Any advice on fiber for hairballs?

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concrete

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Hi all!


Zoe went into remission and went off the Juice last September. He only gets to eat wet food and that has helped his numbers stay where they need to be.

He is a Main Coon and it is getting warm so it's hairball season. He's been throwing up for a few days now and otherwise acting normal, sometimes there is a hairball in the vomit, sometimes it is just foam, sometimes just food. I suspect that he needs some help with the hairballs now since he doesn't get much fiber in his diet. Any suggestions of sources of fiber that won't bring his numbers up?

thanks
Dan
 
Some folks here use a tiny bit of Miralax - not a fiber - it draws moisture into the bowel to keep things moving through.

Time and cat permitting, using a coat rake or a Furminator (TM) can help remove loose undercoat that is often groomed away. That may reduce some of the hairballs. Using a short toothed mat cutter would also let you cut the length a bit, though it may result in a rather choppy look.

And of course there is always a trim down - You could have him clipped to a shorter length over the parts which tend to mat easily, such as the abdomen and near the legs, plus sanitary areas.
 
I appreciate the post.

I will be grooming him but I am just trying to figure out what I can give him so that the furballs can pass through more easily since he doesn't get the fiber from the wet food. I don't know of anything that doesn't have any carbs that he could eat but has fiber. I guess maybe what I'm looking for doesn't exist. hmm.. I hate to see him hurling so much, it seems like it's been pretty rough for him the past couple of days. I think it's just because of the lack of fiber. I could be wrong I guess. He only does it at night.
 
Some people use canned pumpkin for fiber - not pie filling, just straight canned pumpkin. If kitty likes it you can feed it separately, or attempt to mix it in the food. I'm not sure about amounts having never used it myself - hopefully someone more knowledgeable will come along! :?

You can also use a dab of Vaseline or butter as a low-carb lubricant to help, erm, move things along. :lol: If he is hurling then he likely has some current hairballs to expel.
 
I second the furminator--if you get rid of the excess hair before it gets in his belly it helps alot!

I use petroleum jelly. Its the exact same thing as the over the counter hairball remedies except without the corn-syrup flavoring. You can mix it with something he'll eat, or just dab some on his paw and he'll lick it off, 'cause he's a cat and can't help himself.

The one thing you want to watch out for is that excess fiber can sometimes cause painful pooing if you bulk the stool too much--especially if there's a lot of hair that needs to pass. I found that out with my Main Coon Mix, Gabby. Added fiber can also sometimes raise BG in diabetics. So I would try lubricating the system before forcing the hair out with fiber, because it's the least problematic of the two remedies. Seriously, Vaseline has always worked for my cats like a charm.
 
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