Smooth passage (Katalax Hairball Treatment)

Member Name: laramax

Product:	Katalax Hairball Treatment
Date:	21/03/08 (484 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to administer

Disadvantages: Clever cats can flick the stuff off their paws

If you own a cat, and especially if you have one with long hair, the chances are sooner or later they will develop a hairball. I have three cats, all semi longhair, so we get quite a few over the course of the year. All cats groom themselves regularly and it is inevitable that some of the hair gets ingested and when that happens most cats will retch like they are going to be sick and then bring up a cylindrical plug of hair. It is a natural process even if the results are not appreciated when you find them on the carpet!

However problems can arise if the cat has difficulty in passing the hairball. Although I groom my cats regularly to minimise the problem sometimes, and especially when the seasons are changing, there are times when it becomes an issue.


Problem hairball

Around October of last year one of mine developed quite a serious problem. It all started when I came home from work one day and spotted that one of the cats had been trying to be sick. It didn't take me long to realise that it was Max who was struggling to bring something up as he was sitting there, bunched up and looking very sorry for himself indeed. I was concerned, I know that they sometimes bring up furrballs around the house but somehow this seemed different, Max has produced nothing more than a sort of clear foam and he clearly wasn't feeling at all well. I do know that cats can be very 'stoical' when ill so I was concerned about Max's demeanor and thought it was best to get him checked over by a vet. Unfortunately I was staying away from home at the time so I rang a vet local to where we were and arranged to take Max in to see him.

The vet gave me some fluids to try to get them into Max and gave him an antibiotic injection and an antiemetic to stop him being sick and suggested that he would like to see him the following morning (if he was no better) with a view to taking x-rays. The following day Max was not much better so I took him back and saw a different vet who took the view that the best course of action might be to wait and see how Max did before taking further action.

Later that night it became clear that Max could keep nothing down, he wasn't eating and although he tried to drink even the water was coming back about five minutes after he drank it. I was acutely aware of the seriousness of the situation and decided we needed to head for home and an appointment with our own regular vets so the following day I took the day ff work and we travelled home, I took Max to our favourite vet, Paul, at the Stowe Veterinary Group.

Paul quickly understood the situation (and Max had helpfully been sick in the carrier on the way over so that he could see how bad he was!). Max was admitted to their veterinary hospital and a blood test was taken to assess what was going on. The bloods showed nothing of real note and he was still unable to keep anything down so he was scheduled for x-ray and endoscopy to get the bottom of the problem.

It meant an anxious wait for me and a very difficult procedure for the vets to undertake. The endoscopy showed a blockage in the oesophagus which they painstakingly removed. It turned out to be a hairball, very dense and tightly packed which had become wedged in his throat. Three vets worked for a long time to remove it but finally it was removed and Max was brought round and allowed to recover. He was kept in overnight and the following morning before he was finally allowed home.

To say I was relieved to get him back was an understatement. He was pleased to be home but had lost weight and was shaved on his throat and his front leg where he had been put on a drip and had bloods taken. But he was home which was all that mattered and he was on a light diet of Hills i/d which he seemed quite happy to eat.

Three days after his op Max went back for a check up and was pronounced well enough to eat ordinary food again. The question on my mind was how had it happened and how we could stop it from happening again.

The vet said that what had happened was actually quite unusual and he had never seen anything quite like it so he believed it was likely to be a 'one off' incident. However I did think that it might be useful to keep a hairball remedy on hand so that from time to time I could ensure hairballs passed through their systems easily. The vet recommended I tried Katalax hairball remedy and used it at times when the cats were shedding their coats and occasionally if I felt they needed it.


Katalax Hairball remedy

Katalax comes in a tube which contains a dark brown paste containing petroleum jelly and malt extract. Some cats will lick it off your finger (if you are lucky) - if they won't take it that way then it is suggested that you smear the paste on to a paw or part of their fur and let them lick it off.

My three are vey adept at flicking it off their paws unless you really make sure you have spread it on the fur. The best way to do this is to warm the tube in your hand first which makes the product softer and easier to spread on the fur. They don't seem to mind the taste at all and they lick it off without much trouble - the good thing is it that it works. It is suggested you use about 25mm of the paste as a dose and, if I think they have a problem, I will give it a couple of times a day for two days which generally solves the problem.


Where can you buy it?

You can obviously get it from your vet but sometimes that it an expensive option. It is made by Novartis who have a good reputation in the marketplace. There are cheaper products on the market but they don't all work quite as well as Katalax. I buy my supplies online from one of the veterinary medicine suppliers and online it costs £6.99 for a 20g tube. Compared to the cost of Max's treatment at the vets (about £500) that is quite a bargain - I am just glad I had him insured!

Would I recommend it?

Indeed I would. I learnt first hand the problems of a hairball getting stuck so I now try to ensure that I always have some Katalax on hand for the times when the cats are losng a lot of coat or when they seem to be trying to bring up a hairball but can't quite manage it. Definitely a must for medicine cabinet in my view and less messy to administer than liquid paraffin.

Summary: A great way to help your cat get rid of hairballs