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Carla Jones (Homer, Mi) on 12/04/2008
5 out of 5 stars

I love this site. I have a few cats, chickens, dog and many rabbits so any home remedies are helpful when dealing with an ailment. Due to the large number of pets any money saved with home remedies is a plus.

I raise rabbits and worry about hairballs since rabbits can't throw up the hairballs like cats I read on the internet somewhere that prunes, pumpkin pie filling and also 100% pure unsweetened pineapple juice can help break up the hair and allow it to be digested.

I have used both prunes and pineapple juice with no problems. Every so often I either give my rabbit a prune, pineapple juice mixed in the water or even some pumpkin pie filling and have been fortunate enough not to have hairball problems.

REPLY   2      

Replied By Nala Jean (Alexandria, Va (usa)) on 07/31/2011

How does pumpkin help with hairballs? After reading this last night, I picked some up (certified organic canned pumpkin) and my cat actually lapped it up this morning (I honestly didn't think she would go for it; I tried a teaspoon of the EVOO in her food and she didn't go for that). I'm desperate at this point, so I'm trying anything before going to the vet. She has hairballs daily even though I brush her 1-2 times/day and give her the hairball prevention dry food. She (Nala) is almost 14 and she is a domestic medium hair. I was starting to think that maybe with her age her system just isn't going to digest the hair like it used to. I sure hope this pumpkin trick works, otherwise I'll be having to clean orange carpet stains which I'm really not looking forward too. So, how does pumpkin do it (hopefully)?

Thanks!!

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Replied By Toots (Manassas, Va) on 09/10/2011

Hairballs have two routes out of the cat: barfed up, or pass on through their digestive system.

I think the pumpkin works because it provides roughage that helps the bowels move hairballs on through. The oils work because they provide a lubricant.

My old cat will be 20 soon and likes unscented salmon and anchovy oils (I get them from hare-today.com; pricey but lasts a long time); I also give her and the dog canned brisling (sardines) in EVOO, they split a little fishie on top of their food and LOVE it! Both are lubricants which help the blockages move on through.

I recently re-homed 2 lovely male ragdolls that are four-footed fur factories and VERY picky eaters who need help getting rid of their massive licked-off fur (yes, I do brush them but one has incredibly thick fur! ). I got one to eat a bit of the unscented oil over his dry food but not the other. I have lots of canned pumpkin on hand (do NOT use pumpkin pie filling! ) so will try that, thanks for the ideas!

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