Author Topic: Update on the coconut oil experiment  (Read 3010 times)

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Offline Middle Child

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Update on the coconut oil experiment
« on: October 30, 2011, 09:03:00 AM »
The coconut oil experiment is moving along.   

The two who have the most hair ball trouble have to be weaned off the frequency of the hair ball medicine too, so it's going to be a long process.  They may always have to take the hair ball stuff, I'd just like to see them take it less often.  The Kitten licks coconut oil in its solid form right off my finger and looks for more.  The two older girls eat it melted in a little gravy made with warm water and a smidgen of canned pate.  The Boy (the one who gets those illnesses from hair balls, plus has a seizure disorder etc) has to have it put in his mouth, but as I can feed him right after (as opposed to waiting two hours like I do with the hair ball gunk) he doesn't mind it.

Another benefit I've thought of is perhaps the oil will coat the FLUTD girl's esophagus making her less likely to regurgitate.  She regurgitates often, in spite of my efforts at small meals, because the c/d kibble is big and it seems to get lodged in her gullet.(we won't get into the nastiness of the food in general here)  I'm thinking the oil will coat her esophagus and help the kibble pieces slide down into her tummy where they belong. So for her, I'm going to start giving her a tiny dab just before her second serving of breakfast and second serving of supper.

I'm still looking for a way to take it myself.  By the spoonful is out of the question, I tried that, it made me gag.  Yesterday I tried it in a little warm milk, and I think that may work.  Just warm the milk enough to melt the oil and chug it down.  I tried that yesterday, but I let the milk get too hot and wasn't able to chug.  An interesting side effect of the warm milk, since I took it in the morning, was it made me feel really relaxed! bananamiddlechild  I know warming milk releases tryptophan which helps you sleep, but I never thought of it as a day time benefit.  Sort of anti anxiety, which I am in great need of these days.  Way better than drugs. So I may do my daily dose half in the morning half at night.

So, at present they are getting 1/4 teaspoon every other day. In another week, if I don't see any negative issues,  I intend to increase that to every day. By then the two hairball medicine takers will be down to every third day with the hairball remedy, which is their usual winter (non shedding season) dose. I'd love to cut the hair ball stuff back even more than that, but we will see how it goes.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Update on the coconut oil experiment
« Reply #1 on: November 01, 2011, 09:13:22 AM »
Very interesting development today. I've been watching my senior boy (the one who gets the hair ball sickness every four or five weeks) more closely than ever because of the reduced hair ball medicine schedule. He's been on every second day now for a week. He's getting the coconut oil on the other days. Last time I tried dropping back on hair ball remedy he had a hairball sickness almost immediately. This time...no sickness so far....and just now he had a large (normal sized for him) poop, bristling with hair!  bananamiddlechild  If his poop is bristling with hair, that means he is passing the hair, instead of it building up in his intestines.

FLUTD (regurgitator cat) kitty is now getting the coconut oil every day (this will be the third day) but not in one dose. I pre-measure out 1/4 teaspoon for her in the morning. Then before every second serving of her c/d kibble she gets a little bit of the coconut oil. I am doing this in an effort to stop the regurgitation.

The other two are still on the every other day. The Kitten doesn't get much hair ball remedy, not really needing it. My constipated girl switches between psyllium and hair ball remedy. She seems to be having less trouble with constipation since the advent of the coconut oil.

So....things are going well with the cats. As for me, I've been taking it every day and it seems to be...binding me a bit, so I am dropping back to every other day for myself for a while. Figures it would have an opposite effect on me, lol.

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Update on the coconut oil experiment
« Reply #2 on: November 01, 2011, 10:48:51 AM »
PS...I just tried something different for the c/d regurgitator.  As I said, I've been giving her a tiny bit before her kibble, in the hopes that the oil will help the kibble slide down into her tummy instead of sticking in her esophagus causing regurgitation. She does not like me poking things into her mouth, of course.

So....just now I tried melting the tiny amount of coconut oil in a little hot water, then adding the kibble ((she gets 1/16th cup at a time) and swirling it around until all kibble was coated with the oily water (it's a very tiny amount, about 1/2 teaspoon of water and just a pinch of the oil). Not only did she drink the small amount of liquid, and eat the coated kibble, she licked the dish with great relish! bananamiddlechild

So it appears she does like the taste of it, it was the delivery to which she objected.

One other thing: since I started her on the coconut oil she is drinking more. Since she is a poor drinker, which has caused me much angst, this is just one more good thing in a long list of good things.

Offline Lola

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Re: Update on the coconut oil experiment
« Reply #3 on: November 01, 2011, 02:38:51 PM »
Glad to hear the coconut oil experiment is going so well!!!! 
We only have one (knock on wood) that has hair ball issues.  I think I may just give the coconut oil a try.  All our felines eat at the same times, and have their own plates...but every so often they will switch plates with the one next to them.  So it is possible a feline, with non hairball issues, will get some coconut oil as well.  Can you think of any negative results coconut oil may cause?
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Middle Child

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Re: Update on the coconut oil experiment
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2011, 10:00:52 PM »
I can find nothing but positives about adding coconut oil to any cat's diet.  You should see The Kitten's coat, already.  It has an incredible luster.  She's had it more often than the other cats, because she loves it.  She's the one with nutrient absorption problems, which have been greatly helped with the ProViable dc (probiotic) but she still had such a scrawny look about her.

Tonight it occurred to me that while fat is good for cats (and coconut oil is pure fat, but medium-length-chain fatty acids and is digested differently <Immediately as opposed to stored> from the other saturated (bad) fats), it is adding calories to their daily diet, and I have two who are prone to weight gain, so I will have to watch that.

But I swear those two are more energetic now, since starting the coconut oil, too, so it may balance out.  I've read in several places that coconut oil actually promotes weight loss in those who need it.

And of course there's The Boy, the one who suffers from hair ball sicknesses every four or five weeks, in spite of daily brushing and every other day laxatone.  Seeing that poop this morning bristling with fur made me so happy, he's passing the fur instead of it building up in his insides!

Things I have read: coconut oil helps regulate blood sugar, has anti inflammatory properties (good for arthritis!) helps regulate thyroid, improves nutrient absorption, boosts the immune system (including fighting viral diseases such as herpes), prevents hairballs, increases metabolism, anti-fungal....there is lots more but it is late and I am tired.

Note: these benefits are from pure virgin organic, cold pressed, non-hydrogenated coconut oil.  I am normally very cynical of anything claiming so many wondrous benefits, but I've been reading up for a long time on it, and feel very hopeful.


Offline Middle Child

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Re: Update on the coconut oil experiment
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2011, 09:01:03 AM »
My vet had some concerns about the coconut oil. 

She found two references., not to coconut oil specifically, but to medium chain fatty acids/triglycerides. What she found out is that cats should NOT have medium chain fatty acids. I did exhaustive searches before starting the coconut oil, but never used just the right terms to bring up what my vet found. Well her findings were from veterinarian websites that I did not have access to.

So do not use coconut oil for hairballs in cats.


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