebrate a hairball but after what I've went through for over a year of vomiting I feel I can celebrate. I am so thankful for everyone's help and concern - pretty sure that the wet food change was the answer, I am hooked on reading all the forums and learning everyday. I felt like a terrible cat parent (thanks for comforting me into being a caring/loving cat parent) when I first posted my problem but had I known about this site then it would have been fixed long ago. I still need to get him changed to a better wet food than the Fancy Feast but feel that he has came a long way in just a short amount of time and we will get there just taking baby steps. Sorry for the long post - thanks again!!! :luv


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