Best hairball remedy cats?

I like Laxatone. Cat Lax is fine, too.

Vaseline. It works.

Hi There!
I have 3 Maine Coon cats–one is 20 years old and the other two are one year old brothers. All of them are huge (over 20 pounds) and have ALOT of long, thick fur. It’s best to try to prevent them from coming (this is by doing step 1, 2, & 5 below). If they already have a hairball and you have heard them trying to throw up or are struggling, then you can’t “prevent” them, you have to “treat” them…The best thing I have found fro treating hairballs is step 3 or 4 below.
Here are the steps and products that have worked best for me:
1) Brush them every other day (minimum) with the shedding comb. This is a metal toothed comb and is avail at the pet store. The teeth are about 5 mm apart (Don’t use the one where they are too close–it’s for flea removal–). The comb is better than brushes, I have found. They run about $5 to $9–the $5 one is just fine!
2) Make sure there is water available always & I even add about 2 tablespoons of water to their canned food every feeding & mash the food into it to make it thinner–this keeps them hydrated and, if they do have a hairball in their system, it helps them to be able to pass it.
3) LAXATONE–malt flavor is the only one my cats will take…they like it,think it’s a treat, and will take 1 teaspoon right off of my finger. There is a less expensive one at Pet Smart or Pet Supplies Plus…my cats take it just as well (Malt Flavor–original). You don’t need to get the “expensive one.” One is $7 tube and the cheaper one is around $3.50 per tube…. Also,many people have trouble getting their cats to take it and give up…and then the hairballs come back….But if you go to them before they eat and they are away from their food area, they are interested and kind of see it as a “treat”–plus they have an empty tummy & will be more willing to take it. If they are hesitant, gently bump your finger into their little nose/mouth area and they will lick it off—usually this gets them to take the rest as they realize that they like it. Mine will not touch the “fish/tuna flavor” only the “Malt.”
4) Last thing (for my older cat) is using a product called NutriCal by Tomlin ($9.79/tube)–this is just like the Laxatone or the generic grand, but it is more for when a cat needs extra nutrition/calories (like iwhen won’t eat or sick or, like my cat, getting older and not as interested in eating)—if you give the Nutrical,it has the cod liver oil, too—so don’t give the Laxatone, on top of that (and vice versa). Cod liver oil is what keeps the bowel tract lubricated so that they can pass the haiball (without pain/trouble) in their bowel and not throw it up.
I’m so sorry for the very long answer, but it is kind of a mixture of these 3 or 4 things which gives me the best success with my three cats—by far, the combing is the most important if you can only do one. However, nomatter how diligent you are, you can’t completely get rid of them–every once in a while it will still happen, but MUCH less if you do these things as a routine!
Good luck to you and your kitties! LIZ
PS—Sorry….There is a #5)- There are also a couple of new dry foods that claim to make a difference with hairballs–some are more expensive than others and usually will say something like “Hairball Remedy”–I think they have the cod liver oil in the kernels of food—it really is the cod liver oil that is also in the Laxatone that makes them pass easily. But, to prevent the hairballs, you need to brush them every other day–or everyday if you have time! Hope this all helped!