Hairballs Advice, please and thank you

My first pet, an older Himalayan that I've now had over 5 years (since I
turned 50). Queen Anne has always suffered to some degree with choking and
coughing up hairballs - usually in two spots/events - one being the long
hairball itself (looking almost like it came out her other end) and the next
is mostly wet food. Sometimes they come out in reverse order.

I have tried Purina One Hairball and other formulaes. Money is not the
problem, I will do anything to help her. I brush her quite a bit but not
everyday. I used to put the anti-hairball fish flavored "vaseline" product
on her nose that she enjoyed licking off, but it didn't seem to help. I'm a
little tired of the weekly messes on the carpet but mostly I am concerned
for her health.

Does anyone know of what I'm doing wrong? Or should I consider that this is
a bad sign and expect her to die? She's about 10 years old I think. But
she's been doing it for years... I don't want to be a bad "mother". Help.

Rebecca in Atlanta

Brandy Alexandre wrote:

Mortgage.Author wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:


Does anyone know of what I'm doing wrong? Or should I consider
that this is a bad sign and expect her to die? She's about 10
years old I think. But she's been doing it for years... I don't
want to be a bad "mother". Help.

Rebecca in Atlanta


I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Kami was a two-week
hairball hacker of turd-sized variety. She wouldn't talk Petromalt or
any other remedy, and they didn't work anyway. Pounce came out with a
hairball "treat" and she gets 4 of them every Friday. Hairballs are
quite rare these days and thank god! You might like to try them. Kami
prefers the crunchy tuna flavor, but it comes in soft chicken as well.



My cat Audrey likes the chicken. BTW, thanks a lot for the "hairball
hacker of turd-sized variety" comment. I just spit coffee on my
monitor!! LOL!

Brandy Alexandre wrote:

Mortgage.Author wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:


Does anyone know of what I'm doing wrong? Or should I consider
that this is a bad sign and expect her to die? She's about 10
years old I think. But she's been doing it for years... I don't
want to be a bad "mother". Help.

Rebecca in Atlanta


I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Kami was a two-week
hairball hacker of turd-sized variety. She wouldn't talk Petromalt or
any other remedy, and they didn't work anyway. Pounce came out with a
hairball "treat" and she gets 4 of them every Friday. Hairballs are
quite rare these days and thank god! You might like to try them. Kami
prefers the crunchy tuna flavor, but it comes in soft chicken as well.



My cat Audrey likes the chicken. BTW, thanks a lot for the "hairball
hacker of turd-sized variety" comment. I just spit coffee on my
monitor!! LOL!

Brandy Alexandre wrote:

Mortgage.Author wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:


Does anyone know of what I'm doing wrong? Or should I consider
that this is a bad sign and expect her to die? She's about 10
years old I think. But she's been doing it for years... I don't
want to be a bad "mother". Help.

Rebecca in Atlanta


I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Kami was a two-week
hairball hacker of turd-sized variety. She wouldn't talk Petromalt or
any other remedy, and they didn't work anyway. Pounce came out with a
hairball "treat" and she gets 4 of them every Friday. Hairballs are
quite rare these days and thank god! You might like to try them. Kami
prefers the crunchy tuna flavor, but it comes in soft chicken as well.



My cat Audrey likes the chicken. BTW, thanks a lot for the "hairball
hacker of turd-sized variety" comment. I just spit coffee on my
monitor!! LOL!

In article ,
enlightened us with...


I think perhaps you may confusing Purina's commercials on TV with a
"study".

No, I read about the food, nutrition, and the way the body digests food.

Almost all "hairball formula" foods say the reason they work is extra
fibre. Everyone knows that when you eat more (non-soluble) fibre, you
eliminate more. Fact of life. This is because we can't fully digest
plant matter. This is equally true for people, dogs, and cats.
In order to eliminate properly with a high-fibre diet, you must drink
water. Fibre absorbs water. The stool would be too hard if there was not
enough water in the diet.

If you eliminate too quickly, your body can't digest everything you eat.
This is equally true for dogs, cats, and people. The true measure of a
cat food is its digestibility. If the cat doesn't fully digest
everything, it would need to eat more to get all the nutrients it needs.

There are many sources for all this information. I have quoted a few
below. A Google search will bring up many more.

------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.cah.com/library/felconstip.html

Medical management for cats with chronic constipation typically has both
a dietary and medical component. The dietary component usually involves
putting the cat on a higher fiber diet. Fiber absorbs water thereby
creating looser, bulkier stools. That shortens the transit time in the
gastrointestinal tract and keeps things moving. While you want to
increase the amount of fiber in your cat’s diet, you don’t want to
overdo it.

------------------------------------------------------------
From http://www.catclinic.co.uk/catnews/sept2000.htm

The Hill's Pet Nutrition company have recently Introduced a new
"Hairball Control" dry diet to the UK. The food is claimed to reduce the
formation of hairballs in cats safely and naturally. The product
contains high levels of vegetable fibre that help to sweep the hair
through the cat's digestive tract.

------------------------------------------------------------

http://65.18.207.6/purinaproplanextr...catfood.ht ml

Pro Plan Extra Care Hairball Management Adult Food is recommended by
veterianarians. Helps to provide the correct nutritional formula that
adult cat requires. It provides the fiber needed to control the
formation of hairballs in your cat's digestive tract.

------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.thecatsite.com/care/hairballs.html
Cats with chronic hairball problems may need a change in diet. A high-
fiber diet can help to increase bowel movements, thus preventing
hairball blockages.

------------------------------------------------------------
http://dels.nas.edu/banr/cd_cat_faq.html#q2
Q: How much fiber is good for my cat?

A: Fiber in the diet is probably good for overall gastrointestinal
health and may help overweight cats trim down. Dietary fiber is thought
to help maintain proper weight by diluting the caloric density of the
food, and through physical effects and hormonal interactions. For
reasons not yet understood, dietary fiber also seems to help in the
management of mild hyperglycemia, a relatively common problem in older
cats.

On the other hand, too much fiber in the diet can decrease the
digestibility of other important nutrients. Also, certain features of
the cat's intestinal tract, including a relatively small colon and non-
functional cecum, suggest that cats may not be able to utilize dietary
fibers as well as other animals.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
cannot make me happy.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

In article ,
enlightened us with...


I think perhaps you may confusing Purina's commercials on TV with a
"study".

No, I read about the food, nutrition, and the way the body digests food.

Almost all "hairball formula" foods say the reason they work is extra
fibre. Everyone knows that when you eat more (non-soluble) fibre, you
eliminate more. Fact of life. This is because we can't fully digest
plant matter. This is equally true for people, dogs, and cats.
In order to eliminate properly with a high-fibre diet, you must drink
water. Fibre absorbs water. The stool would be too hard if there was not
enough water in the diet.

If you eliminate too quickly, your body can't digest everything you eat.
This is equally true for dogs, cats, and people. The true measure of a
cat food is its digestibility. If the cat doesn't fully digest
everything, it would need to eat more to get all the nutrients it needs.

There are many sources for all this information. I have quoted a few
below. A Google search will bring up many more.

------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.cah.com/library/felconstip.html

Medical management for cats with chronic constipation typically has both
a dietary and medical component. The dietary component usually involves
putting the cat on a higher fiber diet. Fiber absorbs water thereby
creating looser, bulkier stools. That shortens the transit time in the
gastrointestinal tract and keeps things moving. While you want to
increase the amount of fiber in your cat’s diet, you don’t want to
overdo it.

------------------------------------------------------------
From http://www.catclinic.co.uk/catnews/sept2000.htm

The Hill's Pet Nutrition company have recently Introduced a new
"Hairball Control" dry diet to the UK. The food is claimed to reduce the
formation of hairballs in cats safely and naturally. The product
contains high levels of vegetable fibre that help to sweep the hair
through the cat's digestive tract.

------------------------------------------------------------

http://65.18.207.6/purinaproplanextr...catfood.ht ml

Pro Plan Extra Care Hairball Management Adult Food is recommended by
veterianarians. Helps to provide the correct nutritional formula that
adult cat requires. It provides the fiber needed to control the
formation of hairballs in your cat's digestive tract.

------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.thecatsite.com/care/hairballs.html
Cats with chronic hairball problems may need a change in diet. A high-
fiber diet can help to increase bowel movements, thus preventing
hairball blockages.

------------------------------------------------------------
http://dels.nas.edu/banr/cd_cat_faq.html#q2
Q: How much fiber is good for my cat?

A: Fiber in the diet is probably good for overall gastrointestinal
health and may help overweight cats trim down. Dietary fiber is thought
to help maintain proper weight by diluting the caloric density of the
food, and through physical effects and hormonal interactions. For
reasons not yet understood, dietary fiber also seems to help in the
management of mild hyperglycemia, a relatively common problem in older
cats.

On the other hand, too much fiber in the diet can decrease the
digestibility of other important nutrients. Also, certain features of
the cat's intestinal tract, including a relatively small colon and non-
functional cecum, suggest that cats may not be able to utilize dietary
fibers as well as other animals.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
cannot make me happy.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

In article ,
enlightened us with...


I think perhaps you may confusing Purina's commercials on TV with a
"study".

No, I read about the food, nutrition, and the way the body digests food.

Almost all "hairball formula" foods say the reason they work is extra
fibre. Everyone knows that when you eat more (non-soluble) fibre, you
eliminate more. Fact of life. This is because we can't fully digest
plant matter. This is equally true for people, dogs, and cats.
In order to eliminate properly with a high-fibre diet, you must drink
water. Fibre absorbs water. The stool would be too hard if there was not
enough water in the diet.

If you eliminate too quickly, your body can't digest everything you eat.
This is equally true for dogs, cats, and people. The true measure of a
cat food is its digestibility. If the cat doesn't fully digest
everything, it would need to eat more to get all the nutrients it needs.

There are many sources for all this information. I have quoted a few
below. A Google search will bring up many more.

------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.cah.com/library/felconstip.html

Medical management for cats with chronic constipation typically has both
a dietary and medical component. The dietary component usually involves
putting the cat on a higher fiber diet. Fiber absorbs water thereby
creating looser, bulkier stools. That shortens the transit time in the
gastrointestinal tract and keeps things moving. While you want to
increase the amount of fiber in your cat’s diet, you don’t want to
overdo it.

------------------------------------------------------------
From http://www.catclinic.co.uk/catnews/sept2000.htm

The Hill's Pet Nutrition company have recently Introduced a new
"Hairball Control" dry diet to the UK. The food is claimed to reduce the
formation of hairballs in cats safely and naturally. The product
contains high levels of vegetable fibre that help to sweep the hair
through the cat's digestive tract.

------------------------------------------------------------

http://65.18.207.6/purinaproplanextr...catfood.ht ml

Pro Plan Extra Care Hairball Management Adult Food is recommended by
veterianarians. Helps to provide the correct nutritional formula that
adult cat requires. It provides the fiber needed to control the
formation of hairballs in your cat's digestive tract.

------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.thecatsite.com/care/hairballs.html
Cats with chronic hairball problems may need a change in diet. A high-
fiber diet can help to increase bowel movements, thus preventing
hairball blockages.

------------------------------------------------------------
http://dels.nas.edu/banr/cd_cat_faq.html#q2
Q: How much fiber is good for my cat?

A: Fiber in the diet is probably good for overall gastrointestinal
health and may help overweight cats trim down. Dietary fiber is thought
to help maintain proper weight by diluting the caloric density of the
food, and through physical effects and hormonal interactions. For
reasons not yet understood, dietary fiber also seems to help in the
management of mild hyperglycemia, a relatively common problem in older
cats.

On the other hand, too much fiber in the diet can decrease the
digestibility of other important nutrients. Also, certain features of
the cat's intestinal tract, including a relatively small colon and non-
functional cecum, suggest that cats may not be able to utilize dietary
fibers as well as other animals.

-------------------------------------------------
~kaeli~
All I ask for is the chance to prove that money
cannot make me happy.
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/wildAtHeart
http://www.ipwebdesign.net/kaelisSpace
-------------------------------------------------

Mortgage.Author wrote:
My first pet, an older Himalayan that I've now had over 5 years (since I
turned 50). Queen Anne has always suffered to some degree with choking and
coughing up hairballs - usually in two spots/events - one being the long
hairball itself (looking almost like it came out her other end) and the next
is mostly wet food. Sometimes they come out in reverse order.

I have tried Purina One Hairball and other formulaes. Money is not the
problem, I will do anything to help her. I brush her quite a bit but not
everyday. I used to put the anti-hairball fish flavored "vaseline" product
on her nose that she enjoyed licking off, but it didn't seem to help. I'm a
little tired of the weekly messes on the carpet but mostly I am concerned
for her health.

Does anyone know of what I'm doing wrong? Or should I consider that this is
a bad sign and expect her to die? She's about 10 years old I think. But
she's been doing it for years... I don't want to be a bad "mother". Help.

Rebecca in Atlanta



My male long-haired cat used to barf up hairballs at least twice a
month. I started him on Nutro Max Cat Hairball control food, and he
hasn't done a hairball in over four months. I only brush him once a
week, so the primary cause is the food I think. I would give it a try,
use the hairball treats, and use the hairball goop as needed. I would
also brush her once a day. Feeding her a food to help maintain coat
health can help as well.

Mortgage.Author wrote:
My first pet, an older Himalayan that I've now had over 5 years (since I
turned 50). Queen Anne has always suffered to some degree with choking and
coughing up hairballs - usually in two spots/events - one being the long
hairball itself (looking almost like it came out her other end) and the next
is mostly wet food. Sometimes they come out in reverse order.

I have tried Purina One Hairball and other formulaes. Money is not the
problem, I will do anything to help her. I brush her quite a bit but not
everyday. I used to put the anti-hairball fish flavored "vaseline" product
on her nose that she enjoyed licking off, but it didn't seem to help. I'm a
little tired of the weekly messes on the carpet but mostly I am concerned
for her health.

Does anyone know of what I'm doing wrong? Or should I consider that this is
a bad sign and expect her to die? She's about 10 years old I think. But
she's been doing it for years... I don't want to be a bad "mother". Help.

Rebecca in Atlanta



My male long-haired cat used to barf up hairballs at least twice a
month. I started him on Nutro Max Cat Hairball control food, and he
hasn't done a hairball in over four months. I only brush him once a
week, so the primary cause is the food I think. I would give it a try,
use the hairball treats, and use the hairball goop as needed. I would
also brush her once a day. Feeding her a food to help maintain coat
health can help as well.

Mortgage.Author wrote:
My first pet, an older Himalayan that I've now had over 5 years (since I
turned 50). Queen Anne has always suffered to some degree with choking and
coughing up hairballs - usually in two spots/events - one being the long
hairball itself (looking almost like it came out her other end) and the next
is mostly wet food. Sometimes they come out in reverse order.

I have tried Purina One Hairball and other formulaes. Money is not the
problem, I will do anything to help her. I brush her quite a bit but not
everyday. I used to put the anti-hairball fish flavored "vaseline" product
on her nose that she enjoyed licking off, but it didn't seem to help. I'm a
little tired of the weekly messes on the carpet but mostly I am concerned
for her health.

Does anyone know of what I'm doing wrong? Or should I consider that this is
a bad sign and expect her to die? She's about 10 years old I think. But
she's been doing it for years... I don't want to be a bad "mother". Help.

Rebecca in Atlanta



My male long-haired cat used to barf up hairballs at least twice a
month. I started him on Nutro Max Cat Hairball control food, and he
hasn't done a hairball in over four months. I only brush him once a
week, so the primary cause is the food I think. I would give it a try,
use the hairball treats, and use the hairball goop as needed. I would
also brush her once a day. Feeding her a food to help maintain coat
health can help as well.