Need help.

Tigger who is about 8 years old has for the last month hacking like he's needs to bringup a fur ball. He is a compulsive licker. I have tried all the over the counter products, I even changed litter and take him into the bathroom to breath the steam from a hot shower.. He is fine except for this.. he eats well, plays and uses the litter box.. I am also growong the indoor grass, but that will take a lwhile.
My next step is the vets... help , I am out of work. Is there something else I can do??

Hair balls are hard to deal with, and they are gross too. My dog thinks they are a hot snack, she can hear our cat skeeving in any room in the house. I tried every remedy out there. In the end it was a lot of brushing, and our one cat likes you to vacuum her. I do this once a day and we also switched from the cheapo brands to Purina one, sensitive system; it seemed to make a big difference. It was our older cat that seemed to be doing it the most. One is 9 and very furry and the other five. I do not know if it was the change of dry food or the grooming. I just know that it has been better since we changed our program. The only one that lost out was the dog.