Parenting-Furkids
Cats => Caring For Your Cat => Topic started by: Macy on March 05, 2014, 09:44:48 PM
-
I was having a hard time giving Sonny and Macy their hairball gel and discovered that if I mixed it in their food they would gobble it up. This will still work won't it?
Oh BTW hi! It's been a long time since I posted but finally getting time in this long winter to catch up on some of my older sites. :)
-
If you are talking about petroleum based gels, this is a bad idea. Those hairball remedies interfere with nutrient absorption and should never be given with food. They should be given on an empty stomach at least 2 hours before a meal.
Better yet, don't use them at all, they are toxic. Petroleum was never meant to be ingested, by anyone, including cats.
Instead, feed a good quality canned (or raw) diet, brush daily, and use egg yolk lecithin for hairball control.
Egg yolk lecithin is a fat emulsifier. This means it breaks down the fat that is holding the fur together to make the hairball (that is what a hairball is, mostly fur held together with fat)
Start them on a half capsule twice a week, increase the dose gradually if necessary.
Do not use soy lecithin, it has to be egg yolk. Soy is also bad for cats. There are two brands of egg yolk lecithin, Swanson and Nature's Plus.
-
It took a long time for me to be convinced that any petroleum products were a bad idea. Finally something clicked and that is when I changed to Vet's Best Hairball remedy. It worked for hairballs and it is an awesome food topper, when test driving a new food. lol
HOWEVER, a quality wet food diet = no hairballs. UNLESS there is another issue also going on. IMHO My hairball kitty, had a MUCH bigger problem going on. A problem that I was unaware of, until it was too late, because I "blamed" hairballs.
-
Okay I'll go along with the Vets-Best for anyone who doesn't want to use egg yolk lecithin. It's a good product, and I use it too, but more for incentive than hairball control..
Jennie once stole 6 or 8 tablets. I called the poison control center hotline. They confirmed that there is nothing at all harmful in the Vets-Best. That she might have some gas, tummy upset or diarrhea. She had nothing. That cat has the digestion of a goat.
-
Just to be clear... :) I wasn't UNsuggesting your suggestion, MC. It was the assuming a hairball issue is "just" a hairball issue, that had me a bit worried.
-
I know Lola. Choice is good. I just forgot to mention Vets-Best because I've had such good results with the egg yolk lecithin.
-
Oh I never thought of that, so where would I buy the vets best at or the egg yolk lecithin at? Is it online only?
-
I don't know about vets best, but I order the egg yolk lecithin online. You can get it for pretty cheap on Amazon. You have to refrigerate it though. It has done wonders for Amber.
-
Macy, I get them both at Amazon. Oh and I meant to tell you Welcome back! HeadButt
-
Hi Macy, good to see you!
My health food store carries the Nature's Plus egg yolk lecithin. If she doesn't have it, she orders it for me.
-
Ok thanks for the leads! I will check them out and see if they work....oh and glad to be back!