Hairball control? (something that won't upset her tummy?)

[Ilovemytortoiseshell]

It's my first time posting a question...

I have a diabetic tortie who has been having hairballs recently, despite grooming her as much as I can without her getting upset.

Before she was diagnosed she used to have a lot of pancreatitis flareups, and sometimes she still does if she eats anything but her diabetic food (we control her diabetes with just diet).

We used to have edible hairball remedy that we used occasionally with our other cats, but it's been years, and I simply don't know if something like that is safe for her.

Does anyone know if there is any kind of hairball remedy that won't make her sick? It seems that anything safe for diabetes doesn't make her sick, but if you know of anything that is particularly easy on the stomach, I'd appreciate the info.

If not, if anyone has some other suggestions about hairballs, those would be appreciated too!

Thank you!

 

[Yong & Maury GA]

Hello Little Cat and Mum!
First, I will ask you to setup a Signature, it will just be helpful as you continue to post : http://www.felinediabetes.com/FDMB/threads/editing-your-signature-profile-and-preferences.130340/
Grats on having a diet controlled diabetic too!

Here's what I have for your question:
Once a day, smear a 1/4 teaspoon of Vaseline or Petroleum jelly on the front paw and see if they lick it away

.

Another alternative is to increase fiber but with sugar kitties the best option for that is pumpkin (not raw pumpkin). You can use 100% canned pumpkin without additives, fillers, spices, or sugar. Add about 1/2 teaspoon for adult cats to each meal, total of 1 tablespoon daily. Don't want to give a lot because it is a natural laxative so you will want to monitor stool firmness. Yes, poop duty

I found this article: http://www.cathealth.com/nutrition/is-pumpkin-good-for-cats

 

[Lillie]

My kitty Leo has a terrible time with hairballs. He's a large cat with long hair and ingests a lot of hair. He has mild IBD though and it makes it difficult for him because if he doesn't pass the hair he gets a major irritation in his digestive tract. I've been giving him pureed pumpkin every day in his food and I also got his hair clipped underneath where he grooms himself the most. It has really decreased the hair ball problem about 90%. There is a natural hair ball remedy that some one here has mentioned but I forgot the company name and website. I tried cat lax but it was a disaster because he spits it out and it lands in his fur or the carpet and is almost impossible to get out. His stools get a little soft sometimes from the pumpkin but it is way better than being constipated and not being able to pass the hair.