Nutri-Vet Hairball Paw Gel, Cat Hairball Remedy, Kitten Supplies, Hair Ball Relief for Cats, Fur Ball Remedy, Soybean & Coconut Oil, Salmon Flavor, 3 oz

The Nutri-Vet Hairball Paw Gel has been amazing for all of our polydactyl cats—yes, all four of them! It’s easy to give, and it really helps reduce hairballs and keeps them comfortable. All our cats seem to enjoy it, and it’s made a noticeable difference in their grooming and digestion. Highly recommend for multi-cat households struggling with hairballs!

On 3/5/11, I left a one-star rating for this product (see review below), but now want to amend that. After sending an e-mail through their company website detailing my complaint [...], I not only received an e-mail from Chuck Francis, the President of the company, but also a phone call from Dr. Brown, the Sr. Vice President of Research/Development (who is a veterinarian). They were both very apologetic and appreciative that this problem had been brought to their attention. Mr. Francis stated that his top priority at that point was figuring out what had happened and correcting the problem. Dr. Brown called later and explained what had happened. Nutri-Vet had switched manufacturers. (The formula is developed by Nutri-Vet, but they outsource the manufacturing of this product.) This is the way I understand it: The new manufacturer, although following the formula provided by Nutri-Vet, must have been using ingredients supplied by different vendors, which would account for the change in consistency (and possibly flavor). They both assured me they are committed to resolving this issue and Dr. Brown stated that they are working with the new manufacturer to see that this product returns to the great consistency and flavor that it was originally. They promised to let me know as soon as this happens so that I can buy some more and make my cat, Leroy, happy once again. [...] Am now giving five stars based on the original salmon-flavored product, which Leroy went crazy over, and also based on this company's responsiveness and outstanding customer service. [...] Original 1-star review of 3/5: One of my cats (Leroy) was crazy about this product -- it was the only thing he liked as a "treat." Pet stores in my area quit carrying it, so I ordered three tubes through Amazon. They were great -- no problem. Leroy was happy. Then I ordered another three tubes through Amazon, and, even though the outside packaging was the same, the product itself was totally different. Different consistency -- took two hands to force it out of the tube! Leroy licked at it two or three times, then turned his nose up at it, so apparently different taste also. I then contacted the company through their website. They responded right away saying that it had been reformulated. The original formula had been salmon and they had switched to chicken flavor. However, they said that they had listened to their customers (all complaining) and had brought back the salmon flavor. With that, I went ahead and ordered another three tubes of salmon flavor through them (Nutri-Vet). Needless-to-say, Leroy was again disappointed. They neglected to tell me that it had still been reformulated so the consistency was very hard and it was almost impossible to get out of the tube. Once I got a little bit of it on my finger, Leroy again licked it once or twice and then gave up. I'm approximately $60 poorer and now trying to find something else that Leroy would like.

The gel works well and my cat loves the flavor, she eats it off my finger or a spoon. But, the consistency varies from tube to tube and purchase to purchase. Sometimes it comes out smoothly with the consistency of tooth paste. More often, it's so hard it's almost impossible to get out. I've had to throw away half-full tubes because I couldn't squeeze it hard enough to get the paste out.

We've been using this product for a few months now. I'm not exactly sure how the product is intended to prevent or eliminate hairballs. In our case, with a long hair cat, it has not accomplished this goal. I will say that I have noticed a change in my cat's coat since we started to use it. Her fur is softer and appears more healthy to me. The frequency of hairballs has been reduced only slightly. We had no trouble getting her eat the product, in fact she loved it in the beginning, and until the most recent batch would come back looking for more. However, we have experienced what I consider to be quality control issues. My last order of 10 tubes, had 8 that were bloated and under pressure. When I removed the seal from the tube, they would spray their contents all over myself and the surrounding area. I also felt the product had an unusually strong odor. That maybe because I wasn't use to wearing it. Six of these tubes were returned to Amazon and replacements provided. (Thank You) After finishing the two non bloated tubes from the prior order, I opened my first replacement tube this week. The product appears creamier than before and has a lighter color. And while I'm pleased report that I cannot detect any odor from the product at all, my cat has Zero interest in this latest batch. She literally sniffs it, turns up her nose and walks away. I tried a second replacement tube and found it to be the same. The lack of odor maybe to blame. I can't tell if the change in the product was intended or the result of a failure in quality control. I would love to get the manufacturer's input. Since my cat isn't interested in eating the current product, I'm going to have to return the replacement tubes and look for another solution. Sorry.

Working pretty well so far to prevent another catastrophic hairball obstruction with my dog, lol

Our cat had several episodes of throwing up hairballs. We subsequently tried the salmon flavored Nutra Vet hairball gel. It was effective and seemingly without side effects. Our cat likes the flavor and has been licking 1/4 of a teaspoon of it approximately 6 days per week. We have been giving it to Mallory once daily, unless her stool has been soft, in which case we skip a day. I recently investigated the toxicity of benzene, which can be formed when the ingredients of sodium benzoate and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are both included within a product. Both of these ingredients are in this brand of hairball gel. Benzoate acid is naturally found in some foods such as apples, tomatoes, plums, and cinnamon. Sodium benzoate is man-made and is commonly used as a preservative, as it inhibits the growth of potentially harmful bacteria. Sodium benzoate is also used in some cosmetics, medicines, and other products. Reportedly he United States allowable amount of benzene is 5 ppb (parts per billion), with a few US states and with some countries deeming only 1ppb to be safe. Exposure to heat increases potential for production of benzene in greater amounts within the product. We haven't yet decided whether to use the balance of our two tubes of this gel (and to discard the new tube that we just received), or discard them all and switch to another type that does not include both ascorbic acid and sodium benzoate. I am disappointed about not being comfortable with continued use of this product because our cat likes it and it has been effective for her. I would rate this product with 4 or possibly 5 stars, but due to the benzene concerns, reduced my rating to 3 stars. As any benzene within the product could be well below the amount deemed safe, and as this gel has been effective for our cat, it did not seem fair to rate the gel any lower than 3 stars. My opinion is that the makers of this Nutra-Vet Cat hairball gel product should re-formulate their ingredients so that benzene could no longer be generated. UPDATE 12/06/22: We had ceased, but reluctantly began using this product again because it's the only one that our cat likes which effectively reduces her hairballs. There has been a fairly recent formulary change as evidenced by the newer thickness of the product. We contacted Nutri-Vet to ask about the change and received a written response from them informing that the active ingredients remain unchanged, but that they had had to change the source of non-active ingredients, the result being a thicker product. They indicated that they are aware of this and are working on it. We tried microwaving it for a few seconds, but it remains thick. Mallory is able to lick it off of a flat surface (as opposed to a rounded plastic teaspoon -- which had worked with the prior formula). This product continues to include sodium benzoate as an ingredient, thus my rating remains at 3 stars, despite its effectiveness. 12/18/22 A representative from Nutra-Vet called us a few days ago in response to our prior contact-so they both wrote a response and subsequently called to discuss our concerns following our complaint regarding the new thickness of the product. The rep reiterated that they had undergone a content change in Nutri-Vet Hairball Gel due to ingredient sourcing difficulties. Impressive that they cared enough to both respond to our complaint in writing and then to follow up with a telephone call. Great customer service! 06/07/23 Update: We recently purchased the Salmon Nutri-vet paw gel from Amazon and from another source and note that the current items have returned to their original soft quality. Sodium benzoate is still an ingredient. No more harder stuff having to be put on my husband's finger to be licked by the cat. We have returned to squirting it into a 1/4 teaspoon and having Mallory lick it from the spoon. Yeah!!!

Used it for years and it never fails it’s duty.

It's more of a paste so it actually stays on her fur long enough for her to run away & flick her paw before licking it off.