Grass For Hairball

by Orry
(Bandar Lampung, Indonesia)

Dear Doctor,

I couldn't describe how happy I was finding you here, with abundant helpful knowledge and information on cats.

I have 5 Persian cats, and 2 of them are kittens. I notice that the 3 sealpoints tend to have matted fur. I've found huge hairballs sometimes, mostly from their cat litter box and sometimes in their vomit. I was so worried, but finding cat laxative products here is difficult, and even local vets don't have such things.

I got info from a fellow saying that I should plant grass for my indoor cats. The cats will naturally eat the grass and it will help the hairballs out from stomach. Is that right? I am afraid they will get poisoned if I grow the wrong grass.

If only there's an online pet shop (with paypal's payment method) sells Furminator and Laxatone, could you please share it with me. Even if I brush them, especially the sealpoints, my cats keep shedding and having matted hair.

Thanks.


Dear Orry,

Thank you for your kind words and for taking the time to write in with concern for your kitties.

The reality is, cats are true carnivores, and therefore, are not supposed to eat grass. Feeding your cats grass is likely to actually make them vomit more. The idea that cats eat grass because they need to vomit, whether vomit up a hairball or otherwise need to vomit, is truly just a myth. In reality, they vomit after eating grass because the grass itself cannot be digested by their gastrointestinal system.

I would not recommend growing grass for your kitties as a treatment for cat hairballs. My best recommendation would be to purchase a FURminator, which instead of treating cat hairballs after they have formed and started a problem for your kitty actually prevents them from forming. And fortunately, FURminator does have a PayPal checkout option on their website.

With regular brushing with the FURminator, even if you had not had success with other cat grooming brushes, it is very possible that you will not need Laxatone for your cats' hairball problems. You can read more about FURminator on my review page.

Best wishes to you and your felines,
Dr. Neely