Hairballs & Kittens/Young Cats

[disneychrista]

I have an 8 month old kitten. The past couple days her appetite has been up & down, she will eat one meal but not be interested at all the next. She doesn't seem sick or lethargic. She is still running around and playing, jumping on the counters and everywhere else she can get to. She has also retched like she was hacking up a hair ball but only liquid came out (looked like water, not foamy). I am thinking she has a hairball that she can't pass or get up. Any tips or tricks to help me/her out?

 

[BrianL]

Well, cats do throw up. If it's just clear, then it's mostly water. She may be gulping it down for some reason. It should pass though, but keep an eye on it. If it goes on for more than a couple of days or if her eating habits change, consult a vet.

For hairballs, i recommend a product called Cat-Lax. It's an oily paste that helps lubricate hair on through. My cat loves it too! You put a little blob on your finger and let her lick it up. It works.

 

[disneychrista]

Well, cats do throw up. If it's just clear, then it's mostly water. She may be gulping it down for some reason. It should pass though, but keep an eye on it. If it goes on for more than a couple of days or if her eating habits change, consult a vet.

For hairballs, i recommend a product called Cat-Lax. It's an oily paste that helps lubricate hair on through. My cat loves it too! You put a little blob on your finger and let her lick it up. It works.

Thank you. I will look into the Cat-Lax.

 

[Imzadi]

Are you brushing your kitten every day or two? Especially the tail? Make sure you pick a brush or comb that gently takes out the loose hairs from shedding. Even short haired cats need to be brushed/combed. You cat has some longer fluff on her white belly and along her back end, as well as the tail. Once I started brushing my previous cat, she stopped hacking completely and there were no more hair tumbleweeds scattered in the corners of the apartment. I barely get fur all over my clothes from my current cat.


Here is a professional groomer whom I watch a lot. She is combing a short-haired orange cat which is too heavy to groom himself. You can see how much hair is coming off of him. He would be eating that hair and forming a hairball if he was able to groom himself. If done right, most cats love to be brushed.

And NO, she is not using a comb that RIPS the hair out. Does that cat look in pain? It's the hair in the undercoat that naturally sheds but gets stuck against the other hairs. She does many other videos where she takes a turbo blow dryer to dogs and literally BLOWS the stuck and compacted fur off them. She shows how that hair is really loose but stuck against the other fur, until manually removed.

Here is one where you can really see the fur flying off the dog from the blower, even before she took a brush to him:

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Are you brushing your kitten every day or two? Especially the tail? Make sure you pick a brush or comb that gently takes out the loose hairs from shedding...

This! Our cats get brushed/combed daily (started slow and worked up -- now they enjoy it!). We also use a Furminator which really helps keep the hairball incidents down.

 

[Imzadi]

This! Our cats get brushed/combed daily (started slow and worked up -- now they enjoy it!). We also use a Furminator which really helps keep the hairball incidents down.

I have the Furminator too. Love it! The cats love it too.

And yes, start slow with the kitten. You may only get a couple swipes in at first. The kitten may think it's a toy at first, trying to play with it. Then once she realizes it's a nice feeling, like being pet, she will want to be brushed.

You will never have to comb/brush as many times as the groomer. She only got the cat that one time and had to return the cat fully groomed. Since I brush my cat every other day, I do about 4 swipes across and she's good to go.

 

[DodgerGirl]

My cat also has trouble with hairballs as well and what you should watch for if your cat has hairballs that she is trying to get out is a loud choking sound "similar to a huffing sound" and if you notice your cat making this sound take her to the litter box. Because my cat is VERY prone to hairballs and he gets a lot of them and it could also be caused by the cat food having hairball remedies in it. Does any of your cat's food have hairball remedies in it? But my mom brushes my cat every so often and we find like three hairballs in it
Hope this advice helps you Disneychrista
Dodger

 

[Nayan]

Please ignore everything Dodger said. You should brush your cat very often (mine loved it and would sit where I kept the brush and meow so it was daily) to help keep hairballs at bay. DO NOT pick up your cat and take it to the litter box when it's puking (do not pick up when they are puking period, you could injure them, plus it can cause littler box issues).

As others said, keep an eye on her and if there are any changes a visit to the vet would be in order.