How To Get Rid of Hairballs in Cats

As any cat owner knows, cats occasionally eliminate hairballs. It’s certainly unpleasant for them, and cleaning them up is unpleasant for the owner, but can hairballs pose any serious danger? Let’s look into why hairballs are formed and, most importantly, how to get rid of hairballs in my cat.

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What Are Hairballs?

Hairballs are clumps of partially decomposed hair that cats vomit out periodically. How often this happens depends on the cat’s fur length, grooming habits, and digestive patterns. Cats use their tongues, which have small keratin spines on the surface called papillae, to groom themselves. These untangle the fur and remove the dirt between them.

However, cats also ingest fur while grooming. The fur mainly comprises keratin, which they can’t digest because they don’t have the enzymes required to break it down entirely. Since the hairs swallowed by the cat cannot be decomposed entirely, they will maintain their shape throughout the digestive tract. Cats eliminate most of the fur they swallow when they defecate, but they will vomit out hairballs if there is too much hair.

In most cases, cats can easily eliminate hairballs and do not require extra assistance. They become agitated before they vomit, fret, and might have to put in some effort. Still, they feel better immediately after they vomit. Here’s what our readers on Facebook had to say about getting rid of hairballs.

How Often Do Cats Eliminate Hairballs?

Cats can eliminate hairballs as often as once a week or once a couple of weeks. But for some cats, it can happen as rarely as a few times a year. If it does not happen, you have nothing to worry about. But if it happens more often than once a week, you should take your cat to see the vet.

When Are Hairballs Dangerous? Or When To See a Vet

While eliminating hairballs is a natural process in cats, sometimes things might not go well. So, in the vast majority of times, cats eliminate hairballs on their own. However, in some situations, they are unable to eliminate them. This is when hairballs can become dangerous and when it’s time for you to take the cat to see the vet. There are three types of situations you should watch out for.

1. The cat is struggling to vomit out the hairballs

In most cases, eliminating the hairballs takes a short time. Still, if the hairball is too large and won’t fit through the sphincter between the stomach and the esophagus or if the cat has any lesion or deformity of the upper digestive tract (esophagus, pharynx, mouth, tongue), it will struggle to vomit it out. When cats struggle to vomit, the contractions in the stomach continue for a long time, which puts immense strain on it.

This should be avoided because prolonged gastric contractions could cause gastric ruptures, which could be fatal. If you notice that your cat is struggling to vomit a hairball, you should take it to the vet. Call the vet’s office and try to talk to the doctor if that is not possible. If that is not possible either, give your cat a lubricant, which can ease the passage of the hairball.

You can use salmon oil, olive oil, or paraffin oil. You need 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Especially with salmon oil, cats might lick it right off your finger. But if the cat has been struggling to vomit for a while, it might not have an appetite and may not be interested in the salmon oil.

You can administer the oil using a medicine dropper or a plastic syringe (without the needle). Keep the cat’s head steady, and don’t lift it too high to ensure a natural position. Then, place the dropper on the side of the cat’s mouth and gently put it in. Then, simply squeeze it to get the oil in the cat’s mouth.

You can use a laxative paste instead of oil, which usually has an attractive smell for the cat. Keep in mind that butter is not a good lubricant for cats. Butter contains a tremendous amount of fat, which can be dangerous for cats, especially for those suffering from digestive or liver disease.

The lubricant should help the cat vomit out the hairball. However, if the cat still can’t get the hairball out even after you’ve administered lubricant, then you need to take your cat to the emergency room because it needs professional help.

2. Your hairball-prone cat is not defecating

If you notice that your cat has not defecated in the last 48 hours, you must take it to the vet. If your cat is prone to developing hairballs, the hair it has ingested may have formed a large lump in its intestine, leading to an obstruction. You will notice that the cat is lethargic and that not eating.

Please note that this is a medical emergency, and you shouldn’t wait to call the veterinarian. Obstructions are life-threatening conditions.

Tell or remind the vet about the cat’s predisposition to developing hairballs. The vet will palpate the cat to locate the obstruction and assess the level of inflammation in its intestines.

The doctor will then perform an ultrasound to learn more about the obstruction’s nature. In some cases, an X-ray might also be necessary. While some laxative treatment can be tried if the obstruction is situated closer to the rectum, most bowel obstruction cases are resolved surgically to avoid ruptures and peritonitis.

3. Your Cat Is Eliminating Hairballs Very Often 

The natural process of eliminating hairballs happens only so often. The specific periodicity depends on the length of the cats’ fur (naturally, long-haired cats like Ragdolls, Persians, or Maine Coons eliminate hairballs more often because they simply swallow a larger quantity of fur), on their temperament, the quality of their fur, and many other aspects.

It is normal for a cat to vomit out hairballs even as often as every week or every other week. The key is to learn what your cat’s periodicity is. Then, if you notice that your cat is eliminating hairballs more often than usual, you should be aware that something is happening with your cat

Try to examine the cat to see what its fur looks like. Think about its grooming schedule and whether or not you’ve made some changes. Have you missed the latest grooming sessions? Pet your cat to see if the fur pulls out easily.

Another thing you can examine on your own is your cat’s skin. Ensure you have access to a good light source and push the fur aside with your fingers to get a proper look at your cat’s skin. Look for redness, irritation, signs of scratching, dandruff, cuts, or anything else that’s unusual. If you notice anything, make a note and then call your doctor.

Another aspect to consider is whether your cat is going through a stressful time that might make it shed more than usual. Also, make sure to take the cat’s temperature. If it’s either too high or too low, it might be associated with excessive shedding as well as a systemic issue. If this happens, it’s time to see the vet.

With these aspects in mind, when you take your cat to the vet, tell the doctor what you’ve noticed because it might be beneficial information for the diagnostic process.

Hairball Prevention – Groom, Groom, Groom

The best way to get rid of hairballs is to prevent them from developing. The most efficient hairball prevention strategy is periodic grooming. If you groom your cat regularly, then when it grooms itself, it will not ingest a lot of hair.

Most of the hair that cats swallow when they groom themselves is dead hair that comes out as the papillae go through its fur. If you remove that dead hair yourself, there will be minimal left for it to swallow. This is particularly challenging for cats with long hair, requiring special grooming attention.

Caring for Hairball-Prone Cats

If your cat eliminates hairballs regularly, you can introduce some key ingredients into its diet to help it deal with them more easily.

Anti-Hairball Paste

These types of pastes are malt-based, and they stimulate digestion, which, in turn, prevents the formation of hairballs. Plenty of products are available on the market, but it is best to talk to your vet before giving them to your cat. If your cat has food allergies or other digestive issues, introducing malt paste into its diet might lead to episodes of diarrhea or other complications. Your vet can recommend the best malt paste type and explain how to use it.

Anti-Hairball Food

This type of cat food diet also stimulates digestion and prevents the formation of hairballs. It has malt in its composition, as well as Omega-3 fatty acids, which are excellent for the cat’s skin and coat, and plenty of fiber to promote digestion. If regular grooming is not enough as a preventative method, your vet will recommend this diet.

As for the paste, plenty of products are available on the market, and your vet will indicate the best one for your cat. If your cat is already on a diet to treat an illness (such as kidney or liver disease) or to keep an allergy at bay, changing its food may not be an option.

Oil

Oil is a natural lubricant, and it can be beneficial for cats prone to developing hairballs because it eases their passage through the digestive tract. You can give your cat salmon oil regularly, which will do wonders for its fur and lubricate the passage of hairballs. You can give your cat the oil orally using a medical dripper or put it on its food.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin is very rich in fiber. This is yet another natural remedy for healthy digestion and an excellent way to prevent the development of hairballs. You can add baked pumpkin to your cat’s food if it will have it. Mix it with wet food for better chances of your cat eating it. There are also some wet food recipes that you could try, including pumpkin.

Fish

Fish is a natural source of omega-3 fatty acids. Introducing fish into the cat’s diet will also help remove hairballs. You can try fish-based wet food cans, pouches, and regular tuna cans. Ensure the tuna cans are in water, or its own brine. Tuna in oil is not a good choice for cats because the oil in the can is too much for them, even after draining it out. Raw fish is also not a good choice, but you can boil or bake it without salt or condiments.

Dealing With Excessive Grooming

Cats are particular about their grooming patterns. They groom themselves at least once a day to keep their coats clean and neat. However, some cats groom themselves so much that it becomes a problem. These cats frequently develop hairballs because they swallow a lot of hair. In this case, the solution is to treat the cause of the excessive grooming.

The vet will assess the cat and determine if the cause is a dermatological issue, a metabolic imbalance, or something else. In many cases, though, the cause is stress or emotional trauma, such as a family member leaving the household or the passing of a companion animal in the house. As you can see, plenty of ways exist to eliminate hairballs in cats. Groom your cat regularly to ensure it does not ingest a large amount of hair when grooming itself. Make sure that its diet promotes digestion and that it is getting enough Omega-3 fatty acids.

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