Beaphar Malt Paste for Hair Balls

All kitties hawk up furballs every so often: it’s a natural, if icky, part of being a pudder tat. If you’ve ever watched a cat mid vom, though, you’ll know it looks like the most unbelievably traumatic and nasty experience. If they don’t manage to do it then and there you can hear them hacking and coughing for a day or so which further adds to the unpleasantness (and then you have the grimmest version of a treasure hunt ever, as you try to find where they’ve done it before it stains or dries fast onto whatever surface it’s on). In an attempt to put paid to piles of cat sick under the bed, I got some of this.

What does it do?

It softens the hair that cats ingest when grooming themselves and makes it more slippery so that instead of going up and out, it goes down and out. Granted, that may not be any more pleasant but it does mean that I know where it’ll end up and I don’t have to search under all the furniture to find it (well, usually).

Does it work?

It seems to. Ultimately, it does little that a dose of olive oil won’t do, but my kitties seem reluctant to eat their tea when I’ve added oil to it whereas they’re happy to eat this stuff from the tube. God alone knows why, though, as it looks and smells FOUL: like treacle with a hint of fish. I don’t give them this every day; just when I hear them start to do that characteristic wheezy hacking cough. The two shorthaired cats get an amount that’s roughly half the length of my thumb and Dudley gets a bit more as he’s longhaired. I usually give it to them just before they get their tea and within a couple of days the problem has, ahem, passed. The blurb on the back says it has various supplements to help your cat’s digestion and also milk and milk derivatives. Many cats are allergic to the lactose in milk and I assume this has been removed in the manufacturing process as none of mine have ever had upset tummies as a result of being given this.

Any Negatives?

There aren’t many downsides; the paste looks and smells unpleasant and has a tendency to become congealed around the top of the tube but other than that it works exactly as it should. I think I paid £7.99 for mine in Pets At Home which isn’t bad for something that will likely last quite a few months, depending on how many cats you have.

Should I buy some?

If you have cats with furballs, yes. If it’s just as a treat for yourself, no. Why not try a nice Kinder Egg instead?