Are they putting hairball remedies in cat food now?

[DodgerGirl]

Lately when Mom and I feed my cat I have noticed some unusual behavior with my cat and I would like to ask if anyone has noticed this with their cats? You see for a long time my cat has been a fan of Fancy Feast cat food and Fancy Feast Pates and his other favorite food that we give him for snacks is Whiskas Temptations cat treats. But lately it seems that every time we feed my cat he will be fine but the next day my cat starts gagging and coughing to the point where he has accidents all over the house and even in my room too and it has happened several times but we can't figure out the cause and my mom seems to think my cat has a bad reaction to the cat treats and cat food because it might have hairball remedies in it because we have seen my cat have hairballs a few times. I wonder if they are now putting hairball remedies in cat food and cat treats because my cat never has had a problem with Fancy Feast cat food or Whiskas Temptations cat treats because the packaging doesn't even mention a hairball remedy in it. The other thing Mom and I looked into might be that my cat has a sensitive stomach and cannot eat that food so often
Has anyone noticed if hairball remedies are now in cat food and what should Mom and I do about our cat?
Dodger

 

[Imzadi]

Lately when Mom and I feed my cat I have noticed some unusual behavior with my cat and I would like to ask if anyone has noticed this with their cats? You see for a long time my cat has been a fan of Fancy Feast cat food and Fancy Feast Pates and his other favorite food that we give him for snacks is Whiskas Temptations cat treats. But lately it seems that every time we feed my cat he will be fine but the next day my cat starts gagging and coughing to the point where he has accidents all over the house and even in my room too and it has happened several times but we can't figure out the cause and my mom seems to think my cat has a bad reaction to the cat treats and cat food because it might have hairball remedies in it because we have seen my cat have hairballs a few times. I wonder if they are now putting hairball remedies in cat food and cat treats because my cat never has had a problem with Fancy Feast cat food or Whiskas Temptations cat treats because the packaging doesn't even mention a hairball remedy in it. The other thing Mom and I looked into might be that my cat has a sensitive stomach and cannot eat that food so often
Has anyone noticed if hairball remedies are now in cat food and what should Mom and I do about our cat?
Dodger

How old is your cat?

 

[QueenIsabella]

They do sell special formulas to help with hairballs, but it's dry food and costs more--you'd know if you were buying it! We get a version for sensitive skin and stomach, because we have an "extra" cat who's delicate (just ask her!). It costs more, we have to feed it to all 4 cats, and it doesn't stop our barfing cat from, well, doing the "gulp and hurl".

 

[TipsyTraveler]

This is such a confusing post. What would hairball remedies have to do with making your cat gag and cough? Those remedies work by either breaking down the hairball in the gut or lubricating it so it can pass through. They don’t induce a cat to vomit, if that’s what you’re thinking. This happens the following day after feeding him? So, every day, presumably, your cat is coughing and gagging to the point of losing control over his bladder/bowels? He needs to be seen by a vet. STAT. I would trust that the food contains what the package says it contains.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

My cat has done that "gulp and hurl" (as described above) her whole life. They DO make dry cat foods w/hairball treatment. I have tried it, it seems to make no difference.

 

[mom2rtk]

Get your cat to the vet.

Our cat vomited a lot and we eventually figured out she had an overactive thyroid.

 

[BrianL]

This is such a confusing post. What would hairball remedies have to do with making your cat gag and cough? Those remedies work by either breaking down the hairball in the gut or lubricating it so it can pass through. They don’t induce a cat to vomit, if that’s what you’re thinking. This happens the following day after feeding him? So, every day, presumably, your cat is coughing and gagging to the point of losing control over his bladder/bowels? He needs to be seen by a vet. STAT. I would trust that the food contains what the package says it contains.

Yes, hairball remedies, like Cat Lax, actually prevent vomiting - they help the hair to pass out the other end. If the cat is vomiting excessivley, it's time to go t the vet.

 

[QueenIsabella]

My cat has done that "gulp and hurl" (as described above) her whole life. They DO make dry cat foods w/hairball treatment. I have tried it, it seems to make no difference.

It actually can be a result of being abandoned or taken from their mother too young. They don't know where their next meal is coming from, despite having lived with you for years, so they gulp down too much food. I know that our guilty cat, we found him under our deck, clearly abandoned by someone (he was very social and litter box trained--plus, there was just one, and he was ~7 weeks old). We've had him 5 years, and he STILL does the gulp and hurl. It's great news for our dog (who cleans up). For us--not so much.

 

[mom2rtk]

It actually can be a result of being abandoned or taken from their mother too young. They don't know where their next meal is coming from, despite having lived with you for years, so they gulp down too much food. I know that our guilty cat, we found him under our deck, clearly abandoned by someone (he was very social and litter box trained--plus, there was just one, and he was ~7 weeks old). We've had him 5 years, and he STILL does the gulp and hurl. It's great news for our dog (who cleans up). For us--not so much.

Our cat did the same for years. When we got her at the shelter, she had been found abandoned in an apartment for an extended time, so she definitely had serious food insecurity. So we just assumed her vomiting was a result of that. I felt so bad when I found out she actually had a thyroid problem. We almost lost her to it last fall. Now she's medicated and fat and happy again. And for the first time in years, she's not vomiting after eating.

 

[SharonZ]

Vomiting can have many causes. I would take the cat for a visit and have bloodwork done to rule out any potential issues.

 

[wvjules]

Take the cat to the vet.

 

[scrapquitler]

Foods and treats that have hairball remedies in them say so on the package. And hairball remedies prevent the gagging and vomiting you describe. If your cat is vomiting and gagging in an unsual way, or if this is something new, you should have her examined by your vet. When my cat started vomiting excessively, we took him to the vet and found out that he had a thyroid issue. Something might be going on with your fur friend, too. Anytime a new or unusual behavior starts, its a good idea to have the vet check it out.

 

[Imzadi]

If your cat is vomiting and gagging in an unsual way, or if this is something new, you should have her examined by your vet.

Exactly. When my cat started unexpectedly gagging, I took her to the vet. Turned out she had developed inoperable tongue cancer and had to be put down. Turns out it's a common occurrence develop at that age.

 

[Imzadi]

I also wonder with all the supply chain issues that are still happening, that maybe an ingredient had to be swapped out as the manufacturers couldn't get the usual one. Fancy Feast & Whiskas are made by different parent companies, so it's a weird coincidence that the cat would have a reaction to both companies unless it's a common ingredient to both, from the same (new) supplier.

I wonder if the cat is allergic to the new ingredient and having an anaphylaxis reaction, where the throat is swelling & closing up and the cat is gagging?

 

[LuvOrlando]

So sorry, I agree to go to a Vet & maybe try a totally different brand then try to reintroduce and see what happen, pet food & product ingredients are not really tightly controlled

When I had cats they would eat every bug that wandered in and investigate all new things so I'd say clean the entire house thoroughly in case there is something odd the cat discovered and is eating, licking, drinking. Funny how finicky my cats were in some things but yum spiders.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

It actually can be a result of being abandoned or taken from their mother too young. They don't know where their next meal is coming from, despite having lived with you for years, so they gulp down too much food. I know that our guilty cat, we found him under our deck, clearly abandoned by someone (he was very social and litter box trained--plus, there was just one, and he was ~7 weeks old). We've had him 5 years, and he STILL does the gulp and hurl. It's great news for our dog (who cleans up). For us--not so much.

I kind of wondered if it might be something like that, despite being an "only cat" now. The reason somebody gave her to us was because she was just a kitten and she was in a house with like 3 adult cats. It was some lady that my ex worked with, got her for her daughter but things weren't working out with very well with the other cats, so they re-homed her to us.

It worked out very well, she is now a "teenager" and has always been pampered. We also have a dog in the house, but the dog is scared of her. The dog has "tested" her before, and regretted it big time... it only took getting beat up a couple times for the dog to learn to not bother her, or her food

 

[QueenIsabella]

I kind of wondered if it might be something like that, despite being an "only cat" now. The reason somebody gave her to us was because she was just a kitten and she was in a house with like 3 adult cats. It was some lady that my ex worked with, got her for her daughter but things weren't working out with very well with the other cats, so they re-homed her to us.

It worked out very well, she is now a "teenager" and has always been pampered. We also have a dog in the house, but the dog is scared of her. The dog has "tested" her before, and regretted it big time... it only took getting beat up a couple times for the dog to learn to not bother her, or her food

We have 4 cats, and they tolerate the dog--I think that they think she's a hideously deformed one of "them". The dog only weighs 17 pounds--it's not a bad assumption.

 

[kymom99]

I kind of wondered if it might be something like that, despite being an "only cat" now. The reason somebody gave her to us was because she was just a kitten and she was in a house with like 3 adult cats. It was some lady that my ex worked with, got her for her daughter but things weren't working out with very well with the other cats, so they re-homed her to us.

It worked out very well, she is now a "teenager" and has always been pampered. We also have a dog in the house, but the dog is scared of her. The dog has "tested" her before, and regretted it big time... it only took getting beat up a couple times for the dog to learn to not bother her, or her food

I’m betting she got used to eating fast at her old house. I had a cat who lived to be 16 that puked all the time. She was one of 2 cats in the house but she was the alpha cat. She ate first and I’m guessing she tried to eat more than her fair share. The vet looked for physical causes and couldn’t find anything wrong.

Do you let her self feed? Try giving small amounts a couple times a day so she can’t overdo it. I fed mostly dry food and she still would overeat. I gave canned food for a treat once in a while.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I had a cat years ago who loved fancy Feast, but it is kind of rich. If your cat us getting older, maybe try one of the sensitive stomach brands? (Change it gradually, mixing them or offering half of each side by side at first.)

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I’m betting she got used to eating fast at her old house. I had a cat who lived to be 16 that puked all the time. She was one of 2 cats in the house but she was the alpha cat. She ate first and I’m guessing she tried to eat more than her fair share. The vet looked for physical causes and couldn’t find anything wrong.

Do you let her self feed? Try giving small amounts a couple times a day so she can’t overdo it. I fed mostly dry food and she still would overeat. I gave canned food for a treat once in a while.

For the longest time I tried feeding her small amounts at regular intervals, that really did not work. It seems the best way is to just keep her bowl full all the time and let her decide when it is time to eat. It is not a complete fix, but it has improved the issue some. The biggest problem with that is that she does not want to eat dry food once the bowl reaches a certain level, so when you fill it back up, she will scarf down what's on top. Ugh.