Following are selected posts to the Holisticat (TM) Mailing List on the subject of hairballs. There's a lot of information here, and the posts are arranged in ascending chronological order. If there is a particular word you're looking for, it's probably best to utilize the "Find in Page" function in your edit menu!

Happy hunting :)

<12 Dec 98 From: emily re: Hairballs>

In a message dated 12/2/98 6:12:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, arora@writes:

<< Since I switched to a raw diet, nary a hairball in this house..zip, not even the long-haired one (Booey). But when I fed canned Wysong, Innova  etc. I'd see a hairball every now and then. I mixed canned pumpkin to the food and it helped a lot.  That and then psyllium would be my 2 favorites (can add both really).   >>

Sandy,

This is consitent with what I heard a nutritionist from Cornell Veterinary  School say in a radio interview about natural cat care and home prepared food that they evidently recently *discovered* (after 50 million double blind studies I'm sure, lol...just kidding). He said that it is *not* normal for cats to throw up hair balls and that if they were fed a diet with the proper nutrition, the hair would be able to pass thru the entire digestive tract and vomiting a hairball would (and should be) a very rare occurance  (once or twice a year he said).

I was browsing through some cat books (homeopathy & alternative medicine) and found a couple of ideas about how to give psyllium to cats. Thought they might be of interest...

For constipation:
Soak bran and/or powdered psyllium husks in a small amount of juice or water until soft and fully hydrated, using 1/4 tsp per 10 lbs. of body weight. Add it to food, 1/2 in a.m. and 1/2 at night.

For hairballs:
Combine 1/4 cup powdered psyllium husks with 3/4 cup warm water and let stand until it forms a soft gel. Add 1 tsp gel to the morning meal and 1 tsp to the evening meal.

BTW, for constipation one of the books suggested:
Add grated or pureed apples and other fruits as well as the usual carrots. If the stools are dry, increase the fluid consumption by adding fresh carrot juice, apple juice or water and a pinch of sea salt. Or give dried figs or prunes, soaked overnight - feed directly, or puree and add to food. And try finely minced wheat grass or garlic.

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Cat's normal resting pulse (beats per minute) is 110 to 130 Normal respiration (breathing rate in bpm) is 20 to 30

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One of the homeopathic books suggested that using Nat Mur (chronic dosage) for hyperthyroidism will curtail further loss of weight or increased weakness.

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One of the books I saw was "Heal Your Cat the Natural Way" by Richard Allport, DVM etc.  Apart from the fact that the print was too small and faint for my lil weak eyes <g> I thought it had a lot of good stuff in it. Is anyone familiar with it?

Hi Hans,

Here's an article you might want to check out on hairballs. http://members.xoom.com/critterchat/hair_balls.htm

Be well,
Nancy and the furkids

On Friday, February 19, 1999 1:03 PM, Hans and Susan [SMTP:basenji@] wrote:
<<Does anyone know of a hairball remedy that doesn't contain Petroleum?   Even some homemade thing would be great.>>

Sandy,

To quote the label, "Purizone is a blend of various oxides of magnesium designed to gently release oxygen into the body to purify the system".  All I know is, it worked really well on my cat.  As you know, every cat is different.  It is great for hairballs and I believe works faster than psyllium seed.  Whatever works for your cat is fine.  Just as some medications don't work the same for people (or animals), it is the same with Purizone or psyllium seed.  Stick with what works for you.

Marilyn

S. Arora wrote:

> > In my experience, psyllium is not really good for cats.  I know they sell it in
> > pet stores in capsule form, but it needs to be taken with alot of water.  Food
> > is not enough.  It can harden in the intestines.  I had tried all this with my
>
> Say what?  I've used psyllium for yrs and yrs w/ no problem.  Yes, if it
> is taken w/o water, it can bind in the intestines but not otherwise.  But
> that would be true for its use in humans as well.  I can't think of
> anything better (besides homeopathic remedies) for diarrhea or constipation.
>
> > other cat and found this out.  What works really well and is safe is the
> > "Purizone".  It gently oxygenates the system and purifies it.  It is great for
> > gettting rid of hairballs and makes the stools soft and easy to come out, as
> > hairballs can cause constipation too.  This worked great for my cat.  The
>
> Marilyn, I've never used this product so am curious what all is in it?
> I'm especially interested in the oxygenation aspect of this product.   My
> only experience w/ any sort of oxygen is Vit O drops and the results were
> quite underwhelming.
>
> Sandy, owned and operated by the mountain cats

Hi all

Lorna writes:
<<Maybe I should try the slippery elm again. I'm not sure if I'm using it correctly since there are no directions on the box.>>

Add 1 tsp slippery elm powder to 1/2 cup cold water. Stir well to mix. Bring slowly to a simmer, stirring periodically. It will thicken and get mucilaginous. Cool and store in a glass jar; it keeps 5 to 7 days in the fridge. Feed 1 tsp of the liquid 5 to 10 mins before the meal, but you can mix it in with the food as well if she won't eat it straight - I used to sprinkle a little yeast on it for Saski and he'd lick it all up, but Melba sounds like quite a different character!

Lorna, have you tried homeopathy for Melba? In Diane Stein's Natural Remedy Book for D*gs & Cats she writes, re hairballs:

<begin quote>
The primary remedy that helps a cat or dog expel ingested hair is Nux vomica. Use it twice a day for a few days, or by the observation method, to help remove hair by vomiting or through the stools. If vomiting seems to cause the animal pain, try Phosphorus.
<end quote>

--Jean, Saski the Mellow & Amber Sweet T'ing

Hi all

Lorna wrote:
<<She is still vomiting a lot of fur - hardly ever blood anymore, though there is still blood in her stools. Any tips on how to get that fur through before it irritates the stomach lining and she has to throw it up? She is on Slippery Elm 2x daily but it doesn't seem to be helping that particular problem.>>

I'm so glad to hear that Melba isn't vomiting blood any more! That's just wonderful, Lorna.

This was a recipe I got some time ago from an alt med cat book: "For hairballs: Combine 1/4 cup powdered psyllium husks with 3/4 cup warm water and let stand until it forms a soft gel. Add 1 tsp gel to the morning meal and 1 tsp to the evening meal."

Now, this makes a humungus lot of interesting sticky gel! *Very* sticky, as sticky as Laxatone. But I thought it was too solid so I used a little more water. You might have to tinker with it, too. I mix it in a little bottle and then keep it in the fridge. Hope it works for your Melba.

--Jean, Saski Brighteyes & That-Sweetie-Amber