# hairball question



## saved by an angel (Dec 4, 2009)

Hi all - maybe you remember me from a few months ago - I have Tia who almost died from Hepatic Lipidosis. Thankfully she is doing really well - she's up to 7.5 lbs and looks and acts healthy.

She is my first cat and though I know cats get hairballs I have no personal experience with this and so I have no idea what is normal. 

Yesterday I was out shopping and when I got home I saw what I thought was a cat poop on the carpet - it was about 3 inches long and the thickness of cat poop (sorry so graphic) - Tia has never pooped outside of her box before so I was surprised - when I went to clean it up I realized it was solid hair - I broke it apart to be sure and it was only hair - but formed like a poop....? So, did this come out her bottom or her top? I am going to feel really dumb if this is a typical thing for cats and you guys can make fun of me...but I just don't know what to make of this odd thing. I have found small hairball "clumps" a few times in the past that I assumed she hacked up - but this looked just like a poop! I must add that it did have a wet spot around it that looked and smelled like spit up. Do I need to worry about this?

I have never given Tia any hairball medicine - though I now have noticed that it is recommended on another post - should I give her that? Are hairballs ever really serious and dangerous? Like I said - I don't know cats!


Thanks!


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yup, that was a hairball and it came up, not from down below. If it's a large mass, it will take the shape of the esophagus and end up looking like poop. Don't feel bad, sometimes I need to look closer than I want to, to determine what it is.

If your cat is regularly bringing these up (and that could happen during shedding season, which most places are in right now), then a weekly preventative dose of hairball remedy doesn't hurt. The consequences of not giving it are sometimes dealing with vomit a couple times before the hairball comes up, a kitty with an upset tummy etc. I've heard of more dire problems like blockages as a result of hair impacting the intestines or acids eating at stomach linings because it's trapped under hair.....but they're anecdotal and no one here has every reported an experience like that.


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## Owned_By_Two (Mar 30, 2010)

I concur with doodlebug but I'd also like to add a caution about *overusing* hairball remedy.

"Excessive use of this type of hair ball remedy (petroleum) can interfere with the absorption of fat soluble vitamins, including vitamin D."

http://ezinearticles.com/?Poison-to...Your-Cat-With-His-Hairball-Remedy?&id=2555662

In addition to the natural remedies in the article above, I also suggest trying olive oil. Since I've been using olive oil in my cats diet, his hairball problem has improved considerably. Here's some info on that:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2191162_use-olive-oil-prevent-hairballs.html

Keeping the regular hairball remedy on hand is always a good idea as well, especially if your cat swallows something like a piece of string/rubber band it will grease the skids for an effective cargo dump.


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## saved by an angel (Dec 4, 2009)

Thanks for the help - I love learning more about my kitty. Of course reading those articles brings up other questions....is it normal for cats to hack up hairballs? Should we just let them do it? Or try and prevent with a hairball remedy or olive oil? Hmmmmm.....now I'm not sure which way to go......if it doesn't really hurt them to have a hairball....then why treat? Maybe it is better to let them hack it up instead of having it pass through and risk it getting stuck? I don't know....


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## NosyKitty (Feb 3, 2010)

I like the Olive Oil idea.

I have been having the same problem. I guess with the warmer weather there has been a lot more shedding and hairballs.

Can I just feed him a tsp. of the olive oil without mixing it with food?


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## Owned_By_Two (Mar 30, 2010)

NK, I've never tried feeding Kramer olive oil by itself, but you can try. I just wouldn't force it. If you make it too stressful and then your cat associates the smell with the stress, he might not even eat it when it's mixed in the food. I assume by your question you are doing 100% dry feeding? If not there's really no reason to give the olive oil separately. If you are 100% dry, you can try mixing some in in a little bit of PLAIN yogurt. Like I said this has really been working for Kramer, who was throwing up hairballs like it's an olympic sport.

angel, yes it's very normal for cats to upchuck hairballs, and I would try to attempt preventative measures. It's never good for cats to throw up, they lose fluids when they do this, and plus it's not pleasant for them or us. Just try the olive oil and see, it will not hurt the cat in any way. And keep some of the regular hairball stuff on hand if it's really needed. You'll know when you need to use it, believe me.

By the way, I forgot this before. One of the best ways to prevent hairballs is to comb your cat with a quality brush. I use the "Furminator" and this along with the olive oil has really been a great preventative program. You don't even need to use the furminator every day if you have a shorthair like me.

Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/FURminator-de...3?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1270931342&sr=8-3 along with my review (southernarc)


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## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Yes, I usually post that you need to make sure to give hairball remedy between meals. However it's not the poison that article makes it out to be. A weekly dose during the worst of the shedding season or just when it appears they need it isn't going to cause vitamin deficiencies. 

This excerpt is from an article by Dr. Jean Hofve, who is a holistic vet and nutritional expert, has been on advisory boards to AAFCO.

_For many years, the treatment of choice for hairballs has been petroleum jelly. This can be given plain, as in good old Vaseline, or in a commercial product, such as Laxatone, Petromalt, or Katalax. These come in malt, tuna, and liver flavors that appeal to many cats. Petroleum jelly's molecules are too large to be absorbed by the intestines; it passes through the cat unchanged, and is perfectly safe. I fed my cat, Spirit, plain Vaseline every day her whole life — she lived to be well over 20, so I feel confident in saying it didn't hurt her at all. In fact, she loved it, and would pester me mercilessly for her bedtime dose! Administer daily for a week or two, then once or twice a week for maintenance. Hairball "treats" contain mineral oil rather than petroleum jelly. It works on the same principle, but has a slightly more laxative effect — don't overdo them! Edible oils, like olive, flaxseed, or fish oil, will be absorbed by the intestines and thus may not finish their escort duty, although a cat with dull or dry fur would benefit from the fatty acids they contain. _

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?a ... =hairballs


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## saved by an angel (Dec 4, 2009)

Thanks for this info. I think I will try the vaseline route and see how it goes. Tia has been shedding sooo much lately - she loves to be brushed but only with a soft brush that doesn't really remove too much hair. I tried a furminator on her and she ran away and hid! Ha she is such a goofball


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## Owned_By_Two (Mar 30, 2010)

saved by an angel said:


> Thanks for this info. I think I will try the vaseline route and see how it goes. Tia has been shedding sooo much lately - she loves to be brushed but only with a soft brush that doesn't really remove too much hair. I tried a furminator on her and she ran away and hid! Ha she is such a goofball


I'm a firm believer in the Furminator. I've found that you have to go very, very gently on cats until they get used to it. Even then not too much force should be applied, nor is it necessary since the brush is so effective. Both of my cats purr like crazy while being combed with the Furminator but at first they didn't like it either because I applied too much force. But maybe your kitty just doesn't like it for some other reason.

Yes, it's that time of year when we can start packing pillow cases with all of the shedding going on! :lol:


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