Unlocking the Secret to a Hairball Free Life Effective Control Treatments
My Cat is Getting Hairballs: Symptoms & Treatment
Hairballs are one of the less appealing parts of being a cat mom or dad. Not only are they a nuisance to clean up, but they can also be a sign of an underlying health problem in your feline friend.
In this blog post, well take a close look at cat hairballs from cat hairball symptoms to hairball treatment for cats and prevention. Well answer all your pressing questions, so you can get to the root cause of those pesky hairballs.
Cat Hairball Symptoms
How do you know your cat is getting hairballs? Theyll likely start showing some of the following cat hairball symptoms:
Coughing or hacking
If it seems like your cat is coughing or hacking up a lung, it could be a sign theyre trying to regurgitate a hairball. When you hear them making sounds like they're gagging, give them space and let them expel the hairball naturally.
Vomiting or retching
If your cat is vomiting or retching and you notice a tube-shaped mass of hair and saliva, it's likely your cat is bringing up a hairball.
Lack of appetite
A hairball may cause your cat to lose their appetite if they're in discomfort. Because they don't feel well, they may also refuse their favorite foods or treats and may appear lethargic or not interested in playing.
Constipation or diarrhea
Hairballs can cause a blockage in your cats digestive tract, making it difficult or even impossible for them to pass stool. This can cause cats to get diarrhea or become constipated and experience pain and discomfort.
Lethargy or depression
Having frequent hairballs can leave your cat lethargic or depressed. They may appear less interested in their surroundings and may sleep more than usual.
Causes of Hairballs in Cats
Hairballs in cats can be a nuisance for both you and your feline friend. However, knowing the causes can help you prevent them from occurring. Let's take a closer look at some of the most common factors that contribute to hairballs in cats:
- Grooming behavior: Cats are natural-born groomers. Unfortunately, all this licking can cause them to swallow a lot of hair, which is indigestible. When large amounts of fur accumulate in your cats stomachs, it forms hairballs.
- Ingestion of other hair or fur: In addition to grooming, cats can also swallow hair or fur from their environment. This happens when cats groom other animals or lick furry or fibrous objects in their surroundings.
- Lack of fiber or hydration: A diet lacking fiber can make it difficult for cats to pass hair through their digestive system. Similarly, dehydration can make it harder for cats to pass hair, as water helps move things through their system.
- Medical conditions or disorders: In some cases, hairballs can be a sign of an underlying medical condition or disorder. For example, cats with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) may be more prone to hairballs. Other conditions that can contribute to hairball formation include hyperthyroidism, diabetes, and liver disease.
Hairball Treatment for Cats
If you notice your cat grooming itself often or coughing up hairballs, take action. This will prevent hairballs from causing discomfort and more serious health issues. Fortunately, there are several effective treatments for hairballs in cats:
Make changes to their diet
If your cat is experiencing hairball issues, consider changing their food. There are plenty of "hairball control" cat food options that you can find wherever you normally buy your cat's food. Fiber supplements are another great choice to add some extra fiber into kitty's diet. Fiber works to move hair through the digestive system, decreasing the chances of hairball formation.
Make sure theyre drinking enough water
Encourage your kitty to drink more water by ensuring their bowl is always full of fresh, clean water. Adding wet food to her diet can also increase her hydration.
Hairball remedies for cats
Examples of hairball remedies for cats include petroleum jelly, vet-prescribed laxatives, and hairball control treats that work to lubricate the digestive tract. A lubricated digestive tract moves hair through much easier and faster.
Grooming and brushing
The best way to prevent hairballs in cats is to brush them regularly. This can reduce the amount of hair they ingest while grooming themselves by removing loose hair, which helps prevent hairballs from forming. Most kitties love being brushed, and it's also a fabulous way to bond with your fur baby.
Medical interventions
In severe cases, medical interventions, including pet surgery, may be the only way to remove hairballs from a cats digestive tract. The surgical procedure, known as a gastrotomy, involves making an incision in the belly to remove the hairball. It's important to note that this type of surgery is generally only recommended when other treatment options have been exhausted, and the hairball poses a significant risk to the cat's health.
BetterVet Can Help
While hairballs are a pretty run-of-the-mill issue in cats, its important to make sure youre doing what you can as a cat owner to protect your fur baby from getting hairballs. If your cat is getting hairballs and youre worried about changes in their behavior, eating, drinking, or sleeping habits, contact your vet.
At BetterVet, we understand the importance of maintaining your cats overall health and well-being. That's why we offer flexible, on-demand mobile veterinary care for cats and other pets.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I help my cat pass a hairball?
To help your cat pass a hairball, try putting a small amount of petroleum jelly on their paws for them to lick. You can also add a hairball gel to their daily diet. Both of these options can help lubricate the hairball and make it easier to pass through the digestive system.
How do you know if your cat has a hairball blockage?
If your cat is experiencing loss of appetite, lethargy, and frequent vomiting, it could be a sign of hairball blockage. Other symptoms may include constipation, diarrhea, and difficulty passing stool. If you suspect your cat has a hairball blockage, it's important to seek veterinary attention as soon as possible to prevent further complications.
How often should my cats throw up hairballs?
Cats should not produce more than one hairball per month. If you notice your cat throwing up hairballs more frequently, it may be a sign of an underlying issue such as excessive grooming or a digestive problem.
When should I start to worry about my cats hairballs?
If your cat produces occasional hairballs once a month and is otherwise healthy, there's no need to worry. However, if your cat experiences inappetence, lethargy, or withdrawal along with frequent vomiting or retching without producing a hairball, it's time to talk to your veterinarian.
Laxatives & Hairball Remedies for Cats & Kittens
|
The 5 Best Hairball Remedies For Cats
Note: Veterinary review of this article includes only the medical information in this article. The veterinarian reviewing this article does not personally endorse, recommend, or vouch for the efficacy or claims of any product mentioned in this article.
The best hairball remedies do more than help hair slide through your cats body. They treat the problem at its root by supporting overall digestive health.
Thats why we chose Cat Lax as the best hairball remedy on the market. This well known hairball gel contains a blend of ingredients that break up hairballs, prevent new ones from forming, and minimize shedding to keep hairballs at bay.
Before we learn more about Cat Lax and our other top five picks, lets talk about the types of hairball remedies and how they can help.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks for Best Hairball Remedies for Cats
Want a quick look at the products reviewed in this article? In the comparison table below, weve highlighted some of the most important features of each product. Youll find more detailed information about each product later in the article.
Overall Best
9.9
Picked by 31 people today!
- Contains a blend of lubricants
- Most cats like the gels flavor
- Affordable
Runner Up
9.8
Picked by 31 people today!
- Over 1,600 customer reviews, 4.5 star rating
- Cats seem to enjoy the tuna flavor
- Helps lubricate ingested hairs to prevent hairballs
BEST FOR BUDGET
9.6
Picked by 25 people today!
- Rich in omega-3 fatty acids
- Controls hairballs while supporting digestive health
- Most cats like the way the gel tastes
BEST HAIRBALL PREVENTION SUPPLEMENT
9.4
Picked by 21 people today!
- Most reviews are positive
- Made from a blend of well-regarded ingredients
- Appears to be safe for cats
BEST HAIRBALL CONTROL TREAT
9.3
Picked by 18 people today!
- Contains fiber to help move hair through the GI tract
- Features prebiotics and probiotics for digestive health
- Free of potentially-harmful ingredients
Types of Hairball Remedies for Cats
Hairballs form when hair gets stuck or slowed on its way through the digestive tract, allowing it to form into a clump. Once it forms into a clod, hair is unable to continue its journey to the litter box and instead it gets stuck or heads in the opposite direction.
Hairball treatments come in many different forms. You can buy hairball remedies in a tube, try homemade remedies, grow a pot of cat grass, or groom your cat to keep him from ingesting his hair at all.
Some cats with frequent hairballs may have an underlying problem like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that affects motility of their intestines, so diagnosing and treating this could solve their problems.
Heres a quick breakdown of the types of hairball remedies available and how they work.
Fiber
Fiber supplementation helps to bind single strands of hair to food particles, which carry the hairs on their journey towards the colon. By encouraging the hair to move quickly through the body, fiber-based hairball remedies reduce the hairs chances of fusing into a ball and coming back up.
Additionally, a small amount of dietary fiber can help keep the digestive system functioning smoothly, correcting hairball problems at their roots.
Fiber-Based Hairball Remedies
The following are sources of fiber that, when integrated into your cats diet, may help hair move smoothly through the body.
- Psyllium Husk Powder
- Ground Chia Seeds
- Guar Gum
- Powdered Cellulose
- Cat Grass
Lubrication
The second type of hairball remedies includes products that lubricate ingested hairs, preventing them from sticking together.
Petrolatum (Petroleum Jelly)
Petrolatum, also known as petroleum jelly, paraffin oil, or white petrolatum, is a highly refined derivative of petroleum. After its been fully refined, petroleum jelly appears to be safe for cats and people.
If you decide to give your cat petroleum jelly from your medicine cabinet, check the back of the package to ensure that youre giving your cat 100% plain petroleum jelly with no scents or other additives.
Hairball Gels
Most products marketed as hairball remedies are petroleum jelly-based. Others use vegetable oils or beeswax instead of petrolatum. They contain added flavors and sweeteners like malt syrup, fructose, and dextrose.
Butter and Oil
Butter and olive oil are frequently recommended for hairball control, but as digestible fats, theyre more likely to make your cat chubby than keep him from hacking up a furball.
Mineral oil had previously been recommended for hairballs, but it carries the risk of aspiration (going down into the lungs) since it doesnt trigger a cough reflex.
Other Hairball Remedies
Egg yolks have interesting properties for hairball control. They contain choline and lecithin, which work together to, respectively, encourage GI contractions and emulsify the fat that binds hairballs together.
You can provide the anti-hairball power of egg yolks by feeding your cat fresh egg yolks or by giving him an egg yolk lecithin supplement. A safe and effective dose for lecithin has not been established for cats, and most supplements formulated for people contain much more than is present in hairball products for cats.
Slippery elm bark contains soluble fiber, which may help to soothe and lubricate the digestive tract, reducing inflammation and helping the hairball move in the right direction
Dietary Changes
Though hairball-specific cat foods usually focus on fiber alone, this isnt always the right approach.
If your cat is already eating a diet with a little bit of fiber, the best dietary change is finding a food that reduces inflammation. Hairballs often indicate digestive problems and should be approached the same way youd approach any other symptom of gut inflammation, like diarrhea or vomiting.
Typically, this would mean giving your cat a high-protein food made primarily from meat and animal fat. You want as little plant matter as possible. A moisture-rich diet is ideal.
Read Our Article On The Best Cat Food For Hairball Control
Grooming
Finally, you can control hairballs by brushing your cat a couple of times a week. If your cat has a long, thick coat, you might also give him a full-body clip in the warmer months. Capturing loose hair before your cat licks it up is the most reliable means of stopping hairballs.
Read Our Guide To The Best Cat Grooming Brushes
Top 5 Best Hairball Remedies Reviewed
The following hairball remedies are popular, top-rated products that have a reputation for safety and effectiveness. Most are lubricating products, but youll also find a few that take a different approach to hairball control, addressing it as a component of digestive health.
Ultimately, you dont want to have your cat on lubricants and other hairball treatments for the rest of his life. You dont want him to have hairballs.
The above hairball remedies can help, but theyre not a complete solution to the hairball problem.
If your cat coughs up hairballs more than a few times a year, his frequent hacking is probably connected to digestive problems. In this case, he probably doesnt need to be swept out with fiber or lubricated with greasehe might need to go to the veterinarian. Extremely frequent hairballs may be a symptom of organ dysfunction, IBD, and other conditions.
If you determine that your cats hairballs are caused by a digestive issue, you may want to consider treating the hairballs the same way youd treat any chronic digestive problem.
Adjust your cats diet to reduce inflammatory ingredients and consider incorporating probiotics, prebiotics, and omega-3 fatty acids to promote digestive health
Also Read: Best Cat Food for IBD
