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How to help a cat with hairballs
Cats swallow loose hair while grooming. Most of it passes through the gut, but some clumps in the stomach and comes back up as a hairball. An occasional hairball is normal, especially in long-haired cats. Frequent hairballs (more than once or twice a month) are not normal and often point to over-grooming, a gut problem or a skin problem.
What a hairball looks like
A hairball is usually a damp, sausage-shaped clump of fur, often brought up after a few retching or hacking sounds. It's usually long and thin rather than round, because it's shaped by the oesophagus on the way up.
How to reduce hairballs
Brush your cat regularly. This is the single most effective thing you can do. Every hair in the brush is a hair your cat doesn't swallow.
- Short-haired cats: 2 to 3 times a week
- Long-haired cats (Persian, Maine Coon, Ragdoll): daily, with a wide-toothed comb for tangles
- Brush more often during spring and autumn shedding
Try a hairball-control food. These contain extra fibre that helps hair move through the gut. Switch gradually over 7 to 10 days to avoid an upset stomach.
Increase water intake. Wet food, a water fountain and several water bowls around the home all help keep things moving.
Hairball gels or pastes. Lubricant gels (often malt-flavoured) can help hair pass. Use them as the label directs, a few times a week, and not as a substitute for brushing. Don't give them at the same time as medicines, as they can reduce absorption.
Keep your cat busy. Boredom and stress can lead to over-grooming. Daily play sessions, climbing spaces and window perches help.
Things not to do
- Don't give butter, cooking oil or mineral oil (liquid paraffin) by mouth. Oils can be inhaled into the lungs and cause pneumonia.
- Don't give human laxatives.
Is it really a hairball?
Hairballs are often blamed for other problems:
- Coughing with no hairball coming up, especially with the neck stretched out low to the ground, can be feline asthma. Film it on your phone and show your vet.
- Vomiting food or liquid regularly, with or without hair, can be a sign of food sensitivity, inflammatory bowel disease, kidney or thyroid disease, or other conditions.
See a vet straight away if your cat
- Retches repeatedly without bringing anything up
- Stops eating, or is constipated or not passing stools
- Has a swollen or painful tummy
- Is lethargic or hiding
These can be signs of a blockage, which is an emergency.
The short version
Brush often, add fibre and water, and keep an eye on how often it happens. More than once or twice a month is worth a vet check.