Just wondering if there is a certain age that cats start coughing up hairballs as I have yet to see either cat cough one up

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There's nothing quite like the glorious feeling of stepping out of your warm bed onto a cold, squishy, slimy hairball! Perhaps we should feel flattered that our beloved feline companion has left a piece of herself as a special gift for us, but frankly, most of us would rather bond with our cats another way!

There is nothing to worry about if you are yet to see one,some cats never produce them, some very frequent, I have cut a pasted an article on fur balls.

The article below is not my wording,just cut and pasted for you.

What causes furballs/hairballs in cats?

Nature gave cats lots of wonderful, soft fur. Normally, when kitty grooms and ingests the dead, loose hair, it passes through the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract and comes out in the stool. A carnivore's gut is designed to handle fur, its own as well as the fur attached to prey animals. (If you've ever been hiking and come across "scat" from fox, it's evident that it is mostly fur.) However, generations of directed breeding have created cats with much longer coats than ever conceived of by natural selection. And some cats, even shorthairs, just seem to have tender tummies. When too much hair collects in the stomach rather than passing out through the gut, it irritates the stomach lining and whoops — there's a hairball, on its way back out the wrong end of the cat! (By the way, the correct medical term for a hairball is "trichobezoar," pronounced trike-oh-bee-zohr — your vet will be impressed!).

Problem signs of furballs/Hairballs

While an occasional hairball is no cause for alarm, if your cat is vomiting up a hairball more than once or twice a month, it's time to think about a plan of action. This will probably start with a trip to your veterinarian for a thorough exam. It's important to make sure the problem is only hairballs and not something more serious. Problem signs include hearing the "Hairball Hack" — that awful coughing sound cats make when trying to expel an offending ball of fur — if no hairball is forthcoming; and any frequent vomiting. Coughing without expelling a hairball can signal feline asthma, and frequent or persistent vomiting of any kind should always be checked by your vet.

A Holistic view

From a holistic point of view, excessive trouble with hairballs indicates a basic systemic or energetic imbalance. A holistic veterinarian would consider the entire cat, including history, previous medical problems, diet, environment, social and family issues — even the cat's personality. Hairballs would be just one symptom, one that will be weighed in totality with all the other information. For instance, a cat that follows the sunbeam all over the house, and sleeps next to the heater vent would receive different treatment than a cat that sits next to an open window in the dead of winter, even if they both displayed the "symptom" of frequent hairballs.

Hope this helps and reassures you nothing to worry about

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For the full article that Tellingtails is quoting from, which also includes prevention etc, see Hairballs - Cats Coughing up Hairballs

Thanks for posting that. It has set my mind at rest. Especially where Dorrie is concerned as she grooms Hudson as well as herself so....

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You don't have to be mad to live here, but it helps!!

Has anyone tried the petroleum jelly (Vaseline) recommended in this article for getting rid of hair balls? If so, how much do they use?

Nope, not me. I think it is just a little - such as half a spoonful - a week. But could be all wrong. Cat grass not working or being munched?

Yes, cat grass is being eaten and she has brought up a bit a couple of days ago but it still seems as if she is trying to bring some up without success. She is still trying to eat the cat grass a few times a day. I bought some malt paste for hair balls yesterday so I don't know how quickly that will work.

I found RC hairball control and Purina hairball control works to help to prevent hairballs.

I have one semi long hair and two short hair cats all three have expelled hairballs.

If your cats don't cough up hairballs - don't knock it.

I have two young, mostly indoor cats. Johnny loves eating grass when he's outside on the harness, but my attempts at growing cat grass inside have proved to be as disastrous as growing anything else - they like to dig deep into plant pots, unearth whatever I'm growing, then play with it and drag it around the floor. There is some chewing involved but overall, this has not been productive!

So what else can I do that is as 'natural' as possible? Johnny has been coughing up the occassional hair ball for several months now, and Bettie coughed up her first one only yesterday (they are both longhaired and thirteen months old)

*bump* Any thoughts?