[Madra Anamchara]

My cat has semi-long silky hair. He also has a bad habit of eating dog hair or my hair if he finds it. I give him hairball paste out of a tube but it doesn't seem to make a difference, as he tosses up a large hairball pretty much every night.

Has anyone got advice on a hairball remedy that works?

 

[Shadowfox]

Not an expert, but have asked and heard that frequent hairballs could be related to gut bugs being off. Prebiotics/probiotics could help, but that would require a gut biome test. Another suggestion was to switch from two feedings to smaller, more frequent meals to give the gut time to process the hair.

 

[Madra Anamchara]

You can buy hairball control biscuits i honestly think its more a gimmick? As for human and dog hair just vacuum constanly.

Thanks..........although I don't have the time to vacuum constantly! Or even every day, although I try not to go more days than 2. With my dogs, I can find fur on the floor an hour after I vacuum.

I guess hairballs are better than actual vomit, much easier to clean up, so I shouldn't complain!

 

[Madra Anamchara]

Not an expert, but have asked and heard that frequent hairballs could be related to gut bugs being off. Prebiotics/probiotics could help, but that would require a gut biome test. Another suggestion was to switch from two feedings to smaller, more frequent meals to give the gut time to process the hair.

Thanks. Good information to have, something I didn't know.

He does get very small and frequent meals because, while I give him canned food in the morning, the rest of his food is in a challenging cat food puzzle bowl, and he has to work to get it out. Usually it takes him all day to get most or all of his daily ration of kibble out.

 

[Madra Anamchara]

I have a shaved head so dont have to deal with human hair but llikewise i could vacuum every second of the day and theyd still be my dogs hair on floor. My cat who is 15 has vomited most days since a tiny kitten. She gulps her tin food and biscuits.

Try a puzzle bowl! It really slows them down, and then you don't get the gulp-and-vomit cycle.
Mine is this one:

Amazon.com: Slow Feeder Cat Bowl - Interactive Food & Treat Puzzle Feeder - Slow Feed Maze Activity Toy to Promote Healthy Eating & Portion Control - Food Grade Material - Non-Slip & Dishwasher Safe : Pet Supplies

Amazon.com: Slow Feeder Cat Bowl - Interactive Food & Treat Puzzle Feeder - Slow Feed Maze Activity Toy to Promote Healthy Eating & Portion Control - Food Grade Material - Non-Slip & Dishwasher Safe : Pet Supplies

www.amazon.com

 

[Madra Anamchara]

I use a sticky roller on my cat regulary to get the loose hair off. The one that you peel the paper off

I would go through a roll of that paper every day if I did that. 😄

The thing I have learned about the puzzle bowl is that you have to give the cat time to adjust to it. At first, my cat was saying "what the heck?! I can't get to my food!" But I ignored his complaints because I knew if he got hungry enough and wanted it badly enough he would learn how to get it. I also started out only putting the kibble in the places easiest to get to. Pretty soon he had those all figured out and I started putting the food a little farther in, harder to get to. He's in that stage now, and eventually I will put food in all the spaces, even the hardest ones, once he is confident in his ability to get the food out.

I have made it hard for him to knock the puzzle off the counter where he is fed so he can't just dump it on the floor.

An unexpected, and very welcome, side effect of my having implemented this is that he no longer screams at me at various times of the day for food. Food is always available to him. But, since he has to work to get it, it being always available doesn't mean I have to keep filling up a bowl, which would make him fat.

I had not even thought of this solution. I just saw an ad on Craig's List, and they only wanted $5 for it, so I thought why not. And it's great, better than I could have hoped. I hope it works out well for you too and I would love to hear from you how it goes with your cat.