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Old May 9th, 2017, 11:24 AM
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JD is shedding up a storm...

...and for the past week or so, has been harking up huge honkin' hairballs! I've heard/read that cats do shed more in spring, but is this normal? The hairball this morning was 2 inches long and a half inch in diameter! In addition to the stuff he throws up, it's in his stool, too.

This is our first spring with him and we've never had a cat before, so if this is a stupid question, well...just chalk it up to inexperience and my usual paranoia.
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Old May 9th, 2017, 12:25 PM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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They do shed. Like dogs, some more than others, some seasonally, some all year. I have noticed that a cat I bring in from outside, in poor condition and with poor coat, seems to shed that poor coat out once good food is provided. Cats, most, groom more than dogs so we don't see it as much. There's stuff you can wipe on paws and put in food to help them eliminate hairballs. I have had an older cat get impactions that the hair seems to contribute to and need an enema.
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Old May 9th, 2017, 01:13 PM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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http://www.petful.com/grooming/why-d...-shed-so-much/

This link tell why a cat may shed a lot of fur ,their thyroid could be causing this . This came to mind when I saw your thread , if the shedding doesn't slow down you may what to have his thyroid check. I hope there is nothing wrong with JD , bushing him will help keep him from getting hairballs .
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Old May 9th, 2017, 09:47 PM
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That thing about the diet, Longblades--I wonder if that's it? He came in as a very skinny stray. He's had a couple of minor procedures early on that required some shaved fur--and it takes months for the fur to grow back (one from December on his back is just growing in now that he's suddenly shedding so much). Maybe he's just recovering from his near starvation and his "hair metabolism", so to speak, is just kicking in? But we've had him 9 months and he's been on the same diet now for about 8 of those months--which seems like a long recovery time?

Is the hairball eliminator necessary if he's passing the hair naturally? And do you notice that the incidence of hairballs goes up when the cat is shedding more?

He does get combed daily, Barkingdog--which is why I noticed the increase in shedding, cuz suddenly, with the onset of spring, I was combing out about 3x the normal amount. I came across the reference to the thyroid, too--something to keep in mind. He's pretty young for endocrine problems, but if the shedding doesn't abate soon, I'll have his levels checked.
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Old May 10th, 2017, 07:14 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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I don't use hairball eliminator myself. I think what it does is help them pass it out the back instead of heaving it up their throats. The only problem I've had, from not using it, is the one cat who had trouble pooping hair out and it matted up inside and blocked her. She had enemas on two separate occasions but then recovered and did not need it again. Strangely, as our only long haired cat at the time, she was the only one who did NOT shed. Mybe she did all her grooming at night when I couldn't see, who knows. I think some nice oily sardines once in a while probably helps as much, but I'm guessing. And brushing of course.
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Old May 10th, 2017, 12:12 PM
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Oooooo...oily sardines! I think JD would like that. I think hazel might like that, too--been ages since I've grossed out hubby eating sardines!

No hairballs this morning, or hairy poops, for the first time in about a week...so maybe the worst is over!
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Old May 11th, 2017, 10:17 AM
Barkingdog Barkingdog is offline
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Hazel how is JD doing today has he stopped shedding altogether ?
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Old May 11th, 2017, 11:15 AM
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No, but at least he hasn't been leaving hairballs on the floor for me in the mornings! When I combed him this morning, he was still shedding a bit more than normal, but not as bad as it was last week and earlier this week. Maybe it's just seasonal
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Old May 11th, 2017, 03:23 PM
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Does JD have any bald spots on his body yet, hope not ? How does his fur look to you that is falling out ,check the roots to see if they looks damage in anyway . Is JD itchy a lot ?
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Old May 11th, 2017, 04:32 PM
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He doesn't appear to be abnormally itchy. After his surgery in December, he had to wear the Dreaded Elizabethan Collar (DEC) for a while and the only place he could reach to groom was a spot on his tail--that ended up getting pretty bald, but now that he's out of the DEC, the hair is slowly coming back. His fur looks normal, but there's a lot of it coming out.
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Old May 11th, 2017, 10:23 PM
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Hello Hazel:

Been following your shedding problems with JD. I treat my cats to sardine liquid in the can. I've had several vets recommend that I do not use sardines packed in oil for treats. They should be packed in water. At the time I didn't question why and wish I had, and I haven't done any research into it.

Something else that might be of value to you - and I've found it works for me - is a good quality salmon oil soft gel. It's an Omega 3 and the brand we use is Carlson Salmon Oil. Make sure that it hasn't got any Omega 6 in it. Cats really have no need for it, and it's an oxidant. The Omega 3 is an antioxidant.
Start small - 2 or 3 drops night and morning for a few days in his food and then up it by 1 drop. Do this for several times until you get up to half a soft gel a day.

One thing that was really noticeable was the drop in shedding on the cats.

One thing we did notice marked improvement in was the shedding.

It could take 2 or 3 weeks or better to see an improvement.

One thing that was quite noticeable was that the fur went from being coarse like steel wool to a smooth satiny finish and good gloss and the dandruff is gone.

I had mine up to a full soft gel a day, but now I have dropped them back to about 1/3 of a soft gel every 2 or 3 days as maintenance.

Hope this helps.
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Last edited by Reg; May 11th, 2017 at 10:55 PM.
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Old May 11th, 2017, 10:57 PM
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Just forgot to mention that we noticed quite a reduction in the shedding in the cats after a period of time.

Couldn't get the "edit" to work, that's why this short note.
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Old May 12th, 2017, 04:38 PM
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So you're just using the sardine 'water', Reg?

I think we do have some salmon oil--we used it in winter and might have some left. Might be expired, though--has a short shelf life, as I recall. I'll remember that about the Omega-6s. Thanks!
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Old May 12th, 2017, 09:57 PM
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Hazel what we use are Sardines packed in water. And we do give them a bite of the Sardine when we are making sandwiches.

The brand we have here is Brunswick, and there are several varieties available to us. Sardines in Mustard, Sardines in Oil, and Sardines in Ketchup are just a few that are on the shelf, besides the Sardines in Water that we buy.

One of the reasons I mentioned to just give a small amount to start of the Salmon Oil soft gels is to get JD used to the flavour, because there is a flavour to it, and some are a lot stronger than others. Some cats do not like the stronger flavour.

Something that was mentioned to me years ago was when supplementing a cat, a person should taste the supplement first to make sure it isn't strong. If it's something you don't want in your mouth, the animals will be the same, especially a cat.

If you are having to pick up more of the Salmon Oil, be sure to make the EPA and DHA at high numbers. The EPA should be around 90 mg and the DHA should be around 110 mg. when you're using a 1000 mg soft gel. Also make sure there are no other ingredients in it either.
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Old May 12th, 2017, 10:00 PM
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In ketchup?!? That sounds awful!

Will check the EPA and DHA numbers. Do you just snip the soft gel and squeeze it? The salmon oil we used for the dogs was in a pump bottle. I was thinking that if the numbers checked out on it, I could squirt some in a small container and use a dropper?
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Old May 12th, 2017, 10:20 PM
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Hazel you must have been sitting there just waiting for my note.

We agree, ketchup really doesn't sound very nice at all - we've never tried them either. Different strokes for different folks.

I use a push pin to puncture the end of the soft gel, and then just insert it back into it when I've finished squeezing out what I need. Then I put the rest of the soft gel into a very small egg cup sized or smaller container and put it into the frig till the next time. I prop up the gel with a small piece of tin foil in the egg cup, so it doesn't tip over.

All you can do is try the product you have on hand and see what happens.
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Old May 13th, 2017, 07:15 AM
Longblades Longblades is offline
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A trick to try with cats is to wipe a small dab of whatever you want to go down the gullet on a paw. Most will lick it off the paw. If they don't kick up a stink, give you the stink eye, shake it off the paw, try to hork it back up and otherwise act you are trying to kill them then that method will work for small amounts and you might eventually be able to get them to lick it off the dispenser.

LOL, I put a small dab of kefir that I make for the dog on Joey's paw. No special experience in cat body language needed to know that was not appreciated.
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Old May 13th, 2017, 09:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reg View Post
I use a push pin to puncture the end of the soft gel, and then just insert it back into it when I've finished squeezing out what I need. Then I put the rest of the soft gel into a very small egg cup sized or smaller container and put it into the frig till the next time. I prop up the gel with a small piece of tin foil in the egg cup, so it doesn't tip over.
I know in the past we used to get soft gels, snip them and just squirt them over the dogs' food, but we always used them up with the meal. The pin idea is fab for when there's some left over in the capsule!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Longblades View Post
A trick to try with cats is to wipe a small dab of whatever you want to go down the gullet on a paw. Most will lick it off the paw. If they don't kick up a stink, give you the stink eye, shake it off the paw, try to hork it back up and otherwise act you are trying to kill them then that method will work for small amounts and you might eventually be able to get them to lick it off the dispenser.
Alrighty, then! I'll remember that. JD doesn't seem to be particularly fussy, so I may be in luck!
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Old May 13th, 2017, 12:29 PM
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Hazel I take the same Salmon Oil that I give to the cats. And I have tasted quite a few brands - all of them quality and well known brand names - and I was very surprised at the flavours of the different ones. I find the Carlson is one of the more mellow ones.

And one of the reasons I started with small doses was so they would get accustomed to the flavour. And I sprinkle it into their food. The wet food is better to use for this cause it can be hidden better.

I have had vets suggest that a full capsule or soft get daily won't hurt, but I think it's just a little overkill. If the animal isn't sick then smaller doses are okay.
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Old May 13th, 2017, 01:43 PM
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Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
In ketchup?!? That sounds awful!

Will check the EPA and DHA numbers. Do you just snip the soft gel and squeeze it? The salmon oil we used for the dogs was in a pump bottle. I was thinking that if the numbers checked out on it, I could squirt some in a small container and use a dropper?
My dad would buy canned sardines in tomatoes sauce , and it taste good , ketchup sound nasty to me too.
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Old May 13th, 2017, 03:41 PM
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I wonder why the flavor differs so much, Reg? The type of processing, maybe--like the difference between regular and extra virgin olive oil? I don't think I'll taste it, though. Much as I can wrap my mind around the idea that omega-3s are good for you, I just find the idea of fish oil to be a bit...unnerving! Yes, I'm a wuss!!

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My dad would buy canned sardines in tomatoes sauce , and it taste good , ketchup sound nasty to me too.
Hmmmm....any fish in anything tomato-based...it just doesn't sound too appetizing. But then, I've been known to enjoy the occasional peanut butter and dill pickle sandwich, so my gustatory perception is already suspect....or so I've been told!
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