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If your cat experiences repeated vomiting, it always warrants a visit to the veterinarian to investigate the cause. The clearest sign that your cat has hairballs is finding one on the floor. Before coughing up a hairball, cats usually hunch down on the floor and make a dramatic hacking, coughing or gagging sound. In this article, we look at six ways that you can help your cat pass a hairball when they poop, along with tips to help prevent hairballs in the future. Hairballs occur when the hair your cat ingests doesn’t get passed through the digestive system promptly.
When to See a Vet
However, improper amounts of fiber supplements (such as Metamucil powder) can cause painful gas distension and GI upset. Furthermore, canned pumpkin is unlikely to contain enough fiber to be helpful. If you’re looking to increase fiber in your cat’s diet, consider cat grass or a commercial diet specially formulated for hairball control (details below) after speaking with your veterinarian.
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It has been shown that cats prefer to eat little and often, as this mimics feeding habits in the natural environment. When cat hair has a chance to build up in the stomach, it will eventually become too big and need to be removed. If cats regularly pass hair in their poop, they won’t need to vomit big clumps of hair.
What Causes Cat Hairballs?
Your cat may also be more prone to hairballs if he or she is over-grooming, which can occur due to anxiety, pain, or itching. Hairballs can be a disgusting nuisance, but luckily they are relatively easy to treat. Most hairballs can be remedied with over-the-counter hairball treatments.
Feline Health Topics
Products purchased from this site will be fulfilled by Covetrus North America, LLC. If your cat eats dry food, their diet likely isn’t providing enough water to meet their hydration needs. As such, their digestive system may not be able to function as well as it should. If you use a laxative, please be sure to check with your veterinarian first. If your cat has any other health conditions, a laxative could be be the wrong thing to give them. Luxifa is a freelance writer with a passion for animal science and technology.
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Petroleum jelly hairball remedies like Laxatone may help to lubricate the hair so that it moves through the cat’s gastrointestinal tract more easily. Some cat owners prefer to use non-petroleum hairball remedies, which work similarly to petroleum-based products but are made with different kinds of lubricants. Consult your veterinarian before using these products since the addition of a non-soluble fat to a cat’s diet may affect absorption of certain vitamins. Some wet wipes or shampoos are also marketed to reduce shedding, thereby reducing hairball formation, yet many are ineffective. The use of hypoallergenic grooming wipes may at least help remove dead or loose hair before it’s swallowed, yet regularly brushing your cat is more effective. However, if your cat is vomiting up hairballs more frequently (several times a week or daily), a trip to the vet is highly advised since an underlying gastrointestinal disorder may be to blame.
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Hairball treats generally also contain a mild, edible lubricant that will help protect your cat’s digestive tract as the laxative moves the hair through. Similar to hairball prevention cat foods, special hairball prevention cat treats also contain added fiber and lubricating ingredients. Hairball prevention cat treats should be given according to the package directions, and like all treats, should make up no more than 10% of your cat’s total diet. Even if you see hair in your cat’s vomit, it may not be due to a hairball. On average, cats spend about 3.5 hours per day grooming, so there will often be some transient hair in their stomach. If your cat vomits and is acting ill (not eating, lethargic and/or also experiencing diarrhea) it might not be a simple hairball.
What Does a Cat Hairball Look Like?
Fortunately, most hairballs can pass without issue and can be more easily managed with certain remedies and commercial treatments. However, many home remedies can do more harm than good and are not advised. Every so often, your otherwise fastidious cat will do an alarming and somewhat disgusting thing.
Give Your Cat Hairball Control Treats
Cats that experience recurring hairballs require some lifestyle changes to reduce the incidence of hairballs or diagnostics to find the cause of the hairballs. The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.
Another great way to reduce hairballs is to feed meals and treats that promote gastrointestinal health. They contain higher quantities of fiber and help your cat pass hairballs. Regularly brushing your cat can help to reduce the amount of fur she ingests and hence, the incidence of hairballs. Long-haired cats that do not tolerate or benefit from brushing by their owners may benefit from regular clipping to reduce hair ingestion. Increased fiber can help speed up transit time through the GI tract, increasing the odds that swallowed hair makes its way out into the litter box in your cat’s stool rather than upchucked in vomit on your rug.
The formulas typically include things such as increased fiber, oil, minerals, and vitamins that can help the swallowed hair pass through the digestive system naturally. Hairballs in cats are more likely to appear in long-haired breeds, such as Persians and Maine Coons. Cats that shed a lot or who groom themselves compulsively are also more likely to have hairballs because they tend to swallow a lot of fur. You may have noticed that your cat didn’t have hairballs as a kitten, but developed them as they grew.
When the fur clump begins to irritate the lining of your cat’s stomach, vomiting is triggered to expel it. We hope that you’ve learned a few tips and tricks that you can start doing today to help your cat pass hairballs and be more comfortable. By following our suggestions for preventing hairballs, you can keep them from returning frequently. Remember to always monitor your cat for signs of changes in behavior. There could be a medical reason your cat is vomiting hairballs more frequently.
An avid traveler, she currently resides in Florida with her husband (also a veterinarian) and their two dogs and cat. As discussed, long-haired cats are predisposed to hairballs and are at least twice as likely as short-haired breeds to vomit a hairball due to the greater amount of hair they swallow during grooming. Most cat hairballs are tubular-shaped, however, some may look more like smaller, rounded or formless clumps of matted hair or even a few stray hairs in a bit of liquid. Hairballs look a bit wet and slimy or frothy due to the saliva or gastrointestinal contents that coat them.
Keep in mind that a cat’s fiber needs are much different from those of a human. You don’t want to add too much to their diet, or else your cat may experience some unpleasant side effects. Too much fiber in a cat's diet may block them from absorbing nutrients well. If you're already feeding your cat a hairball formula food, more fiber may be a bad idea. Jessica is a lifelong resident of Chicago who has shared her home with furry, feathered, and scaly pets for over 30 years. Animal enthusiast since childhood Jessica owned and operated a pet care company.
There are also petroleum-based remedies available that you can periodically feed your cat. However, while rare, hairballs can present dangers if the clump of fur in the cat’s stomach becomes too large to pass or gets lodged in their digestive tract. Feeding them smaller meals more frequently throughout the day can help the fur in their stomach be pushed into the intestines. If your cat experiences prolonged vomiting, gagging, or retching without producing a hairball, it’s a sign that your cat needs to be seen by a veterinarian. Lack of appetite, lethargy, constipation, and diarrhea are also common signs of intestinal blockage.
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