My cat is too lazy to groom herself. So I brush her and use cat wipes because she does not like the bathtub. That's why she doesn't throw up hairballs. She's old and lazy and I love her. ❤️😸❤️
Thank you! This information has been very helpful. My cat does have issues with hairballs at certain times of the season. I now use a over the counter natural hairball remedy that works. Thanks again.
Thanks for the info! My 2 year old cat vomited up his 1st hair ball! He grooms himself slot! Now I know what to do 😃 I'll be watching your videos more ! My cats are still young 4 and 2! I lost 2 cats 2 years ago but they had along great life They were 18 and 20 years old! I do have another question, I was able to take my 20 year old cat to the vet and be with her but my 18 year old cat took off and died alone! It broke my heart. Is there any reason that some cats do this? I've never had this happen before and I' ve always had several cats! So glad I found your show! Are you in Davis? I live in Oroville CA. Fortunately I have a wonderful vet here!
Thank you! One of mine coughs, gags, etc like she's going to throw up a hairball but then almost always swallows them. When she seems to be struggling, I do give her petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and she licks it off my finger. Lol. I swear sometimes she is acting just to get some "Vaseline" because she likes it! She's a little goofy. I've also let her lick coconut oil off my hands and put a little on her fur. Is that okay?? Thanks -Angie
I didn't really find it to perform well enough to justify the price. The color changing functionality is nice, but it's not helpful enough, in my mind, to outweigh the negatives of its performance.
@@petalpassion3636 Sorry about that. I think maybe there's a RU-vid glitch that causes responses to be sent to the wrong person! Coconut oil can be helpful for hairballs-it can also help to relieve inflammation, which is a nice bonus for hairball-prone cats.
My MC has had very few problems with hairballs in his 15 years. Brushing and Purina hairball control kibble have done the trick. Thank you for these videos. I enjoy them very much.
I was waiting for this! I wish you would have addressed the difference between "normal hairball" behavior and IBD-related retching. My medium-haired cat is an over-groomer, eats hairball food and hairball treats, gets a psyllium/pumpkin chew crushed in her food, and gets brushed at least once daily. She still gags and retches about twice weekly, seldom throwing a hairball. Sometimes she won't eat for a day. The vet said the same as you. When I put the jelly on her paw, she leaves it there all day, making messes all over the house. I am worried because she doesn't vomit the hairball.
Thank you very much for your advice and information that you so graciously give to us. These videos of yours are so helpful and informative! Again, thank you!
I love long haired cats. So I learned from a cat rescue to give finger full of vasoline a few days per week. Result is my cats do not get hairballs. Vets have told me this is okay.
Ugh this summer my almost 2 year old ragamuffin started seasonal allergies which lead to ingesting more hair, and this hairballs. Weirdly she also gets diarrhea from hairball. She’s been tested for everything under the sun and finally found out it’s seasonal allergies. We started immunotherapy drops. I’ve found the hairball gel really helps. Brushing too. I’m Hoping this allergy immunotherapy works and this isn’t going to be an every summer event. Can take up to 8 months or longer to work but she’s worth it.
Since I don't catch the source cat for every hairball I've found, my current suspicion based on the information I do have is that my short hair cat is probably throwing most if not all of them. Both him and long hair groom themselves, however, short haired one was seen several times during throwing up the hairball, long hair just once in several years, but more importantly - I think short haired one he has a pica for hairs - he'd bite of a small chunk of hair from the long haired one in play and then - eat it. Or if he sees it forming a dust bunny on the floor, he'd eat it. He does look quite funny chewing on the hair, and I rarely manage to grab him fast enough to pick it out of his mouth - he's too fast in swallowing his prize or running away from me. And he has that 'yummy' look on his face. So cute, but weird.
Dr. Wooten - How much petroleum jelly is a "dab"? If the jelly's perimeter was say identical to the eraser tip on an ordinary No. 2 pencil, how thick would the "dab" be. Would 1/8" be about right for an average size (9/5 #) adult cat? TIA
Hi! Dr. Wooten is unable to reply to comments at this time, but from my understanding, about 1/4 of a teaspoon is usually recommended for petroleum jelly-based hairball medications.
@@AllAboutCatsYT Huge thanks! I can understand why Dr. Wooten can not reply to individual questions. I worked for a vet fr 5 years and did not remember this remedy. (The vet squirted oil using a syringe.) Again, thnaks.
I've owned cats pretty much all my life with just one break and now I've got a new kitten - it's the first time I've heard what a cat having a bit of a fur ball cough is like but I've never seen the actual "product". They were always outdoor kitties and my new one is more in and out, maybe that's why. I really don't know, everyone always talks about it and it's like my feline "white whale"🤭 Oh, wanted to add, this is the first time I've ever noticed a cat with some gas - real silent but deadly types! It sounds stupid, but I'd never even thought of it!
Kittens don’t often get hairballs or so I’ve heard. They tend to not groom as much as adult cats or have thick coats. Mine didn’t get her first hairball until she was past a year and a half.
No thanks. I think I'll try the hairball treatment BEFORE , not after,I drop $500 on a veterinarian visit Plus whatever random tests that the vet feels like charging me for
I have an 8 year old cat that has vomited all the time since she was a kitten. She gets cleared by the vet every year. Thanks for your video. I'll try the Temptations since she won't take hairball medication from me. Maybe they will help. She is a short-haired cat. I have a long-haired cat who never vomits hairballs. Go figure.
I was led here from an article on fur balls, I think it's odd that you didn't cover fur balls for cats vomiting, some of us are owned by Cats you speak your mother would put a dab of petroleum jelly on it nose. A couple of points, brushing our Cats is necessary but hardly the end all, they also need to be wiped off with a wet towel or cloth to remove the loose fur which brushing loosens. The other thing is real actually hairballs, hair from humans which our cats are exposed to, especially from people with long hair who may have much coarser hair and much longer than any long hair cat. I don’t really want to give petroleum jelly to my Cat. I prefer fish oil, olive oil or coconut oil, or even butter, which the article which led me to this video, claims will only make them fat, lol, such nonsense.
It's kinda weird waking up today finding a fresh hairball on my bed and 10 minutes later this popped up on my tablet. Thanks again doctor Sarah for sharing your knowledge and your love for cats. P.S. I loved your story about your drooling cat.
You and your life he was going to marry the poor on 1st and the rich one by-and-by he wants to keep away from the water as much as you can and don't run the risk
When I hear that retching noise once I know it's a hair ball, if I hear it twice its food and I'm looking at the vomit to see what's in it. My little girl has eaten paper, we've had a discussion on "If it's not food don't eat it", she doesn't listen, she just purrs. My big boy, long hair cat loves Temptations Hairball Control snack.
But I found that the petroleum jelly makes my cat have leaks (anal leaks) leaving oily stains behind her. I stopped giving her that. Did I give her too much?? Maybe.. well I gave her more than a pea size, my little baby!
I give my long-hair cat “Cat Lax” and it really seems to be effective. He still occasionally will throw up a hair ball, but previously, he’d been producing these on a regular basis. He still has coughing fits, but I suspect other causes for this that I hope a vet can help with.
I have a medium hair foster cat with IBS and hairballs cause a flare. Even though I brush nightly. I will get her a shave at the beginning of the shedding season.
I think this is what's happening to my cat as well. She stops grooming herself during her flare-ups and then when she starts grooming again a few weeks after the flare-up stops, it starts all over again. I am at my wits end because this has been happening for almost 3 years no matter what I do and I don't know how much more her and I can take of it.
@@Sara-gl8ueyou need to go to vet and get some testing done. Ultrasound will show ibd. Could be a food allergy which many cats have as well and is a simple fix if you try hydrolized protein diet.
I always know when mine is trying to get a hair ball to move up when they’re heaving and weezing noises come out for a couple seconds. One of my 3 will lick the hair Ball jelly supplement but the other two are picky and refuse it. Thankfully for them they don’t have them all the time. Because it seems uncomfortable
I used to live on 4 acres in the woods with my indoor/outdoor cat Shyla. After she had been with me about 5 years I was marveling at the fact that she had NEVER vomited up a hairball. What a good kitty. Then I sold that house, moved with Shyla to an apartment. Guess what, she now occasionally vomits 'em up! She must have been eating grass and vomiting them up outside and I just never saw that happening. So now I'm very interested in prevention. Thank you!!! and PS I think they should be renamed "hair logs".
Thank you for making this video, it was super helpful! Though, per the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a lover of cats is classified as an ailurophile. P.S. I had to look this up! Thank you again! 😊
Thank you for covering Hairballs!!! My cats were going through this recently, and I really wanted to see other ways to help my cats besides changing their diet/ food. I was wondering if you could cover dental health for cats?
Dr. Sarah, you have such a lovely presence. I love listening and watching you. And I appreciate the way you present the information in a form we (lay people) can understand. Because fur balls are a real problem with 2x of my kitties I recently did some research. These are some of the “tips” I found. Please correct any you don’t agree with! 1) Feed 1 sardine packed in oil a month 2)Drain oil from tuna and mix on kitty’s food 3) every other week 1 teaspoon of safflower oil on food 4) after brushing wipe kitty with a natural baby wipe to remove any loose hair 5) mix 1/2 teaspoon Metamucil (psycillium husks) with water and mix with food 2x a day 6) mix 1 teaspoon of canned pumpkin with food 1-2 x a day. They love this! Be sure it’s PLAIN pumpkin NOT the pumpkin pie mix!!! 7) put some ORGANIC COCONUT OIL on their nose or paw every day. Just a pea size 2 x a day. Works like petroleum jelly only healthier. I’ve been doing the pumpkin but I’m going to add the coconut oil. Only do ONE at first and see how it goes for at least 6-8 weeks. My w guys vomit fur balls every 3-4 days…and ALWAYS on my newly folded clean laundry! Sigh….❤️🐾❤️
I’m a big advocate of cat massage machines. Not only do they increase the bond between you and your cat, a great way of getting your cats to come to you when you turn them on, but also gently pull hair that your brushes and combs can leave behind. Then when you brush them you’ll get much more out and they’ll get far fewer hairballs.
Oh, now I remember I had a cat that was apparently anxious and was pulling her fur out. Changed her from a small cluttered flat to my parent's garden and thankfully, she was fine, but I never saw a fur/hair ball. Cats also chew on grasses to help with their digestion don't they? (Sorry, I'm overtaking the comments!)
I have several cats and I do cat rescue. I’ve learned that any fish foods promote puking, dirty ears, and over grooming. Iams significantly made puking worse. Taste of the Wild made 4 of my cats over-groom to the point of one having zero coat left, NutriSource sent one to the hospital. No more fish, no more puking, over grooming, or dirty ears. I’m not sure why we insist our kitties need fish. I also have a dog who is extremely allergic to trout. He had NutriSource trout and had such a horrible reaction. I don’t bring in any fish of any kind any longer.
My two cats have had mostly boiled chicken thighs with bone broth or raw ground beef for more than a year. Once a week they get sardines or poached salmon (with supplements and premix). There have no hairballs and no throwing up.
Plz consider making a video about prolonged sleeping periods. One of my male cats is 14 month old and he sleeps A LOT. Deep sleep most of the day. 3 months ago he had a bloody urine and vet said he had a stone and went down. First I thought he's lazy but I noticed it's a little abnormal, especially he get tired fast when he plays.
I find wiping off with a wet towel removes most of the loose fur which is loosened by the brushing, my cat always tossed after brushing until I started wiping him down. Got to also watch out for human hair especially if course and long, I think that's more of an issue than their fur.
MY cat keeps coughing but the hairball never comes out. She seems to swallow it. I've switched foods 4 times to different types for hairballs. Nothing is working
my cat grew a heavier than normal coat of fur due to being in colder weather, during late spring the temp got warm suddenly and she started shedding alot and I noticed her appetite waning a little bit and she also obsessively grooms herself. Told the vet, he kinda dismissed the idea that a hairball issue would cause the cat to not eat as much...I got the laxatone anyway, gave her a small dab on her paw daily for 2 weeks and noticed she was better...stopped the laxatone, still shedding and grooming...appetite gone again, blood tests come back ok...now waiting for xrays and ultrasound ugh.
Oh my god hair rugs she wont stop licking and she has long fur. Hairball medicine is disgusting and goes ransid. What product is tasty, safe and she will eat. To prevent t he hairballs
10-10-2023. I have been beside myself trying to help my cats with their hairballs. Three days ago I finally got hold of something that I am praying will help. Well, it HAS helped for 3 days, and to my way of thinking, 3 days without cats vomiting is like a miracle to me. And the most miraculous part is that both cats absolutely love it ! I suppose that different remedies work with different cats, so thank you for your video.
All you talked about is bandaids not actually getting down to the root cause and solving the problem. You failed to mention frequent hairballs is never normal besides shedding shedding season. You also failed mention that really common cause of frequent hairballs is IBD and it actually gets overlooked and dismissed often. Usually people and vets just try the methods you mentioned while failing to get the cat checked for IBD or motility disorders. While these methods usually reduce hairballs some the cat still continues to get hairballs regularly and never gets treated for the root cause. IBD is very serious and needs to be treated asap.
Not every cat has IBD surely? If they do then clearly the problem is the air, food and water, nanoparticles being dumped in our atmosphere, are everywhere, but you won't hear that from any doctor.
First time getting a cat first time seeing him do that I freaked out neither do I know how to verbally describe this behaviour to ask others it looked so possessed. Seen him doing it three four times but nothing comes out
Hi, completely unrelated but the info I found online is either fear mongering or super biased. We'll be going on a 2 week vacation and thinking of putting the cats in the cattery. Do you have any advice on how to make that easier for them? Will they be traumatized? Is that even a good option?
That's a great question. We haven't published any content around this question, specifically, but what I've gathered is that it's generally better to let your cats stay at home while you're away. Cats are quite territorial, so allowing them to stay in "their place" is much more comfortable than sending them to an unfamiliar facility. However, I wouldn't entirely rule out the option. Some cats are particularly confident and comfortable in new places, and they'll be fine with a cat boarding facility. It really depends on your cats and their temperament.
@@AllAboutCatsYT thank you very much for answering my question! I'll see about cat sitting in the area and if I can get someone to come for a play, too.
I have 3 cats. 2 of them I give Laxatone, every Friday. They totally love it. My third cat hates it, but thankfully she drinks a ton of water and she never has hairballs. So I guess every cat is different.
FUNNY! I JUST watched your video on vomiting (regurgitation) and wondered why fur balls weren’t mentioned but I thought in your prolonged higher educated mind you KNEW it deserved a video of its own because it’s such a complex, common, yucky (take your pick) problem! So I just searched for the video and TA DA! Here I am! Lolol
Thank you so much, I thank you, Scooter thanks you & my not having to be the Only one that has to bend over and collect that "Fur Ball" is what We call them. Heehee but seriously, Thank you, I am one of the watchers of the 'Vomiting' video. I did not ask where is the Fur Ball section, I just looked on your home page and and voila. It was kinda funny that at the beginning of this video, you thanked everyone that informed you about that important part of cat's vomiting, I was happy to watch the other so I'd be aware if my baby vomits like that. Thank you. I Love the way you present your information regarding our precious little pets (Ppl). Scooter is so smart, I swear he knows what I'm saying, even if I'm talking about him to someone else. My goodness I could go on for days. 🙏🏻😻😸🐻🌺. Hugs, 🤗 from Woobie in Massachusetts USA
How about a video about why cats can’t eat different foods every day. Example cat food companies always say never just switch to a new food. Example a cat’s biology is different from humans since we can eat fish one day and pizza the next. What is the physiological difference in their gut. OR is it marketing hype.
I have two cats. One barely sheds at any point throughout the year. The other has a few weeks throughout the year when he's NOT blowing his coat. Seriously, he sheds so much you'd expect him to go bald, but he never has a thinner coat. He leaves tumbleweeds of the all over the house. His hair is on every item of clothing we own. You pick him up, he leaves a smear of hair across your body. Kiss his head and you've got fur in your mouth. No surprises when I say he is a master of barfing hairballs. It always, always coincides with regurgitating food. Every time. Sometimes it's a few bites of food, sometimes it's the better part of a meal. He also sometimes simply regurgitates food. He always eats again after both. The other cat has never thrown up. They're both 5 this year.
Hi @Dr sara My Cat has Big Emergency problems in my point of view. Actually I gave a first bath to New cat and after bath the cats breathing is now a little bit fast and the cat has became very lazy and dont even play a game . I dont Know what to do The Doctors are off here , So Kindly would you tell me what shall I do Now . Waiting for your response !!!!!!!!!!!😢🙁
My cat seems like he is trying to bring up a hairball, however, nothing is coming out and it's scaring me.... he is eating, drinking, and playing like normal, but he just keeps making these aweful noises like he's trying really hard to bring it up :/
Thanks doc u just saved my cat 🐈 I’m in Algeria now and i didn’t find the laxatone here so i just used the vaseline in place of laxatone and i hope it works ❤
My cat is around 9 months old. Short haired but she grooms herself constantly. I have a brush for her but it catches no hair. She would lower her head and start making a heaving sound, then she’d swallow and lick her lips and act normally. (Over a span of 5days ) She would do this once or twice a day, Then towards the 3rd day of noticing she was doing this she threw up (twice) both times It was immediately after eating. I am a first time cat owner so I setup a vet appointment right after. She ended up having a fever of 103. I couldn’t afford X-rays at the time so they gave her medications and a diet food. It seemed to work very well but today I heard the coughing again, I will try coconut oil but if she throws up again I’m running her back to vet lol
