I have searched briefly, and found this thread on sensitive stomachs, but nothing specifically on hairballs.

I just brought my cat over from the US in the beginning of April. Ever since, he has been throwing up like it is his job. We are talking once or twice daily. And it is always hairball-related. We have tried changing his food, adding (various) oils so that he sheds less and/or to make the hair go through his system easier, but nothing seems to work. In the US, he would throw up a hairball maybe once every two weeks (because he is long-haired and obsessive about cleaning himself), which I think is normal. But everyday? And lots of times twice a day? Not so much.

I saw the suggestion of malt paste, but what is that exactly? And does it actually work? And where would I find it here?

Any other suggestions of known remedies would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Can it be that he's just having a long time getting acclimated to the environment (different air/water)?

I have definitely taken that into consideration...and it is definitely possible. But it has been six weeks, on the same food/water, and the hairball situation is possibly getting worse rather than better. I also give him the hairball treats and he loves them but it doesn't help the situation.

I have also had a cat die from an intestinal blockage, so I know what that looks like and this is not it (so please, lets not go there)...

I am looking for suggestions to keep him from throwing up everyday. Occasionally, it is more than normal, but everyday, in my opinion, it is not.

How is his shedding in general? Is he shedding more (often happens with "stress" or excitement) and so maybe has excessive fur to swallow and therefore hack back up?

Perhaps instead of trying from the internal side of things, try from outside - maybe try giving more frequent brushing or possibly even shaving him, to see if that helps.

Whiskas make these treats for cats called 'anti-hairballs', you can find them in the large coops. We give them to our cat from time to time and he never has a hairball problems.

Yeah, I give him those already too... It doesn't help, unfortunately.

We are trying butter right now, so we will see if it works any better than oil. And we are buying a different brush to try and remove a lot of the hair as Peg A suggested (I could never shave him though--he is way too beautiful).

when i worked at a vet a while ago the vet told me to take a dollop of vaseline and push it down into the back of their mouth, that it is the same as the hairball remedies. good luck!

I'd go with a two-pronged approach.

First, help kitty with his fur. Get a furminator and help to thin out the undercoat so he ingests less fur. You'll probably have to order one from the UK, I never did find one when I was living in Switzerland. (They're inexpensive enough you shouldn't be hit with customs costs)

Then get some malt paste. I use Gimpet Malt-Soft-Extra, which seems to keep my hairball-prone girl from developing too many hairballs. (info in English). It helps to break up the hairballs in their gut so they can digest it.

Good luck!