My diabetic cat has hairballs. Is pumpkin safe to feed her daily?

It should be okay to give her a teaspoon of plain canned pumpkin twice a day. Just make sure it doesn't have any added flavoring or sugars. If that doesn't help, talk to your vet about trying Miralax.

1-2 tsp of pumpkin (not the pie filling) given once daily does not pose any toxicity concerns for cats. You are ok to continue giving this. Vitamin A toxicity has been documented as being caused mainly by the consumption of liver cod oils or raw liver. Pumpkin does not have a substantial amount of Vit A in it to cause any health concerns in cats, because it takes >300,000 ug retinol/kg diet to cause toxicity concerns. Here is a website link as well that discusses other foods your pet should avoid. https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/people-foods-pets-should-never-eat I hope this was helpful. Best wishes and take care.

Make sure she has plenty of water. You can add 1 teaspoon of pumpkin (NOT pie filling) per 10lbs body weight once or twice daily. Mix well into the food. Canned is preferred since it contains more moisture which will aid defecation. Too much pumpkin may cause diarrhea. It should not cause pain. If Mishka is painful, have her examined by your veterinarian.

Hi there and thanks for posting! You can also try regular plain canned pumpkin puree on to of her food. This can sometimes help with mild episodes of constipation. Making sure Baby gets enough water each day is important too. Cats tend to prefer drinking from a running water source. Sometimes cat fountains can be helpful at encouraging water consumption in cats. I hope this helps!

Yes, depending on the food. Most of the brands that claim to have efficacy against hairballs have some kind of formulation that has added fiber designed to help hairballs to pass. Some foods are more effective than others at this (stick to Science Diet, Royal Canin, or Purina for over-the-counter non-prescription diets). These are not usually prescription diets and are almost always ok to feed as a maintenance diet to normal, healthy cats.

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! You may want to try giving them 1-2 tablespoons of plain canned pumpkin (not the pie filling) in their food twice daily. This extra fiber boost can help with hairballs. You can also try the hairball formula from Science Diet which has a higher percentage of fiber in it than other cat foods do to help prevent hairballs. I hope this helps and thanks for posting!

Hello there and thank you for using Pet Coach! Pumpkin is a great additive as it does have several benefits. While I do not think it must be a staple in the diet, it is a healthy additive. Pumpkin can aid in controlling weight, digestive health and even has shown some urinary health benefits. Many of the higher quality foods will include pumpkin in their diets. If you are planning on feeding this to the cats, it should not be a problem. I would give 1/2 - 1 tsp daily for the average sized cat. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. I am also available via consultation if needed.