The 8 Finest Hairball Treatments for Cats of 2024

Hairballs are clumps of partially digested hair that happen when a cat grooms itself with their sandpaper-like tongue, making a clump of useless hair that’s expelled from their abdomen by coughing and vomiting. Some cats can dispose of those hairballs with ease, whereas others want a little bit of help. Sure mineral oils, petroleum jellies, and different merchandise can be utilized safely to expel hairballs.

“Once they can’t expel it, it may possibly change into actually harmful,” Cat Wellness and Conduct Skilled Jackson Galaxy instructed The Spruce Pets. “Lubing up your cat’s digestive system to assist move a hairball is the one predictable approach to assist.”

Our prime hairball treatment not solely assists your cat’s digestive system in easily passing hairballs, it additionally helps a wholesome coat and pores and skin with its vet-approved method of elements together with soybean oil, mild mineral oil, antioxidant and B-vitamin wealthy malt syrup, omega-3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids. 

It really works for each lengthy and short-haired breeds, and might be given to kittens as younger as 4 weeks previous. The gel is very palatable and comes with a alternative of three flavors (maple, tuna, or catnip). It’s additionally a cinch to manage by making use of 1 / 4 to a half teaspoon of gel to the highest of your cat’s paw to easily be licked off as they’re grooming themselves. You should utilize it safely every single day for the elimination of hairballs, after which go all the way down to administering as soon as weekly for upkeep and prevention. 

Protected for day by day use

Royal Canin’s Hairball Care method has prime elements of hydrating water, hen and pork by-products—which is what’s left after the meat that people eat is eliminated— like livers, kidneys and different organ meats, that are wealthy in protein, wholesome fat, nutritional vitamins and minerals. 

It’s additionally obtained a particular fiber and extremely digestible protein mix that helps transfer hairballs alongside easily out of the digestive tract. This method works for cats one yr of age and older. It can be paired with Royal Canin Hairball Care dry cat meals.

Gravy offers extra hydration

Purine One +Plus Hairball Method cat meals is excessive in fiber to assist your cat extra simply digest the fabric that will in any other case be coughed up in hairballs. The dry kibble method is affordably priced, available at most supermarkets, huge field shops, and main on-line retailers, and the meals has an interesting texture and taste that almost all cats appear to take pleasure in.

The meals is manufactured in the US, the primary ingredient is all the time actual hen, and along with digestive well being, the fiber-rich meals promotes a wholesome immune system and a shiny coat. In case your cat prefers moist meals, Purina One additionally gives a hydrating canned cat meals, Purina One Indoor + Hairball, made with ocean fish as the primary ingredient.

Manufactured in the US

At solely two energy per deal with, Temptations Indoor Care treats are good for any cat with hairball issues, even these watching their weight. They’re yummy and efficient, along with being very inexpensive and available. You’ll want to present 16 treats per 10 kilos of physique weight every day, or you possibly can serve these together with a predominant meal by following the dosage instructions on the packaging.

We advocate giving these treats together with a hairball preventative dry or moist meals that your cat enjoys (like one in all our prime picks!) for finest outcomes.  

Lower than two energy per deal with

Pet Honesty Cat Hairball Help Chews might be given day by day and even the pickiest cats we all know discover the flavour and mixture texture—crunchy on the surface, chewy on the within—arduous to withstand. The method is designed to reset your cat’s digestive system to focus on present hairballs and scale back future episodes.

The advisable dosage is one pellet per pound to assist enhance a cat’s hairball situation. Plus, the bite-sized chews are made in the US. Components embody apple pomace, citrus fiber, psyllium husk, and omega-3s, and exclude corn, soy, and wheat. The chews are conveniently packaged in resealable baggage with a 30-day provide for one cat inside.

Promotes wholesome pores and skin and coat

Cat Lax is very efficient at each the prevention and elimination of hairballs, and is quickly accepted by most cats. Its major elements of cod liver oil and vitamin E work collectively to nourish your cat’s coat and enhance their digestion general. To manage, simply squeeze an inch of gel out of the tube onto the again of your cat’s paw, and they need to lick it off instantly. 

It’s okay to present cats of common weight Cat Lax as soon as day by day, as much as two or thrice per week. The method is secure to present to kittens too, though you must modify the quantity in keeping with their measurement, or contact your veterinarian for steering earlier than administering. 

Straightforward to manage

These useful pouches of pumpkin puree are the perfect measurement for a deal with or for topping or mixing right into a meal in your cat. You possibly can select the plain pumpkin taste or go for a mix of coconut oil and flaxseed, or a 3rd alternative with ginger and turmeric— which surprisingly has the identical calming impact on cats’ bellies that it has on human digestion. It may be given to canines, too.

The enjoyable half is which you can freeze these flavorful purees into popsicles, bite-size frozen treats, or spoon some into favourite toys and freeze it in your kitty to take pleasure in licking on a heat day. Beneficial by holistic vets, these formulation are bursting with antioxidants and anti-inflammatories, consisting of soluble and insoluble fibers for optimum intestine well being. 

Freed from GMOs

We examined 23 completely different cat hair brushes with actual cats, and the Mars Coat King brush was our favourite. Whereas slicker brushes and different dematting instruments could also be more practical at eradicating hair, the boar bristles on the Mars Coat King brush are tender sufficient that your cat received’t keep away from the comb, making a brushing behavior simpler to take care of. Its birchwood deal with is snug and straightforward to wield, which makes upkeep brushing simpler on you too.

By brushing your cat a number of instances every week, you possibly can take away hair which may in any other case find yourself of their abdomen, stopping hairballs earlier than they type.

Straightforward to scrub

What to Search for in Hairball Treatments

Frequent Lively Components

Most hairball treatments are robust laxatives that assist a cat clear out their bowels. In accordance with Galaxy, “they’re all a mixture of petroleum jelly and numerous time, mineral oil and flavoring” and due to this fact all work in keeping with an analogous technique—encouraging clumped hair to move via your cat’s feces so your cat doesn’t need to cough it up. Some meals and treats assist mitigate hairball creation by additional easing digestion with omega fatty acids and different oils.

Serving Treatments to Your Cat

Getting your cat to take a laxative would possibly show tough, however there are a number of completely different strategies. Since most are created with a taste they take pleasure in, you possibly can put some in your finger and have them lick it off. One other standard technique is to use the paste on to your cat’s paw or nostril, which can encourage them to scrub off the substance with their tongue. You may as well attempt mixing it into their meals to attempt to trick them to ingest. You might also must attempt an possibility apart from a paste, resembling a treat-flavored capsule pocket to tantalize their style buds.

Why Belief The Spruce Pets?

This text was up to date by KJ Callihan, a author for The Spruce Pets who has additionally labored in animal shelters, helped socialize animals for adoption, and fostered animals of varied varieties. KJ is a bonafide cat girl who additionally loves canines, her family at the moment features a cat named Arlo who enjoys napping within the solar, stashing his toys underneath KJ’s favourite chair, and searching bugs on the patio in his spare time. KJ interviewed veterinarian Dr. Gail Wolfe for some extra experience on hairball treatments.

For hairball discount at residence, KJ depends on Temptations Indoor Care Hen Taste Comfortable and Crunchy treats every single day. She additionally brushes her cat, vacuums his favourite spots commonly, and ensure he’s consuming sufficient water. Cats can change into dehydrated simply, which can contribute to hairballs, so KJ’s veterinarian advisable day by day moist meals be added to Arlo’s food plan along with his dry meals—in addition to loads of water—to handle hairballs.

This roundup was initially written by Steven Asarch, a author and product skilled for The Spruce Pet. As a religious cat dad of two, Steven has skilled expertise determining which merchandise are excellent for them. To get one of the best understanding of efficient hairball treatments, Steven spoke to Jackson Galaxy, a cat skilled who hosted the Animal Planet present My Cat From Hell for 11 seasons.