Hairballs

[Dale Moss]

I just began treating a cat for lymphoma and would like to get her off all extraneous allopathic meds, including the petroleum-based product that her owners have been giving her for hairballs. Not being a cat person myself, I was wondering what safe alternatives might be out there for long-haired felines prone to hairballs. Any recommendations?
Peace,
Dale

[Irene de Villiers]

Yes - sure Dale: Here's a copy of my article on the subject:-)

HAIRBALLS IN CATS.
In cats, hairballs have several "management" options:
* Prevention with Zoomgroom, Slicka and corner groomers.
* Oil and fiber to force them through the gut to the stool;
* Letting the cat throw them up and just putting up with the cleanup.
* A combination.

Hairballs are not an illness, but more of a socially unacceptable
cleanup issue for the owner. In the wild cats will rub against rough
bark on trees and get most of the loose hair out - or else throw up a
hairball.

There are different kinds of hairball too depending on what's in the
food. My cats' occasional hairballs are just hair after they dry out,
but if cats eat nasty food, there is a lot of saturated fat and that
does not evaporate and makes a horrible mass with the hair, that is hard
to throw up and leaves a worse mess where it is thrown than usual. Those
will also be more likely to block the intestines if not thrown up or
prevented. So healthy food is part of the picture as well. Chicken fat
is soft and lubricant, beef tallow, lamb and pork are the worst, so read
car food ingredients carefully.

Some modern foods add enough fat and fiber to the food to lubricate the
intestines and force all the swallowed groomed fur to go through the
intestines as if it was food and to get excreted later. The chosen
"lube" is usually not a healthy choice and then blocks nutrient
absorption. I am not convinced this is a good idea myself - why "feed" a
lot of indigestible fur - we would not normally add that to the food.
Also, it can occasionally get stuck in the intestines in one large
impacted furball that blocks the gut. That does not happen often but
when it does it can be life threatening. So trying to force the hair
through the gut has some risks.

Essentially it is the owner who chooses what method to use.

If you choose to send groomed fur through the gut you need to add oil
and fiber to the food - and I suggest you might as well use nutritious
oil like fish oil (or at least olive oil). The fiber does matter too.
Some fibers that speed things through the gut in humans actually slow it
in cats. Rice bran is a beneficial fiber to use. How much is individual
- 1 teaspoon is a starting place.
Same with oil - 1 teaspoon is a starting place on how much will do the
job. Denser-furred cats will need more, and thinner furred cats or those
who moult in stages rather than all at once in spring, will need less.

If you add fiber, use rice bran fiber as it is fermentable - the wheat
is terribly irritant to the delicate gut and asks for IBD to follow -
and oat bran is better but also not suitable. A chart of 22
researched fibers
in cats is available - the ideal ones being rice bran
and beet fiber - the high fermentable ones cause gas, gut irritation and
explosive stool!! The low fermentable ones actually increase
blocking
tendency.
For oil, add fish oil and/or extra-virgin olive oil or both.
If you check any "hairball" food you will see that fiber and oil is the
only addition - and always the wrong ones - so make your own healthy
hairball food

Personally I put up with the odd hairball to clean up and try to groom
when there is heavy molting such as in spring, and
again in autumn when the coat tosses out old hair before adding winter
bulk. One of my cats will fetch me to clean up her hairballs!! Mostly
the grooming prevents hairballs. I don't freak out about the odd
hairball, it's just an indication that I have been too distracted to use
the Slicka groomer recently, and is a reminder to me that family comes
first. After all, the natural way to handle hairballs is to prevent them
with proper grooming rather than by a lube job on the gut.

Grooming to prevent hairballs needs a special tool. A cat comb or brush
is useless for grooming to prevent hairballs. You need a special tool
made with cone-shaped rubber fingers, as the rubber grips the loose
hairs and pulls them out. One brand is Zoomgroom, and the one I have is
harder to find and has a handle and is called Slicka and is made in
England by Hines. They both work. My cats absolutely love the feel of
this grooming tool, and it gets out huge piles of fur compared with
anything else. The more you groom out - the less to swallow and either
throw up or pass through. Be sure to *never* use wire grooming tools on
cat fur - you just strip it and split it and that keeps loose fur
trapped and causes matting as well in longhairs.

There are also corner groomers on the market for cats to rub against
indoors instead of rough barked trees. These also help, but you need to
clear these groomers of fur so they remain effective.

Using the groom prevention method of hairball management, the cat
does not have to pass their hair through their gut system and risk
blockages (which however are very rare - and there are ways to manage
them if they happen.) After that if there is the odd hairball,
I just consider it a comment on my grooming skills.

So personally, I do not especially get involved with "hairball remedy
food", and I definitely do not recommend any of the "hairball remedies"
on the market. These are petrolatum jelly base which strips out the
cat's oil soluble vitamins, and then lines the gut with thick petroleum
paste that prevents proper absorption of nutrients. It's most unhealthy
for them.

So choose a method you can live with - and then put it into practice in
a healthy way, is what I suggest.

Hope that helps?
I'll try to include the cat-fermentable fiber chart below, scroll
down - it might be there.

Namaste,
Irene
--

[Dale Moss]

Thanks so much, Irene -- I knew you'd come through! BTW, the cat is doing well on Thuja, though having a harder time with the Carcinosin with which we're alternating. Considerable vomiting on the latter, so I've reduced the number of days on the nosode to make it easier on her system.
Peace,
Dale
________________________________
________________________________

[Irene de Villiers]

My pleasure - I wish you success with the case.

Namaste,
Irene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."

[Hennie Duits]

I need to say a big thanks for all this info to Irene.
(so - be sure to read her response)

Hennie

Irene de Villiers schreef:

[Irene de Villiers]

Thanks:-)

.....Irene
--
Irene de Villiers, B.Sc AASCA MCSSA D.I.Hom/D.Vet.Hom.
P.O. Box 4703 Spokane WA 99220.
www.angelfire.com/fl/furryboots/clickhere.html (Veterinary Homeopath.)
"Man who say it cannot be done should not interrupt one doing it."