Hairballs: Persia doesn't feel good ?

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jmcquown - 27 Sep 2003 21:08 GMT

A few times in the last week she's coughed up hairballs. She's normally
right here with me when I'm online, but now she's curled up on the bed. She
chatters at me when I walk into the bedroom. And she purrs contentedly when
I stroke her. But she's content to stay there and just snooze.

I've got her on hairball formula cat food (Purina ONE) which she likes.
Wondering if I should take her to the vet. It's not like she's overtly
sick. She plays and sits in the window watching the squirrels and the
birds. Oh, she loves the new kitty sock I got for her! She is active most
of the time.

Does hairball formula food make them regurgitate the hairballs they already
have? 2 years later, I'm still new to this cat experience :)

BTW, she's a short hair and I brush her at least once a week. She adores
being brushed.

Jill

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Victor M. Martinez - 27 Sep 2003 21:40 GMT

We don't get hairballs that often (I have no idea why, with so many cats
and Xoxo being longhaired), but when we do we just give everybody a dose
of petromalt and it takes care of it.

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Victor M. Martinez
martiv@FAKE.che.utexas.edu
http://www.che.utexas.edu/~martiv

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jmcquown - 27 Sep 2003 23:58 GMT

> We don't get hairballs that often (I have no idea why, with so many
> cats and Xoxo being longhaired), but when we do we just give
> everybody a dose of petromalt and it takes care of it.

Okay, what is petromalt? A liquid? Do you mix it in the food? I can just
see me trying to hold Persia down and dose her with some medicine (although
I had to do that with my dog - Pepto Bysmol! and I do have an implement for
dosing).

Jill

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m. L. Briggs - 28 Sep 2003 00:13 GMT

>> We don't get hairballs that often (I have no idea why, with so many
>> cats and Xoxo being longhaired), but when we do we just give
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>
>Jill

Petromalt comes in a tube (like toothpaste) I squeeze a little out
and let my cat lick it off the end of the tube. I try to get her to
take in about an inch. If she won't do this, put some on the top of
her paws so she can like it off -- There are other brands" Femalt,
Lactonen(I believe that is the name). Grocery stors usually carry
Petromalt and Vets carry others/ Petco and Petsmart also carry it.

After TuTu licks it off the tube, I hold the end under running hot
water to clean it. Good luck.

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jmcquown - 28 Sep 2003 00:29 GMT

>>> We don't get hairballs that often (I have no idea why, with so many
>>> cats and Xoxo being longhaired), but when we do we just give
>>> everybody a dose of petromalt and it takes care of it.
>>
>> Okay, what is petromalt? A liquid? Do you mix it in the food? I
>> can just see me trying to hold Persia down

(snip)

> Petromalt comes in a tube (like toothpaste) I squeeze a little out
> and let my cat lick it off the end of the tube. I try to get her to take

in about an inch. After TuTu licks it off the tube, I hold the end under
running hot
water to clean it. Good luck.
(snip)

Tomorrow I'm off to PetCo to look for this stuff! Thanks!

Jill

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John F. Eldredge - 28 Sep 2003 01:31 GMT

>>> We don't get hairballs that often (I have no idea why, with so
>>> many cats and Xoxo being longhaired), but when we do we just give
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>After TuTu licks it off the tube, I hold the end under running hot
>water to clean it. Good luck.

These various brands of anti-hairball goop are basically flavored
petruleum jelly. They encourage the hair to pass on through and end
up in the litterbox, as opposed to being thrown up as a hairball. I
have tried both malt-flavored and tuna-flavored varieties with Katie,
but she doesn't care for either. Fortunately, her hairball
production is getting less frequent now that the weather is starting
to cool off, and I am going to try brushing her frequently to get rid
of as much loose hair as possible. Cinders, my other adoptee, still
won't let me touch her, but at least she can now sometimes see me
across the room without running for cover. Fortunately, she doesn't
seem as hairball-prone as is Katie.

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John F. Eldredge -- john@jfeldredge.com
PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu
"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better
than not to think at all." -- Hypatia of Alexandria

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Brenda - 28 Sep 2003 01:44 GMT

> >> We don't get hairballs that often (I have no idea why, with so many
> >> cats and Xoxo being longhaired), but when we do we just give
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> After TuTu licks it off the tube, I hold the end under running hot
> water to clean it. Good luck.

I squeeze it onto my finger, and my cats lick up every last speck of it.

Brenda

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William Hamblen - 28 Sep 2003 21:40 GMT

>Okay, what is petromalt? A liquid? Do you mix it in the food? I can just
>see me trying to hold Persia down and dose her with some medicine (although
>I had to do that with my dog - Pepto Bysmol! and I do have an implement for
>dosing).

Petromalt is a mixture of malt syrup, petroleum jelly and other
ingredients. Some cats will lick it from a spoon or your finger. If
the cat is less cooperative you can smear a dab on its whisker pads
and it will lick the Petromalt off. The petroleum jelly acts as a
lubricant to move swallowed hair through the digestive system.
Plain petroleum jelly also works as a hairball remedy. Some of the
commercial products include vitamin supplements on the idea that the
petroleum jelly removes some lipid soluble vitamins that need to be
replaced. My thought is that if you don't overdo the hairball remedy
and the cat gets an adequate diet you don't have anything to worry
about.

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m. L. Briggs - 27 Sep 2003 21:45 GMT

>A few times in the last week she's coughed up hairballs. She's normally
>right here with me when I'm online, but now she's curled up on the bed. She
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>
>Jill

I groom TuTu everyday and she still coughs up hairballs. She also is
a shorthair. I give her a malt hairball remedy that acts as a
lubricant (available at any store) and also the food that is for
hairballs. Even after all these years I still learn something new
about cats. MLB

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