Hairball Treatment

Hairballs can cause discomfort and potentially serious gastrointestinal problems for your cat. The hairballs are caused by swallowed hair the cat ingests while grooming. Cat hair is not digested, and therefore tends to build up in the stomach. This causes stomach irritation until the cat vomits the hairball. Though a cat usually has the ability to expel hairballs by vomiting, hairballs can become impacted with undigested food. In the worst cases, impacted hairballs need to be surgically removed.

Cats can be treated for hairballs to prevent rare, dangerous complications. Treatment of hairballs can ease the cat’s stomach discomfort. Prevention of hairballs is the best approach. Combing the cat regularly can remove much of the loose cat hair that would otherwise cause hairballs. Brushing does not prevent hairballs nearly as well since it doesn’t remove all the loose hair.

Petroleum jelly is a common, simple home remedy for hairballs. Plain petroleum jelly or an over-the-counter hairball treatment containing petroleum jelly can be used. Over-the-counter hairball treatments that contain petroleum jelly are usually flavored so the cat will be more willing to digest it.

Petroleum jelly and flavored petroleum jelly products can be administered by applying a dab to the cat’s leg in an area that is easy for a cat to lick. Petroleum jelly acts as a lubricant to encourage the hairballs to pass through the digestive tract. Hairball treats can contain mineral oil instead of petroleum jelly, but they work the same way.

Adding fiber to a cat’s diet can help cats pass hairballs without stomach irritation and vomiting. Care should be taken not to add too much fiber to the diet. Too much fiber or too sudden of a change of the diet can cause more cat gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhea. Fiber binds to the hair in the cat’s stomach and moves it through the digestive tract. Food that is marketed as a hairball treatment formula often contains more fiber than other cat food.

Regular combing and gradually adding more fiber to the cat’s diet should solve most hairball problems. If the cat is vomiting hairballs more than twice a month or if vomiting occurs without hairballs, the cat should be taken for a veterinary exam. The cause for such cat vomiting needs to be determined by a veterinarian.