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#11
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Hair balls?
"cshenk" wrote in
: "KenK" wrote Any other hairball treatments you've successfully tried if this doesn't work? Preferably something I can put in her food; giving her medications is very difficult to say the least! KenK, what works for mine and is gentle with no harm, is to add extra fat to my cats diet. I've normally had up to 4 cats at a time for many years and this works better for long term use than those tubes (which are essentially seeming to me to be exlax for cats). Some cats it doesn't work as well with if animal based fats but I've not had a problem yet with a little olive oil added. It doesn't cause diarrhea or any absorption problems but does seem to 'speed the hairball along' so it becomes part of the kitty litter leavings ;-) Do run this by your vet, especially if yours is allergy prone (a situation I've never had). Fats I have used: Rendered generally, chicken, pork, beef, fish oils, olive oil, duck, and butter (melted and you make ghee which is clarified butter). Interesting. I've not seen this in any of the cat books. She doesn't like fiber or pumpkin and tries her best to eat around them. But I suspect she'd love olive oil (only oil I use). Pumpkin may be affecting her BMs too. I'll know better after using it a few days, then stopping it. How much oil do you use? Say 1/2 tsp. per ounce of food? -- "When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner |
#12
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Hair balls?
KenK wrote:
I picked up a package of cat grass (uses oats) at Walmart this morning and started it. If she eats it I'll find a source for whole oats and do my own. I bought a 50 pound bag of oat seeds for $8.00 at a feed store. I use lawn soil for the base and cover the seeds with Miracle Grow. The soil costs more than the seed! I have four pots in various stages at all times - two of them on the floor for the cats to nibble on. ---MIKE--- In the White Mountains of New Hampshire (44° 15' N - Elevation 1580') |
#13
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Hair balls?
"KenK" wrote
"cshenk" wrote KenK, what works for mine and is gentle with no harm, is to add extra fat to my cats diet. Do run this by your vet, especially if yours is allergy prone (a situation I've never had). Fats I have used: Rendered generally, chicken, pork, beef, fish oils, olive oil, duck, and butter (melted and you make ghee which is clarified butter). Interesting. I've not seen this in any of the cat books. She doesn't like fiber or pumpkin and tries her best to eat around them. But I suspect she'd love olive oil (only oil I use). Pumpkin may be affecting her BMs too. I'll know better after using it a few days, then stopping it. Yes, and I've seen the added fiber one listed. Mostly I was already adding fiber and not getting effective levels so tried fat (was actually dealing with some coat issues and thought that would help then found the furballs went away). How much oil do you use? Say 1/2 tsp. per ounce of food? Yup! Also, forgot to mention but this is all 'clean fat' meaning it didn't come off a salty spicy chicken being baked etc. Current Cat Daisy loves the olive oil best of all (she's a bit touched in the head). Dog doesn't so much like it so he'll get pork fat. I do a lot of Crockpot cooking. A favored recipe is southern pulled BBQ. You can slow roast it in the oven for 7-8 hours but it works just as well overnight in a Crockpot. Real simple. Rendered fat for the pets is a side product. Place frozen pork shoulder (fat cap side up) in Crockpot (depending where you are it may be called a slow cooker). Add nothing else. Turn on low and walk away. Flip when you happen to think about it but not really needed. Check after 12 hours. If it's trying to fall apart, it's ready. Carefully remove meat and decant the juices. (Free fat and under it broth, no salt or nasties added to mess with the pets). Add meat back in (deboning if desired) and shred with 2 forks then add seasonings or BBQ sauce of choice. Leave on low for up to 36 hours (can extend by fridging it at night if have room). Freeze rest (with a larger family, there wont be any 'rest' to freeze). Hope you don't mind a recipe added but it's related to how to have lots of cat (and dog) safe fat laying around. Just stick the liquids in a jar in the fridge and you can as it congeals easily separate the broth out (the broth will go bad if you don't but the fat alone will be fine in the fridge for a very long time). I actually separate the 2 pretty much right away and freeze the broth in 1/2 cup batches. Dog gets 1/2 cup minus cat portion of 3 TB or so for lunch 'noshe' which is a great way to get a cat to 'drink more liquids'. If any here have a Crockpot and want to learn some simple (and dirt cheap) ways to make broths and stocks for pet feeding, let me know. In or case, the extra fat is added to the nooner broth munchies the cat and dog both get. Daisy prefers her fat still cold and fairly solid floating in her broth which she laps up then licks the fat lump out of (olive oil will be liquid of course). Cash prefers his be melted just barely but doesn't mind a cold lump either. |
#14
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Hair balls?
"cshenk" wrote in
: "KenK" wrote "cshenk" wrote KenK, what works for mine and is gentle with no harm, is to add extra fat to my cats diet. Do run this by your vet, especially if yours is allergy prone (a situation I've never had). Fats I have used: Rendered generally, chicken, pork, beef, fish oils, olive oil, duck, and butter (melted and you make ghee which is clarified butter). Interesting. I've not seen this in any of the cat books. She doesn't like fiber or pumpkin and tries her best to eat around them. But I suspect she'd love olive oil (only oil I use). Pumpkin may be affecting her BMs too. I'll know better after using it a few days, then stopping it. Yes, and I've seen the added fiber one listed. Mostly I was already adding fiber and not getting effective levels so tried fat (was actually dealing with some coat issues and thought that would help then found the furballs went away). How much oil do you use? Say 1/2 tsp. per ounce of food? Yup! Also, forgot to mention but this is all 'clean fat' meaning it didn't come off a salty spicy chicken being baked etc. Current Cat Daisy loves the olive oil best of all (she's a bit touched in the head). Dog doesn't so much like it so he'll get pork fat. I do a lot of Crockpot cooking. A favored recipe is southern pulled BBQ. You can slow roast it in the oven for 7-8 hours but it works just as well overnight in a Crockpot. Real simple. Rendered fat for the pets is a side product. Place frozen pork shoulder (fat cap side up) in Crockpot (depending where you are it may be called a slow cooker). Add nothing else. Turn on low and walk away. Flip when you happen to think about it but not really needed. Check after 12 hours. If it's trying to fall apart, it's ready. Carefully remove meat and decant the juices. (Free fat and under it broth, no salt or nasties added to mess with the pets). Add meat back in (deboning if desired) and shred with 2 forks then add seasonings or BBQ sauce of choice. Leave on low for up to 36 hours (can extend by fridging it at night if have room). Freeze rest (with a larger family, there wont be any 'rest' to freeze). Hope you don't mind a recipe added but it's related to how to have lots of cat (and dog) safe fat laying around. Just stick the liquids in a jar in the fridge and you can as it congeals easily separate the broth out (the broth will go bad if you don't but the fat alone will be fine in the fridge for a very long time). I actually separate the 2 pretty much right away and freeze the broth in 1/2 cup batches. Dog gets 1/2 cup minus cat portion of 3 TB or so for lunch 'noshe' which is a great way to get a cat to 'drink more liquids'. If any here have a Crockpot and want to learn some simple (and dirt cheap) ways to make broths and stocks for pet feeding, let me know. In or case, the extra fat is added to the nooner broth munchies the cat and dog both get. Daisy prefers her fat still cold and fairly solid floating in her broth which she laps up then licks the fat lump out of (olive oil will be liquid of course). Cash prefers his be melted just barely but doesn't mind a cold lump either. Thanks much for all the info. So far the pumpkin seems to be working. But olive oil would be a lot better - I always have some on hand. I'm going to see what Google says about pumpkin and hairballs; like how long to give it to her. I suspect a few days, then once every few weeks, whatever. But trying the oil is very tempting. But her digestive system has gotten so touchy in her old age (14) I'm leery of trying almost anything. Ken -- "When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil." - Max Lerner |
#15
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Hair balls?
"KenK" wrote
"cshenk" wrote KenK, what works for mine and is gentle with no harm, is to add extra fat to my cats diet. Do run this by your vet, especially if yours is allergy prone (a situation I've never had). Just to let you know, several over the years have done this and with the exception of one allergy prone kitty (warned off olive oil) they've all come back to tell me their vet said it's harmless. Most young ones say it's possibly beneficial and will be good for their coats. Several elderly vets apparently laughed and said 'thats what we used to do along with a dose of cream before all these fancy foods came out'. Best guess is it's a very old time remedy. Pre WWII at the least. I do a lot of Crockpot cooking. A favored recipe is southern pulled BBQ. You can slow roast it in the oven for 7-8 hours but it works just as well overnight in a Crockpot. Real simple. Rendered fat for the pets is a side product. Oh and use of the oven that way (7-8 hours) will cost about 5$ in my area. Crockpot, about 25cents a day. (omitted recipe) If any here have a Crockpot and want to learn some simple (and dirt cheap) ways to make broths and stocks for pet feeding, let me know. In our case, the extra fat is added to the nooner broth munchies the cat and dog both get. Thanks much for all the info. No problem! Happy to bend your ear ;-) So far the pumpkin seems to be working. Thats good! Both of my pets are on a relatively high fiber diet so adding more there doesnt 'fix' anything. olive oil would be a lot better - I always have some on hand. I'm going to see what Google says about pumpkin and hairballs; like how long to give it to her. I suspect a few days, then once every few weeks, whatever. But trying the oil is very tempting. But her digestive system has gotten so touchy in her old age (14) I'm leery of trying almost anything. Very wise KenK! As long as it works, don't tweak it! If the pumpkin starts to not work so well, perhaps rice may work. I've normally used oil with a fairly high fiber diet but with some cats, the oil alone worked (they didn't like fiber foods/stuff added). How is she on drinking water? If having problems there, salt free broth often works wonders. I use dashi (a fish stock I used to make fresh but the boxed version is just as good and about 3cents a 3/4 cup serving make if you get the 15lb box). Just boil water and add granules to taste. Takes very little, around 1/4 ts per serving. Cats like it stronger at 1/2 ts. I've always advised folks run this by their vet too and so far the feedback has been 'great trick to get a cat to drink' and my own vet took to it for his own cats. For my vet, it's a late night noshe for his kitties and he's crockpotting chicken bones like I do for salt free broth. He freezes it in 3/4 cup portions which works for his tribe. They get the same boxed dashi when he's too lazy to remember to defrost a batch of frozen chicken bone broth in time. Since I mentioned it and this one is almost totally cat related, to make a bone stock on the cheap, you use what you'd normally be throwing out. Bake your whole chicken (or duck or other poultry) however your normally do and enjoy. Next step is much less expensive with a Crockpot but you can use the stove top. Ok, take the carcass and if you used any salt or msg on the outside (or a seasoning with that) remove all skin and toss it. If you used just butter and a modicum of 'greenery' you can add the skin to the pot. Next, break up all the bones (shreds of meat left in fine) somewhat then fill pot with enough water to cover. Feel free to add any normal stock veggies if you plan to want to use some for your own cooking (carrots, celery, parsnips are common) except onion and add no salt please. Turn Crockpot on low and go to bed. It's ready in the morning but will be even better if you are too busy in the morning to deal with it so just leave it on low while at work. (obviously you would never stovetop unattended all night or all day but crockpots do that just fine). Decant crock over a colander with a larger pot below. Toss the carcass and any veggies you may have added then tuck the broth in the fridge. You can remove any visible fat before doing this if you like or let it congeal on it's own but warning, this batch will be 'consomme' meaning it's going to gel when cold. It's full of goodies for cats and people who need glucosamine and more calcium. If you want to defat, you'll have to check it carefully in the fridge and catch just the point where the fat congeals and the rest hasn't turned to gel. I usually don't bother to do more than defat what's obvious and easy before making up little freezer packs sized to our needs. When we use them for 2foot foods, we add salt and such as we rewarm them. I call it making free food you like out of something you'd normally toss out. So, broth feeding my pets is easy stuff and having a gallon or more of bone broth at the ready, is normal here. Oh, spare freezers come in real handy for this! |
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