hairball remedies for picky cat

[smg680]

For the past couple of days now, my cat Ambre has been throwing up what might be hairballs. When he first started, there was solid pieces of chicken in his vomit as well, but I just thought that he might have eaten something too fast. He makes gagging sounds before coughing up water and cat grass, but what else should we be looking for?

I'm thinking what my family and I can give him to help him, but his tastes are very picky. He eats cat food in pate form, and only certain brands and flavors. After a visit to the vet, we tried giving him different cat foods which have different nutrients, but he only ate one bite from one can before deciding that he didn't like it. Is there some kind of tasteless medicine or something we could give him to help him with the hairballs?

[hazelrunpack]

Will he let you brush him? I use a flea comb on our big shedder at least once a day. The close-set tines of the flea brush (which was actually marketed for the dogs) grip the dead hair better and pull more out. When it's shedding season, I'll brush him twice a day. It really does seem to cut down on the hairballs.

What did the vet say about the vomiting?

[smg680]

Actually, the vet doesn't know about the vomiting yet. I'm going to call on Monday and see what she says.

As for brushing, yes, he lets us get near him, but shortly after, he's 'I'm bored with this' and walks away. I do use a lint roller on him when he's lying down, and I get hair out that way.

[hazelrunpack]

The vet might be able to recommend a product to help the hair pass.

Lint roller, eh? I might have to try that for my other cat! She gets bored of the brush quickly, too!

[Reg]

Hello.........

Something you might want to check with your vet when you are talking to her.
If the throw ups are actually regurgitation rather than hairball. I have had quite a time in the past with regurge throw ups anywhere from a matter of a few minutes up to four hours or better.

I found that after feeding BB our cat, if I picked her up and placed her on my chest and walked around the kitchen that the likelihood of a throw up was pretty well eliminated. Something else that I found that also helped, was elevating the dish 2 to 4 inches, due to the fact that she preferred to stand to eat rather than squat. This causes the food to go down the Esophagus to the Trachea where there is like a valve to stop the food from going into the lungs. Then it goes on towards the stomach. If she's eating too fast, this blockage occurs and then you have the regurge.

In regards to a good pre and probiotics, I stumbled across Adored Beast Apothecary digestive enzymes. I started using this last fall with all three of our cats and been quite pleased with the results. It took a little time to get started.

The digestive enzymes are made from the Larch tree which is designed for dogs and cats.

I think you might be wise to have a look into it. Their web site is Adoredbeast.com they are located on the east coast of Canada in New Brunswick.

Hope this sort of helps. Since Hazel didn't ask for photos, I'll ask in her place. LOL

Reg

[hazelrunpack]

Ach, my bad!! Yes, photos are a necessity! I'll second that request!

[smg680]

My dad and I took Ambre in on Valentines' Day. We mentioned the throwing up, and after a few tests, the vet said that his kidneys and gall bladder were worse than his last visit. Ambre is 15, and when we talked at home about taking him in, he seemed to perk right up, as if he knew what we were planning (and he is a very smart kitty!). The vet said we need to keep an eye on him over the next few days, and bring him back if he gets sick again. The vet also said this is like a little bump in the road, since Ambre still does very well for his age.

[hazelrunpack]

Aw, poor Ambre--it's tough getting older! Praying he improves, gets past this, and gives you many more years!

[smg680]

Thank you for all your help. Ambre's been doing much better since that little "bump in the road". Hopefully, he's going to be around for a few more years.

And I actually made a small mistake. He's really 14 going on 15 (and that deserves a kitty quinceanero! )

[hazelrunpack]

So happy to hear he's doing better! I hope the party goes off without a hitch!

[marko]

Glad kitty doin' better!
late to the thread - But we tried a hairball ointment thing that looks like vaseline and applied it to our kitty's paw back in the day.
cats are grooming freaks so they lick it off by habit...it helped with our kitty years ago. You can find it in most pet stores. Cheers!

[Reg]

Glad to hear that Ambre is feeling better. Thanks for the info. We appreciate hearing how things turn out.

[smg680]

Ambre died today. He was down to seven pounds, and he's been getting worse since his last visit to the vet. My dad and I were with him when the vet put him to sleep. Thank you for your thoughts.

[hazelrunpack]

Oh, I'm so sorry about Ambre, smg680. He was very lucky to have someone who loved him so much.

Ambre

[Reg]

SMG680
Sorry to hear about Ambre and want to pass on our condolences for loss. We lost our BB 2 months ago so we have some idea of the pain of the loss of a buddy fur or otherwise. , personal and quite devastating.