Furballs Any Tips

[gordiescotland1]

Hi I am pretty sure my cat has a furball she is trying to cough something up without success and it is horrible to watch I am going to give her tuna in oil to see if that will dissolve it and I am going to have to try and brush her every time I do this she hisses at me and I have paste for the furballs its like liquirice but I cant manage to give her that as she hisses at me as well. She is still out of sorts she is eating but not letting me go near her for a cuddle and she is still hiding in corners.

[237SJ]

My Mum`s cat has had this problem. The problem with giving the cat edible oil is that their gut absorbs it. You need something that will go right through the intestines without being absorbed such as the paste that you have. My Mum`s cat wouldn`t take the paste either but it is worth trying to hide it in her food. Cats love Dreamies apparently - maybe it`s worth trying to put a dab of paste on the Dreamie and see if she`ll eat it.

[boxtops]

You can buy special biscuits for furballs, you can feed them instead of the normal food, but it's a bit late if she's already got one. I wouldn't give her anything with oil - if she's anything like my cats it'll go straight through her, then you'll have diarrhoea to deal with too. You won't dissolve a furball - it'll come up in vomit, like a sort of sick furry sausage.

Seriously, if she's still behaving like this on Monday, it's time to take her to the vet. It might be something else altogether.

[jakep]

You could try putting the paste on her front paws. Often they will lick it off.

[boxtops]

Please listen to advice, gordie, I still think it's time she saw the vet. The hissing isn't right either - she might be in pain.

[pastafreak]

You could try wrapping her securely in a bath towel,then try to get a good sized dollop of the paste as far to the back of her mouth as possible...then hold her jaw shut until she swallows. Sounds a bit rough,I know.
I also agree with boxy...if she is hissing she may be in pain...could she have swallowed anything she shouldn't...like a bone?