This story just proves what I've always known. Abby (& probably most cats) are cleverer than the cleverest vet who ever qualified. I took Abby to the vet for a nail clip on Friday morning. Thank goodness it's only a five minute trip because she is not happy to be popped into her cat carrier & strapped into the back seat of the car. I mentioned that she has a habit of coughing but not bringing up what I assume is a hairball. Sometimes she does bring it up - on the only piece of carpet in the house - but I thought I should ask if there's anything I could do. The vet recommended paraffin oil mixed in with her food once a week. This would encourage the hairball to be passed through her system without needing to be thrown up. The paraffin is tasteless & has no smell, she'll never know it's there said the vet. So, I bought the paraffin, chose her favourite tuna & rice meal, mixed it in carefully - & she sniffed at it, turned her nose up & refused to eat. This is not Abby's usual reaction to dinner. It was a stormy afternoon though & she doesn't like thunder so I thought she may have been upset by the storm & would eat later. No. Eventually, I gave up & opened a tin of beef & liver & you can see the result above. Thunder wasn't the problem. She could smell the odourless paraffin. I will persevere. Next time, I'll try mixing it with a really fishy meal which will hopefully disguise the smell. Keep your fingers crossed for me.
They always know, don't they? Fishy food might be a good bet. We have disguised tablets in our cats' fish food successfully in the past. Best of luck!
ReplyDeleteOoh, my other half has just reminded me that years ago, our cat at the time had a hairball problem, and we were recommended some stuff a bit like Marrmite (Vegemite-type stuff)that you smeared on the cat's paws and around the mouth - of course, she licked it off, and digested it, and it did the trick.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rob. I think I'll persevere with the paraffin in smellier food though. She has some very odouriferous fishy meals that may disguise the smell. I'll keep the vegemite stuff in mind though as a backup. Luckily tablets have never been a problem when she's needed them. She ate them crushed up in her food without any problem. I just chose food with some gravy or sauce to mash the tablet in.
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