Two easy and inexpensive ways to prevent hairballs from forming:

See also our previous article where we recommend the Cat Hair Magnet, sold by PetSmart, to additionally help prevent hairballs from forming.

Hairballs - scientifically known as bezoars are the result of your cat’s grooming habits. Not only are they disgusting looking (or even more stepping into one in the middle of the night, barefoot!), they cause your animal quite some trouble and discomfort to cough them up. Sometimes these sounds are alarming! Hairballs pose a potential danger for the cat by blocking the passage of digested food through the digestive tract. Very often the hairballs also contain undigested food.

Hairballs are cause for constipation and/or hard stools. The cat will experience dry coughing, especially after meals. Hairballs can also lead to refusal of food and depression.

The best method to prevent hairballs is brushing, brushing, brushing. Many cats enjoy it, some don’t. Start early and keep brushing your cats; sooner or later even the most reluctant animals will at least endure the procedure.

Another remedy is to add some fat/slippery substances to the animal’s food. Cats do enjoy licking peanut butter and butter, but also a spoon of pumpkin or unflavored squash (fiber) from the baby-food isle helps. My cats love to eat cat grass and even both are reluctant to brushing, it seems to help move the hairballs through the digestive tract. Many manufacturers of cat food have hairball treats that also help break up the hairball and prevent clogging. In serious cases hairballs have to be removed surgically by a veterinarian. If in doubt, ask your veterinarian for a remedy!