Cat with furball problems!

bronte

Hi all, My cat has a bit of a problem with furballs.
I'm not sure if cats do this, but my old cat(who died a few years ago) used to eat grass and that( as far as I know) helps them get the furballs up.
My new cat had a coughing fit a few days ago and I got the feeling she was trying to cough a furball up, however she stopped herself and started to meow like she was in distress!
Is there any way to help her get them up?
Also, can they cause any long term damage if not coughed up?
Appreciate any advice!

NarkyBoots

Hiya,

You can do a couple of things to help your poor little cat:

Buy a pot of catgrass, put it on the windowsill and maybe she'll eat it (some don't/won't)

Buy some malt treats in the supermarket/petstore. The ones we use are in a bright pink bag with an ugly looking white cat with its tongue sticking out on it. We give them to our cats as treats (6-7 a day) and they love them. No problems with coughing up furballs as the malt binds the hair in the gut and it passes through into the poo.

Brush her more often, once a day is optimal but if she's not used to it wait till she's relaxed and try and even give her a bit of a lick with the brush. It just cuts down on the amount of fur that is swallowed during a grooming routine.

Hope some of this helps!

bronte

Thanks! Those malt trees sound great...do you buy them anywhere specific?

She really was distressed when she was being sick and didn't know what was wrong with her!
If she could pass them the normal way that'd be great.

Tabitharose

as well as the advice given by NarkyBoots Royal Canin & Hills do food specifically for cats with hairball issues

NarkyBoots

bronte wrote: »

Thanks! Those malt trees sound great...do you buy them anywhere specific?

You can get them in Tesco. They're usually at the end of an aisle along the side with allt he dog chew toys etc.

bronte

Thanks guys, that's great. Will look out for those

Shewhomustbe...

I find the cat grass you buy isn't thick enough, my guys won't eat it, they love the thick grass from the garden.
This is the cheapest way of helping her as if she's kept indoors she's not
getting any access to grass she'd eat when outside.

The treats are okay but could turn out costly and be a weight issue.
You could try dabbing some vaseline on her nose, won't do her any harm if used every now and then.

bronte

She does get out every day for a run around, but i've never seen her eating grass.
I didn't know about vaseline...will that help her get the fur up?

dmanning

when my cat had bad hair balls i was given defurr-um from my vet and have used it now for two years you can get it from your pet shop

Shewhomustbe...

bronte wrote: »

She does get out every day for a run around, but i've never seen her eating grass.
I didn't know about vaseline...will that help her get the fur up?

She might be eating it you just don't see her.

Only a little bit, won't do her any harm, helps the fur come out the other end!! (as does the grass, though they can sometimes cough it up)

luckat

Another vote for Defurr-UM - the vet sold it to me. You smear it on the cat's paw from the tube, and he licks it off, and apparently it makes it easier for them to pass the fur, or something.

bronte

I might get that next time I'm at the vets.
It's true, she could be having a nibble at the grass out the back, but it's the actual getting the furballs up that seems to stress her out!

SMK

Apologies for jumping in here! My cat gets at least one fur ball a week. I wasn't using Defurr-um because he wasn't having any problems getting them up. Could Defurr-um help stop the fur balls forming? My cat has made it clear he doesn't like being groomed!! Is there anything else I should be doing to prevent fur balls? Thanks

Shewhomustbe...

Grass, grass, grass, can't beat it.

tk123

If you're buying cat grass i'd recommend this one from ebay. I get this sometimes in winter when the grass in the garden is frozen! I brush our cat all the time and he loves it. You could try brushing when they're eating to get them used to it when they're distracted/happy.

dmanning

it gets rid of furballs and then you use it one a week i think to pervent them thinks it about 7 euros a tube in the pet shop were i get

bronte

Which pet shop do you go to dmanning? Just in case I want to pick some up.

dmanning

i get it from the pet shop on the quays boardwalk pet store