Hi Al,
Personally, I wouldn't give them Laxatone, which is made with petrolium jelly,
a by-product of the petrol industry.  I would instead regularly brush them and
feed them a high quality mostly canned diet.  If they do develop hairballs and
can't pass them on their own, you could always try a little butter.

Lauren
________
See my cats:  http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

Both Laxatone & Petromalt (& there may be a similar one I'm forgetting &
omitting) are really just petroleum jelly with added flavorings.  They're
not laxatives in exactly the same way you may be associating laxatives.
AFAIK, they help the ingested hair to slide through the G.I. system & come
out the other end, eventually landing up in the litter box.  Vs. always
being horked up.

If they develop any hairball probs & will eat it, you could also offer then
dabs of Vaseline - same thing, no flavorings.  I'd consider giving it to
them once or twice a week as a preventative measure, but don't think I'd
give it to them any more often if they're displaying no symptoms.  (And at 5
months, probably no hairballs yet.) You can also brush them regularly, but I
haven't found this to be a for-sure way to avoid hairballs, esp. w/ my
long-haired cats - who seem more prone to them than my short-haired cats -
only makes sense.

Cathy

--
"Staccato signals of constant information..."
("The Boy in the Bubble")  Paul Simon

Some commercial cat foods are specifically designated "hairball formula." My
six-year-old cat has been eating Iams "hairball formula" since last spring when
he was afflicted with hairball problems. Each day he also gets a few tablespoons
of canned cat food version white fish. (He happens to favor the white fish over
other canned foods.)

I believe the Iams "hairball formula" is simply a higher fiber cat food. You can
read the breakdown of fiber etc. on the regular Iams and compare it to that on
the hairball formula Iams and tell for yourself. Or do the same with other
brands. I don't know if Iams is actually worth what I pay for it. Some folks at
one of the cat newsgroups were pushing the fiber idea, and it seemed sensible.
Thus.

I also use Hartz hairball remedy. Like others said, it's petroleum jelly with
flavorings. I now give the cat a pea-sized dab on his paw a few times a week
(which might be too much). He has not had any  hairball problems since last
spring.

I would wait until the cats were deemed "adults" and off their kitten food, then
try one of the hairball formula cat foods. If you are very concerned, see what
the commercial petroleum-based hairball remedies recommend for regular
maintenance of a hairball free tummy etc.

I too am not wild about "over laxativing" my cat, although as Cathy pointed out,
the petroleum jelly doesn't work quite the same way as something like Ex-Lax for
humans. So maybe it's not too big a deal.

"I just want my little cat to be happy!"

;-)