5 Tricks to Reduce Cat Hairballs

| Published on August 6, 2014

Hairballs are awful. Your cat feels icky, they vomit, and then you have to clean it up. And, your cat can get really sick if the hairball causes a blockage. Here are 5 simple tricks to preventing hairballs.

#1 -Wet Food

Canned food aids in the passing of hair through the tract because it’s easy to digest, which means it passes through the body quickly, not allowing hair time to form a ball. Cats on a diet of just canned food will have less hair balls.

#2 – Brushing

Since hairballs are caused by your cat ingesting loose hair while self-grooming, you can help reduce the amount of hair by brushing him often. Make sure you brush all your cats not just the one prone to hairballs, since cats will groom each other as well.

Image source: @JonRoss via Flickr

#3 – Hairball Remedy

Laxatone is an over-the-counter food additive that helps prevent and remove hairballs by acting as a lubricant and laxative. Several brands make it and in many flavors, so you would be able to find one your cat will eat pretty easily.

 

Image source: DrsFosterandSmith

#4 – Canned Pumpkin

If you feed your cat on a raw or restricted diet, canned pumpkin can also help reduce hairball occurrences in the same way as wet food.

 

#5 – Bath

We all know most cats think this is a four-letter word, but it can help if your cat has a lot of thick, long hair that you are having trouble brushing out. Don’t give her too many baths, as it does affect their natural oils, but one bath at the beginning and one during shedding season could help.

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