Hairballs galore... (Beaphar Malt Bits)

Member Name: sunmeilan

Product:	Beaphar Malt Bits
Date:	25/07/06 (759 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: My cats love them

Disadvantages: Not available in ordinary supermarkets

I have two beautiful long-haired cats that were adopted when they were two. I have never had long-haired cats before, always short-haired, and so never really had to worry about the problem of hairballs. Unfortunately, since I’ve had them, I’ve had to worry on a regular basis. Every so often, at least once or twice a month, my cats sick up their hairballs. One of them has the habit of being sick all over my bathroom mat, annoying because it wouldn’t matter if it was on any of the surrounding tiled area. The other has the delightful and unexplained habit of liking to throw up from on high onto the ground; cleaning up projectile cat vomit is not my idea of fun! So something to help keep hairballs at a minimum was vital and that is how I came across Beaphar Malt Bits.

What are hairballs?
Quite simply, they are plugs of cat fur that lodge in your cat’s stomach. This can be a serious problem, because not all cats are able to pass them one way or the other and can lead to an operation or even death. You will probably notice your cat trying to cough them up, which can give them quite a bit of discomfort.

What do they look like?
You’ll know one if you see one. They look like plugs of fur and are about caterpillar-sized. Usually, the hairball is accompanied by the remains of the last meal that the cat had. Not something I like to come home to after a long day at work.

The solution?
There are a number of products (usually in the form of cat biscuits) that claim to help with hairballs. I have tried most of them, with varying success. However, without a doubt, the product most likely to help with my cats is Beophar Malt Bits. I understand that they, along with other products, help to break down the hair so that it can pass through the cat naturally.

What are Beophar Malt Bits?
They are described as treats (rather than a replacement for cat biscuits) and are basically hairball paste with a crunchy covering. They contain malt extract, oils and fat, glycerol and meat and vegetable products, along with quite an impressive array of E-numbers – something I hadn’t actually noted before writing this review.

Packaging
The Malt Bits come in a small blue package with a zip-loc so that they can be closed and re-opened. Each pack contains about 25 biscuits, which to my mind is too few. I have two cats and at the recommended dosage of 5-10 per day, they don’t last long. A larger pack would be useful. Beaphar possibly do make larger packs, but I have certainly not come across them yet.

What my cats think
I only have to shake the packet and my cats come running. They really enjoy these biscuits and they never last for long.

What I think
Without a doubt, they do help to control the constant vomiting. Because they are a treat and they aren’t readily available in supermarkets, I don’t give them out every day and if I haven’t managed to get hold of any for a while, the vomiting starts again. It is also a delight to give my cats something that they enjoy so much.

The price
At about 99p for a packet, I think these biscuits are very good value, although I would prefer to be able to purchase a larger pack.

Availability
This is the catch. They are not available (or at least I have never found them) anywhere outside of specialist pet shops. I would much prefer them to be more widely available in stores such as Sainsbury’s and Tescos, where I do most of my household shopping. They are available online, which is how I’ve started to purchase them.

Conclusion
I would really find it difficult to live without these treats. I have tried other cat biscuits, which claim to help with hairballs, but either my cats won’t touch them, such as Iams, or they don’t seem to be as effective. I have heard of a number of other remedies, such as giving your cat butter (mine won’t go anywhere near it) or rubbing Vaseline on to their paws (again my cats hate it). Both remedies are supposed to aid the flow of the hairs through the cat’s intestines, but as I’m reluctant to force my cats to ingest them, I really don’t get any pleasure out of it. Seeing them come running for a treat makes me and them happy, and keeps my floor/furniture/rugs cleaner – a win win situation really. But PLEASE, Beaphar, start manufacturing larger packs and put them into regular supermarkets – I’m sure the extra business would be worth it.

There are other varieties of cat treats manufactured by Beaphar, although my cats are less keen – salmon-flavoured hairball treats and catnip-flavoured treats.

Summary: My cats love them and they do their job.