Our 9 year old ragdoll cat (with heart condition) has just got home from his second hairball obstruction in 7 months. Somehow he dodged a bullet and avoided surgery both times, but the emergency vet is recommending a Lion cut going forward.  I hate to cut his beautiful fur but at this point I don't think we have any other options.  I have never had a cat shaved so would love advise.  Jump to "Today" to skip background on what's lead up to this.

\*\*Background\*\*: Gideon has a heart condition (diagnosed at 1).  He had his **first hairball obstruction** in December.  The vet suggested trying IV fluids to see if he could pass the obstruction on his own first before resorting to surgery, as anesthesia/surgery is risky for cats with a heart condition.  We were concerned about the fluids as we found out he had the heart condition as a result of him receiving IV fluids and his heart getting overloaded.  The vet stated they would give him a lower dose of fluids over a shorter period and he would be monitored by his cardiologist.  We got lucky and he passed the obstruction but unfortunately he went into heart failure and spent a week in the hospital.  We almost lost him.  

He recovered and we have been brushing him and giving him Laxatone.  He doesn't shed as much as our other ragdoll and his fur never knots (his fur feels like soft rabbits fur).  He is however a fastidious groomer (not in a concerning, obsessive way) who definitely loves to keep himself looking perfect.  He is on a urinary prescription wet food (not hairball food) and doesn't deal with constipation.  

Now 7 months later he just had his **second hairball obstruction**. This time the ER suggested giving him 24 hours to see if he could pass it on his own without fluids.  We got lucky again and he passed the hairball but his blood pressure dropped so we ultimately did have to give him a small amount of fluids.  Thankfully this time the fluids didn’t impact his heart.

\*\*Today\*\*:  at this point the vet is recommending a Lion haircut going forward.  I hate to cut his beautiful fur (like really struggling with it), however even if we could up our hairball treatment game more I understand this is just too big of a risk going forward (for any cat but particularly one with a heart condition).  I don't know how many times we can dodge this bullet, and I know if something were to happen again I would regret not doing something like this sooner.     

For those who have cats with Lion cuts (particularly for hairballs) anything I should know?   Any concerns with cats still grooming or overgrooming once shaved?  Anytime he has had to be shaved (heart imaging, IV line) he licks that shaved area....not sure if it is because it is sore or it's irritating??  There will also still be fur on his feet and tip of tail (I did read that is necessary to stop them from biting their tail)....any concerns he will focus grooming on these body parts and still have hairballs? Do you still give your cats hairball treatments like Laxatone?  From what I read online a lion cut is short (1/16") and a ragdoll will generally need a trim every 10-12 weeks.  At what length should I aim to have him trimmed again to avoid hairballs (e.g., 1/4", 1/2")?  Do you keep the length slightly longer in winter?  Thanks!

Advise - Lion cut after 2 hairball obstructions