{"id":453,"date":"2015-02-13T19:22:36","date_gmt":"2015-02-13T19:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/petcarefacts.com\/?p=453"},"modified":"2016-07-28T13:10:15","modified_gmt":"2016-07-28T20:10:15","slug":"dodge-the-furry-bullet-how-to-avoid-hairballs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/tips-and-how-tos\/dodge-the-furry-bullet-how-to-avoid-hairballs","title":{"rendered":"Dodge the Furry Bullet: How to Avoid Hairballs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those trichobezoars are at it again. Your cat is gagging and retching around the living room, and you know what is about to follow\u2026\u00a0 \u00a0 One of the unpleasant aspects of having a cat, is having deal with the unsightly glob of foul fur, whenever it resurrects itself from the bowels of your pet.\u00a0 Even if hairballs may be hard to defeat entirely, there are a number of preventative measures than can be taken in the battle against fur balls.\u00a0 See below for strategic moves that other warriors against the insurgence of hairballs have employed in the past.<\/p>\n

How to Avoid Hairballs<\/b><\/p>\n

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  1. Brush on conditioner.<\/b>\u00a0 Though we don\u2019t necessarily recommend following each shampoo with a large dollop of conditioner, owners have found certain natural, non-toxic or hypoallergenic brands of conditioner to help smooth a cat\u2019s coat.\u00a0 By brushing a bit on your cat through the comb, the silkiness will help your cat groom without roughly removing the hair from the root, and will help fight the problem of hairballs collecting in the stomach.<\/li>\n
  2. Feed you cat fish!<\/b> \u00a0 Solve the problem from the inside out, by giving your cat the right food to help him stay healthy. A can of sardines is a great way to keep things moving inside your cat.\u00a0 By regularly adding a bit of a natural laxative into your feline\u2019s routine meal, your cat will be more likely to pass the hair easily without it getting stuck in the small intestine.\u00a0 Some people feed their kitties a delicious tin of oily sardines, or a can of omega-3 oil rich tuna to do the trick.<\/li>\n
  3. Add a teaspoon of oil.<\/b> If the fish don\u2019t seem to work, then lubricate your cat\u2019s digestive system with a spoonful of oil (such as safflower oil, or even butter) to his food bowl or feed him off the spoon. \u00a0 Another option is to rub petroleum jelly onto your cat\u2019s paws, which she will lick off, causing the oily petroleum to naturally pass through her body.<\/li>\n
  4. Increase their fiber.<\/b>\u00a0 Adding natural fiber to the diet is another natural way to help move a ball of hair through the cat\u2019s system. A scoop of canned pumpkin puree is a great options, as is bran. \u00a0 Some owners even mix in a little Metamucil to kick the cat\u2019s intestines into high gear;\u00a0 but we suggest getting a vet\u2019s approval first.<\/li>\n
  5. Help with the grooming.\u00a0 <\/b>Part of the reason why hairballs grow, is due to the copious strands of loose hair or dust on your cat\u2019s coat. Get to it before they do by brushing the fur firmly, and then wiping your cat down with baby wipes to remove as much of the excess as you can.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The above suggestions will not only improve the appearance and condition of your feline\u2019s fur, but will help them avoid the discomfort and pain that an unwelcome hairball can cause. Help your cat enjoy digestive peace by trying out some tried-and-true methods for expelling those nasty wads of hair.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Those trichobezoars are at it again. Your cat is gagging and retching around the living room, and you know what is about to follow\u2026\u00a0 \u00a0 One of the unpleasant aspects of having a cat, is having deal with the unsightly glob of foul fur, whenever it resurrects itself from the bowels of your pet.\u00a0 Even […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[23],"tags":[19],"class_list":["post-453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-and-how-tos","tag-cats"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/woman-brushing-cat.jpg?fit=650%2C433&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5xKys-7j","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=453"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/453\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}