Is Vaseline or mineral oil safe for my cat's hairballs and constipation?

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Because of the risk of getting the mineral oil in Ebony's lungs ( this is called aspiration pneumonia ), we generally do not recommend mineral oil be given by mouth. What I recommend is to slather some white bread with the petroleum jelly ( you can add a little peanut butter to make it a little tastier ) & feed this to Ebony a small piece at a time. This should do a good job stimulating her bowels. If she continues to have problems, please see your veterinarian. Take care.

Mineral oil is unlikely to cause aspiration pneumonia if it is swallowed normally by the pet. If it's vomited and inhaled then, yes, it certainly can cause serious illness, including potentially aspiration pneumonia, however at this point there isn't much that could be done by a veterinary professional unless she has vomited and is showing signs of pneumonia (coughing, breathing difficulties, lethargy, etc) which won't develop for at least 24 hours after vomiting and inhaling. Making her eliminate the mineral oil by inducing vomiting is not indicated, since this will (obviously) increase the chances of aspiration. To answer your question, "How will I know if she's OK?", you'll know she's OK if you don't see the symptoms described by Dr. Anstaett below. If you don't see any of these issues, you'll know everything is fine. And in the future, the recommended product (Laxatone) is a much safer way to encourage hairballs to pass.

I would recommend having Masha evaluated by her veterinarian. Long haired cats should only have 3-4 hairballs per year. Any more than that can actually indicate gastrointestinal disease. She will likely need bloodwork and possibly an abdominal ultrasound. If there is a problem such as inflammatory bowel disease for example, she can be managed with medications and perhaps a prescription diet. I hope this information helps you and Masha!

I don't recommend to do this. Olive could cause significant GI upset. Instead use a product like Laxatone. You may also switch your food to a hair ball formula. I recommend the formula by Royal Canin. daily brushing will also help. If Oliver continues to have problems, have him examined by the veterinarian.

Liquid paraffin (5mls every 12 hours) or specific products like katalax can be used to lubricate gastrointestinal system and avoid obstructions. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Unfortunately human laxatives are toxic to cats, so that is not a good idea. Depending on how constipated Martin is, sometimes your vet will have to do an enema to resolve the constipation. If the constipation is mild, you may be able to give a stool softener to help resolve the problem. There are some over the counter and some prescription medications for this. I am attaching a handout below that discusses constipation including medications that we use. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951509 Good luck! I hope that was helpful and answered your question. Thanks for using PetCoach.

The hairball oral treatment is about the best you can do at home. If he doesn't go after say 24-48 hrs and continues to vomit then he will require an enema to remove the hardened feces in his colon, poor guy. I would caution about using over the counter enema's, because if they contain phosphate they are extremely toxic to cats, so it is best to have you vet perform this if needed. For long term maintenance you may want to consider keeping Blazer on a fiber supplement and/or a hairball formula food.