How to Treat Hairballs in Cats: Grooming, Food and Medicine

Sep 15, 2010
Harriet Cooper

Long-Haired Cats Get Hairballs - Jorbasa

Many cats throw up hairballs. Grooming, hairball control cat food or medicine can help. If the problem persists, it could signal a serious medical problem.

Cats and feline hairballs seem to go together. Technically known as a trichobezoar, a feline hairball is exactly what its name implies – a ball of hair. As a cat grooms itself with its tongue, some of its loose, dead hair gets trapped on the cat's barbed tongue and is swallowed.

While most of the hair passes harmlessly through the cat's digestive system, some hairs may remain in the stomach. Over time, these hairs form a ball and become too large to pass through the valve that separates the stomach from the intestines.

When a feline hairball gets big enough to irritate the cat's stomach, the cat will get rid of it the only way it can: by vomiting. As the round hairball passes through the cat's narrow esophagus, it gets squeezed into a thinner, more tubular shape.

What Breeds are Most Likely to Get a Feline Hairball?

Not surprisingly, long-haired breeds are more likely to suffer from hairballs. Even if they swallow the same amount of hair as short-haired breeds, the longer length of the hairs mean hairballs will form faster. Persians, Main Coons, Ragdolls and Angoras are example of long-haired cats.

Older cats are also more likely to get hairballs than kittens. That's because kittens aren't as good at grooming themselves. As they get older, they become more efficient. The more hair they remove, the more likely they'll end up with a hairball at some point.

Excessive groomers or shedders also tend to have hairballs. In both cases, they tend to swallow a lot of fur, leading to problems.

Symptoms of a Feline Hairball, Symptoms of More Serious Medical Problems

For most cats, throwing up the occasional feline hairball isn't a big deal. It clears that hair from their stomachs and they feel better immediately. So, according to WebMD cat care specialists, don't be too disturbed if you hear the occasional "hacking, gagging, and retching."

However, sometimes the cat cannot get rid of the hairball. Instead, the hairball may be causing a blockage in either the esophagus or the intestines, a condition that is potentially life threatening. If the cat exhibits any of the following symptoms, WebMD suggests contacting your veterinarian.

Ongoing vomiting, gagging, retching or hacking without producing a hairball,
Lack of appetite and weight loss,
Lethargy,
Constipation, and
Diarrhea

Your first impulse may be to clean up the hairball without looking. Don't. In her book, "Cat Wrangling Made Easy," Dusty Rainbolt recommends taking a good look. If the mass is a matted, tube-shaped wad of hair, then treat it as a hairball. Though sometimes, according to the ASPCA, "a hairball can cause an upset stomach and the cat will bring up just food or mucus.

While the occasional hairball isn't worrisome, frequent vomiting of hairballs may be. Excessive hairballs could indicate an underlying gastrointestinal problem such as inflammatory bowel disease or even cancer.

If the vomit contains blood, if the cat vomits repeatedly or also has diarrhea, it may not be just a hairball. This could signal a more serious illness and require a trip to the veterinarian.

Grooming, Hairball Control Cat Food, and Laxatives for Feline Hairball Relief and Treatment

Since healthy cats will always groom themselves (lack of grooming is often a sign of a medical condition), you cannot prevent hairballs. However, you can reduce their likelihood and frequency and provide hairball relief and treatment if your cat does develop one.

Grooming

Grooming your cat, especially during spring and summer when cats shed more, means more hair on the brush and less in your cat's stomach. Long-haired cats should be groomed daily; short-haired cats weekly. Start the grooming process as young as possible to get your cat used to it. Turn it into playtime or a bonding time with your cat. Use a cat comb, brush or grooming gloves. For more information on cat grooming, check out the ASPCA's grooming tips.

Some cats simply don't like to be groomed. If your cat is one of those, and has problems with hairballs, consider taking the animal to a professional groomer. Long-haired cats may even need a hair cut, particularly if they're prone to matting.

Note: If your cat is a compulsive groomer, try to distract the cat with toys or playtime. Consider taking the cat to the vet as excessive grooming might also be a sign of allergies.

Hairball Control Cat Food

Switch to a specialized hairball control variety of cat food. Made with a higher percentage of fibre, these pet foods make your cat's coat healthier, minimize shedding, and help hairballs move through the digestive tract. Introduce hairball cat food slowly into your cat's diet so you don't upset its stomach even more.

Manufacturers such as Purina, Science Diet, Iams, Royal Canin, Eukanuba, Pro Plan and Authority all have hairball control cat food.

Hairball Medicine, Laxatives or Lubricants

Or, use a feline hairball product for hairball relief. These products, most of which are mild laxatives or lubricants, are designed to speed the passage of hairballs through the stomach and intestines. Hairball treatment products include Max Cat Hairball Management, Petromalt and Laxatone. You can also buy hairball remedies in hairball gel form or as treats.

Don't overdo these products. Rainbolt warns that because hairball medicine generally contains petroleum, "they hinder the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins." She suggests not giving hairball remedies to a cat an hour before or after eating to give cat's body time to absorb the vitamins.

If you've tried the hairball medicine several times and the cat is still gagging or if its stomach is swollen or hard, see your vet.

For more information on hairball control cat food, read, "Hairball Control Cat Food: What to Look for, What to Avoid. For more general information on cat care, check out "Cat Boarding – Finding and Using a Cattery or Boarding Kennel" and "What Plants Can Be Deadly for Cats?"

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