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Hairball problem?



 
 
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  #21  
Old July 6th 03, 12:43 AM
Caliban
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
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"Laura R." wrote
circa Sat, 05 Jul 2003 16:34:53 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Caliban ) said,
Hi Cathy,

As it happens, my cat's first tube of hairball remedy was the molasses

(I
think) flavored Petromalt. His second tube is Hartz's salmon flavored

one.
My cat is not keen on either, but it's not a big problem. At least the

drops
he shakes off his paw clean up easily from the carpet.


Try plain ol' vaseline. You could even try mixing it into his food.


I am holding off on vaseline for now, because these "hairball remedies" have
additional nutrients. E.g. the Hartz hairball remedy has Vitamin B1.

And, yes, I want to get my cat down to less and less each week but think it
might come down to some regular amount, say a half-inch ribbon each week or
every other week, to help his digestion.

snip
I will have to check the labels of
the various cat foods and treats designed to prevent hair balls and see

if
they work mostly by adding oil to the diet.

They don't. Some use petrolatum (petroleum jelly)


Petrolatum is oil.

and others use
vegetable fiber. Just because a substance is slippery doesn't mean
it's suitable to treat hairballs.


I don't know that most oils that are consumable (vegetable, olive,
margarine, butter) wouldn't all have the same effect for short-term
treatment of hairballs.

I will study more on the fiber, however. One of the sites you listed said
its cat food had 4% fiber for the treatment of hairballs. I'll check other
dry foods and see if they're much different. Remember, the original poster
said s/he gave her cat hairball treats. Now maybe the recent vomiting wasn't
hairballs, but if it was, this seems to me to confound what the best remedy
(short or long-term) is.

The single best thing you can do to help prevent hairballs is groom
the cat regularly. The less hair the cat swallows, the less hair
there is to cause irritation in his/her digestive tract.
Supplementing with vegetable-fiber foods, with petrolatum or with
fiber supplements is good, but simply adding fat (butter, oil) to a
cat's diet does just that- adds fat.


Why is it you think butter is worse fat-wise than petrolatum?

Cat diets are already pretty
high-fat in comparison to what would be best for humans.

In fact, since you mentioned that your cat ate mostly Iams, check out
the little interactive demo he

http://tinyurl.com/g3t5

Note that what Iams uses for hairball control is cellulose and beet
pulp fiber. Fatty acids (fish oils) are used to add shine to the
coat.


Years ago when I got my cat (as a six-week-old kitten), his veterinarian
emphatically stated Iams and Hill's Science was far superior to any other
cat foods. I noticed her office sold the stuff. I also know many people
swear by Iams, but not, it seems, based on any particular scientific
results. It seems it just became popular. That is, people like to appear to
"know best." In fact, I'm not sure the studies attesting to Iams superiority
are all that credible. Marketers (read: greedy executives lied) may have got
the better of the public for some time.

Now I see Iams debated regularly here. It's lost its edge, apparently. I fed
my cat strictly dry Iams for years and am now convinced this was a huge
contributor to his recent troubles.

So whom to believe? Several of the sites you provided are cat food
manufacturer-sponsored. And I don't know what the other sites are using for
their sources.

At any rate, as I said, I will look into the high fiber alternatives for
dealing with hairballs and continue brushing down my cat once a day,
something I had not done before. (But nor did I ever have a hairball
situation with a cat like this before, given my several cats in my life
since I was a kid, none of whom were brushed regularly and all of whom lived
healthily for years. So there's still some puzzlement here.)

Thanks for your comments.


  #22  
Old July 6th 03, 05:20 AM
PawsForThought
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

From: Laura R.

PawsForThought ) said,
Another product that works well is Catlube, made without
petroleum-based ingredients:

www.vetsbest.com/cats.html#catlube


You have used this? I'm curious as to why you use clarified butter
instead of this.

Thanks,

Laura


I used the Catlube with my last cat and it worked well. She seemed to like it
better than the petroleum based remedies.
You can also make your own slippery elm by adding 1 tsp slippery elm powder to
1/2 cup cold water. Stir well to mix it. Then bring slowly to a simmer,
stirring periodically until it thickens. Then cool and store in a glass jar;
it keeps 5 to 7 days in the fridge. Feed 1 tsp of the liquid 5 to 10 mins
before the meal, but it can also be mixed in with the food if the cat won't eat
it plain.

My present cats haven't had hairballs fortunately. I have the ghee in the
house and had read that it worked to keep the digestive tract lubricated so I
gave my cats some and they love it. I just put some on my finger and they lick
it off. It's not much though. Ghee (butter with all the milk solids removed)
is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine and it's quite interesting:
http://www.indiaoz.com.au/health/ayu...ood_ghee.shtml

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm
  #23  
Old July 6th 03, 05:20 AM
PawsForThought
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

From: Laura R.

PawsForThought ) said,
Another product that works well is Catlube, made without
petroleum-based ingredients:

www.vetsbest.com/cats.html#catlube


You have used this? I'm curious as to why you use clarified butter
instead of this.

Thanks,

Laura


I used the Catlube with my last cat and it worked well. She seemed to like it
better than the petroleum based remedies.
You can also make your own slippery elm by adding 1 tsp slippery elm powder to
1/2 cup cold water. Stir well to mix it. Then bring slowly to a simmer,
stirring periodically until it thickens. Then cool and store in a glass jar;
it keeps 5 to 7 days in the fridge. Feed 1 tsp of the liquid 5 to 10 mins
before the meal, but it can also be mixed in with the food if the cat won't eat
it plain.

My present cats haven't had hairballs fortunately. I have the ghee in the
house and had read that it worked to keep the digestive tract lubricated so I
gave my cats some and they love it. I just put some on my finger and they lick
it off. It's not much though. Ghee (butter with all the milk solids removed)
is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine and it's quite interesting:
http://www.indiaoz.com.au/health/ayu...ood_ghee.shtml

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm
  #24  
Old July 6th 03, 06:18 PM
*~*SooZy*~*
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: Laura R.


) said,
From: Laura R.


PawsForThought ) said,
Another product that works well is Catlube, made without
petroleum-based ingredients:

www.vetsbest.com/cats.html#catlube


You have used this? I'm curious as to why you use clarified butter
instead of this.

Thanks,

Laura

I used the Catlube with my last cat and it worked well. She seemed to

like
it
better than the petroleum based remedies.
You can also make your own slippery elm by adding 1 tsp slippery elm

powder
to
1/2 cup cold water. Stir well to mix it. Then bring slowly to a simmer,
stirring periodically until it thickens. Then cool and store in a

glass
jar;
it keeps 5 to 7 days in the fridge. Feed 1 tsp of the liquid 5 to 10

mins
before the meal, but it can also be mixed in with the food if the cat

won't
eat
it plain.

My present cats haven't had hairballs fortunately. I have the ghee in

the
house and had read that it worked to keep the digestive tract

lubricated so
I
gave my cats some and they love it. I just put some on my finger and

they
lick
it off. It's not much though. Ghee (butter with all the milk solids

removed)
is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine and it's quite interesting:
http://www.indiaoz.com.au/health/ayu...ood_ghee.shtml


Excellent; thanks for the info. I've seen slippery elm bark listed as
useful for a number of digestive ailments but hadn't seen it listed
for treatment of hairballs before.


Slippery Elm is very soothing for inflammation or irritation in the

digestive
tract. It's used for diahrrea, ulcers and vomiting. It also contains

minerals
and vitamins and most cats will accept it. You can even sprinkle the

powder
into food to sooth the stomach and intestines. I haven't used it

specifically
for hairballs but I do know some people who have and say it helps. I

don't
know if it helps move the hair along so much as probably just very

soothing. I
wish I'd known about it with my last cat who vomited hairballs frequently.

As far as the ghee, I'd never heard of it being used for hairballs,
either. Do you really think that it is the ghee that is helping your
cats WRT hairballs, or is it just grooming and that they're naturally
not hairball-prone? Or perhaps the lack of hairballs is related to
the diet you feed your cats? I know that ghee is compositionally
different than butter, but I wonder how much of its lubricant
capabilities survive the digestive process. Perhaps the clarification
process decreases its absorptive qualities? If so, I wonder why it
isn't more frequently recommended. Do you know if, like some
unsaturated fats, it may affect nutrient absorption?

Laura


Ghee is actually a saturated fat and it enhances fat soluable nutrient
absorption like A, D, E and K. I don't think many vets are familiar with

ghee,
probably only holistic ones. My cats are on a homemade raw diet and I

think
that probably is a big reason they don't have hairballs. From my

understanding
of ghee, it can actually aid in the digestive process. One thing I do

notice
is that when I give ghee to my cats, they seem to have a better appetite.

In
Ayervedic medicine they believe that ghee enhances the assimilation of
nutrients, and is good for nerve tissue, reproductive secretions. This

system
of medicine has been around for 5,000 years and is quite interesting.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm


try mixing a teaspoon of bran (from health shop) this prevents fur balls
occurring, as Lauren says any cat fed on the above diets or BARF wont get
fur balls anyway.... I have one cat fed on dry food (wont even sniff the raw
food) and the other fed on BARF raw meaty bones diet as he was fed on that
from a 3 week old kitten.


  #25  
Old July 6th 03, 06:18 PM
*~*SooZy*~*
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From: Laura R.


) said,
From: Laura R.


PawsForThought ) said,
Another product that works well is Catlube, made without
petroleum-based ingredients:

www.vetsbest.com/cats.html#catlube


You have used this? I'm curious as to why you use clarified butter
instead of this.

Thanks,

Laura

I used the Catlube with my last cat and it worked well. She seemed to

like
it
better than the petroleum based remedies.
You can also make your own slippery elm by adding 1 tsp slippery elm

powder
to
1/2 cup cold water. Stir well to mix it. Then bring slowly to a simmer,
stirring periodically until it thickens. Then cool and store in a

glass
jar;
it keeps 5 to 7 days in the fridge. Feed 1 tsp of the liquid 5 to 10

mins
before the meal, but it can also be mixed in with the food if the cat

won't
eat
it plain.

My present cats haven't had hairballs fortunately. I have the ghee in

the
house and had read that it worked to keep the digestive tract

lubricated so
I
gave my cats some and they love it. I just put some on my finger and

they
lick
it off. It's not much though. Ghee (butter with all the milk solids

removed)
is widely used in Ayurvedic medicine and it's quite interesting:
http://www.indiaoz.com.au/health/ayu...ood_ghee.shtml


Excellent; thanks for the info. I've seen slippery elm bark listed as
useful for a number of digestive ailments but hadn't seen it listed
for treatment of hairballs before.


Slippery Elm is very soothing for inflammation or irritation in the

digestive
tract. It's used for diahrrea, ulcers and vomiting. It also contains

minerals
and vitamins and most cats will accept it. You can even sprinkle the

powder
into food to sooth the stomach and intestines. I haven't used it

specifically
for hairballs but I do know some people who have and say it helps. I

don't
know if it helps move the hair along so much as probably just very

soothing. I
wish I'd known about it with my last cat who vomited hairballs frequently.

As far as the ghee, I'd never heard of it being used for hairballs,
either. Do you really think that it is the ghee that is helping your
cats WRT hairballs, or is it just grooming and that they're naturally
not hairball-prone? Or perhaps the lack of hairballs is related to
the diet you feed your cats? I know that ghee is compositionally
different than butter, but I wonder how much of its lubricant
capabilities survive the digestive process. Perhaps the clarification
process decreases its absorptive qualities? If so, I wonder why it
isn't more frequently recommended. Do you know if, like some
unsaturated fats, it may affect nutrient absorption?

Laura


Ghee is actually a saturated fat and it enhances fat soluable nutrient
absorption like A, D, E and K. I don't think many vets are familiar with

ghee,
probably only holistic ones. My cats are on a homemade raw diet and I

think
that probably is a big reason they don't have hairballs. From my

understanding
of ghee, it can actually aid in the digestive process. One thing I do

notice
is that when I give ghee to my cats, they seem to have a better appetite.

In
Ayervedic medicine they believe that ghee enhances the assimilation of
nutrients, and is good for nerve tissue, reproductive secretions. This

system
of medicine has been around for 5,000 years and is quite interesting.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm


try mixing a teaspoon of bran (from health shop) this prevents fur balls
occurring, as Lauren says any cat fed on the above diets or BARF wont get
fur balls anyway.... I have one cat fed on dry food (wont even sniff the raw
food) and the other fed on BARF raw meaty bones diet as he was fed on that
from a 3 week old kitten.


  #26  
Old July 6th 03, 09:15 PM
Caliban
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Laura R." wrote in message
.net...
circa Sun, 06 Jul 2003 18:19:12 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Caliban ) said,

I have no issue with your being a "skeptical consumer". It's the
dismissal of everybody whose opinions aren't exactly what you think
they should be,


If one interprets questioning the sources behind opinions as dismissing
these opinions, then this is so.


I have now repeatedly told you that the links I gave you offer
attribution and links to source material.


I have never assailed the statements these sites make as being false.

I have questioned the sources.

You, meanwhile, completely dismissed my comments about Steven Crane's
possible bias and how "educated research" means double blind studies with
placebos, high statistical signficance, and marked differences in outcomes.

Or is it possible you did indeed take note of this, but figured, 'okay, it's
out there. I'll consider it. No point in discussing it further at this
time.'?

Just like I have been doing with so many of your opinions.

even though you admit to not having researched, that
I find off-putting.


I have seen no one in this thread present any reputable research.


Because you apparently haven't read what I've posted.

So I don't
know why you're claiming I should defer to another's opinions on this
matter, unless you want to be recognized as an "authority."


I didn't claim anything of the sort. I perceive that you are
completely unwilling to accept the possibility that your idea to feed
your cat tuna oil and butter may not be the most effective approach,
*even though* you have *no* research to back up your "idea".


I have never assailed the notion that feeding a cat tuna fish *may* not be a
good idea. But nor do I reject the possibility that it may do no harm and in
fact may help. Can reasonable people disagree agreeably?

You have presented no research to refute the suggestion at web sites that
butter might be an acceptable alternative to petrolatum.

The fact
that you continue to dismiss the fact that the best thing you can do
to prevent hairballs is to groom your cat regularly is quite telling.


I do not dismiss this possibility. I do dismiss that this is the only means
to prevent hairballs.

snip rest. We've strayed far off the trail of substantive discussion, IMO.


  #27  
Old July 6th 03, 09:15 PM
Caliban
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default


"Laura R." wrote in message
.net...
circa Sun, 06 Jul 2003 18:19:12 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Caliban ) said,

I have no issue with your being a "skeptical consumer". It's the
dismissal of everybody whose opinions aren't exactly what you think
they should be,


If one interprets questioning the sources behind opinions as dismissing
these opinions, then this is so.


I have now repeatedly told you that the links I gave you offer
attribution and links to source material.


I have never assailed the statements these sites make as being false.

I have questioned the sources.

You, meanwhile, completely dismissed my comments about Steven Crane's
possible bias and how "educated research" means double blind studies with
placebos, high statistical signficance, and marked differences in outcomes.

Or is it possible you did indeed take note of this, but figured, 'okay, it's
out there. I'll consider it. No point in discussing it further at this
time.'?

Just like I have been doing with so many of your opinions.

even though you admit to not having researched, that
I find off-putting.


I have seen no one in this thread present any reputable research.


Because you apparently haven't read what I've posted.

So I don't
know why you're claiming I should defer to another's opinions on this
matter, unless you want to be recognized as an "authority."


I didn't claim anything of the sort. I perceive that you are
completely unwilling to accept the possibility that your idea to feed
your cat tuna oil and butter may not be the most effective approach,
*even though* you have *no* research to back up your "idea".


I have never assailed the notion that feeding a cat tuna fish *may* not be a
good idea. But nor do I reject the possibility that it may do no harm and in
fact may help. Can reasonable people disagree agreeably?

You have presented no research to refute the suggestion at web sites that
butter might be an acceptable alternative to petrolatum.

The fact
that you continue to dismiss the fact that the best thing you can do
to prevent hairballs is to groom your cat regularly is quite telling.


I do not dismiss this possibility. I do dismiss that this is the only means
to prevent hairballs.

snip rest. We've strayed far off the trail of substantive discussion, IMO.


  #28  
Old July 6th 03, 10:06 PM
Caliban
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Laura R." wrote
circa Sun, 06 Jul 2003 20:15:59 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Caliban ) said,


I have now repeatedly told you that the links I gave you offer
attribution and links to source material.


I have never assailed the statements these sites make as being false.

I have questioned the sources.


You have not even looked at the sources.


I believe I have looked at them as closely as you.

It saddens me that you would make an accusation like the above. I won't
bother reading your posts in the future, as I went to some trouble to read
your sources so I could discuss their points.

I do want to clarify what I said in my last post: I for one would not feed a
cat exclusively made-for-humans, canned tuna fish. I might try my cat on
canned tuna in oil a few cat servings a week for the possible advantage of
diet variety and the oil to possibly help with hairballs.

Back to the main topic. For the anecdotal database, I note that my current
veterinarian never suggested a hairball remedy for my cat, despite my
expressed concerns about his vomiting. She wanted to put him under and do
exploratory surgery. That she didn't even suggest trying Petromalt (or
similar) is discouraging. It really pays to do one's own research.

No, I decided that it was more of your obvious unwillingness to
actually research before forming an opinion. I figured that if you
had actually read some of his posts, you might see just how
assumptive your response was.


I googled and read many of his posts when you first mentioned his name.

He is often defending himself from attacks by many on pets newgroups as
being biased.

I never saw his posts criticize Hill's Science, his employer. On the
contrary.




  #29  
Old July 6th 03, 10:06 PM
Caliban
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

"Laura R." wrote
circa Sun, 06 Jul 2003 20:15:59 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Caliban ) said,


I have now repeatedly told you that the links I gave you offer
attribution and links to source material.


I have never assailed the statements these sites make as being false.

I have questioned the sources.


You have not even looked at the sources.


I believe I have looked at them as closely as you.

It saddens me that you would make an accusation like the above. I won't
bother reading your posts in the future, as I went to some trouble to read
your sources so I could discuss their points.

I do want to clarify what I said in my last post: I for one would not feed a
cat exclusively made-for-humans, canned tuna fish. I might try my cat on
canned tuna in oil a few cat servings a week for the possible advantage of
diet variety and the oil to possibly help with hairballs.

Back to the main topic. For the anecdotal database, I note that my current
veterinarian never suggested a hairball remedy for my cat, despite my
expressed concerns about his vomiting. She wanted to put him under and do
exploratory surgery. That she didn't even suggest trying Petromalt (or
similar) is discouraging. It really pays to do one's own research.

No, I decided that it was more of your obvious unwillingness to
actually research before forming an opinion. I figured that if you
had actually read some of his posts, you might see just how
assumptive your response was.


I googled and read many of his posts when you first mentioned his name.

He is often defending himself from attacks by many on pets newgroups as
being biased.

I never saw his posts criticize Hill's Science, his employer. On the
contrary.




 




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