Home Remedies For Cat Hairball??

Okay so I follow-up to a blog I wrote a couple weeks ago about my cat Nala's trips to the vet: after an ultrasound, they think that she has a built up hairball in her stomach that has become too big to pass or throw up. Nice.

A hairball sounds like it wouldn't be too serious, right? Apparently not. It can be a pretty serious issue that needs freaking surgery if not taken care of. I'm shocked, as well. A little 5+ pound cat getting surgery to remove a hairball?? This doesn't even make sense.

Outside of an endoscopy and surgery being anywhere from $5,000+ total, I don't want to put her through multiple times of being put under and then recovering from a surgery, all for a hairball. Oh, and that $5,000 price tag. I'm not ready to even think about that.

While I determine if pet insurance will cover any of this, I'm looking for ways to help dissolve/ break down/ move the supposed hairball.

So far through a few thorough google searches, I've seen that small doses of butter, coconut or olive oil mixed with her food can help grease up the hair and break it down to help it pass. There are also some specialized foods and treats that are for that very purpose. Outside of those, anything else?!

This cat-mom is panicking over the thought of having to put my cat under anesthesia even once. Please DM, email, message me in any way if you've dealt with this!