Brushing cat because of hair balls...how often?

[de12398]

My six year old balck cat is "coughing" up his food with hair balls motr frequently now. He's very healthy so it's a hair ball thingee. My questions are:

1) Am I negligent by not brushing him daily?
2) Do you recommend giving him anything to help with digestion of hairballs?

Any comments/feedback very much appreciated.

[Guest]

sorry for typos...he's a "black" cat and "more" frequently

[davet]

daily brushing is good for you and your cat...secondly, cats do not digest hair balls...they sit in the gut till they are thrown up or pass through..would not be a bad idea to add some hairball med to his/her food daily,or use the tube stuff they lick off their paws..hairballs are a natural thing and usually cause no trouble but best to avoid them

[E's]

Davet says:

...cats do not digest hair balls...they sit in the gut till they are thrown up or pass through.

Thanks davet for putting this info in one simple statement. I've had some trouble grasping this fact. Would also like to add: It seems to me some cats are prone to hairball problems, and some are not. My present cat "Q" rarely has any difficulty; he is almost 10. My late, great deaf white cat Xanth was also a domestic "mix" (shorthaired but with signs of some longhaired ancestors) had terrible troubles all of his 11 1/2 years - I used all of the suggestions davet gives... Both cats were/are indoor pets, neutered males, fed mostly good cat chow with some canned food each day...

And this brings me to the main point of this post: "Hairball Control" cat chow came on the market not long before Xanth went to the Bridge. He had been examined many times for his stomach problems, though not xrayed until his finall illness - for years vets and I thought it was mostly that the cat produced so much hairball material. So I put Xanth on the new chow, on my own without consulting his vet, but did not understand I should have begun this gradually. I was told later it wouldn't have mattered anyway - when xrays were taken in the fall of 2000, it was discovered Xanth had advanced stomach cancer and I had to let him go - but I will always suspect I caused the poor fellow unnecessary pain or discomfort in his final days... rather than 'too little too late' it was 'too much too late'...

Thus, I think you might want to look into the hairball control chows, but do so with careful attention to your cat's age, type and general health. Good luck!

[davet]

Xanth on the new chow, on my own without consulting his vet, but did not understand I should have begun this gradually. I was told later it wouldn't have mattered anyway


i agree with the last part of this statement...i don't think it would have made any difference,iie the addition of Xanth--do you have any information that Xanth can accerbate cancer growth...it is new to me...but then again every day i wake up there is something new to me...

[jason]

He's very healthy so it's a hair ball thingee. My questions are:

1) Am I negligent by not brushing him daily?
2) Do you recommend giving him anything to help with digestion of hairballs?

to add to this, i would brush every other day at least and also use laxatone for a few days straight and then back off to every couple days.