How to help cat with hairball?

by Vivi
(Powell, TN)

Hi Donna,

Thank you for your response regarding my Sam who has IBD.

There is another question I am a little of concern- hairball. I do give my other five cats vaseline daily except Sam. They have been on raw meat for two months. I notice my Didi(boy) and Emmy (girl) throw up hairball almost twice a week, which did not happen when they were on dry food. Is it normal? They just throw up some liquid with a very good amount of hairball. Have you got same experience with your cats?

I appreciate your help.

Thank you.

Vivi

RESPONSE:

Hairballs depend a lot on the weather. As soon as we start to have slightly warmer days, the cats start to shed their winter coats and hairballs become more common. And it is the short, silky haired cats that have the most trouble.
We give the hairball stuff routinely (twice a week) during this time and increase the amount of fiber in the raw meat food. They also get daily brushings which helps the most.
We noticed less vomiting once we started using the raw meat food but the hairball issue only improved once the daily brushing practice was started. We use a slicker brush for all of our cats and brush anywhere from 4-5 strokes to as much as 5 minutes per session depending on the tolerance of the individual cat. Some LOVE brushing and some just hate it! Try brushing your babies more often and see if the hairball issue improves. Also, it's a great bonding experience for you and your cats!

Donna
House Full Cats Mom