Cat hairballs — what's normal and what isn't

A hairball is what it sounds like. A wad of swallowed fur held together with stomach mucus, brought back up because it didn't move through to the gut. Vets call it a trichobezoar. One or two a month from a healthy cat is nothing to fuss over.

Why cats get them

Cat tongues have tiny backward barbs that pull loose fur into the mouth during grooming. Most of that fur travels through the gut and ends up in the litter box. The rest sits in the stomach until the cat hacks it up.

You'll see more hairballs from:

• Long-haired breeds. Maine Coons, Persians, ragdolls.
• Cats mid-shed in spring and autumn.
• Older cats, who groom more and digest slower.
• Cats with fleas or itchy skin, since they over-lick.

My Persian went through a stretch of three hairballs a week one October. Turned out I'd been slacking on brushing because she hated the slicker. Switched to a grooming glove and the problem disappeared inside two weeks.

Prevention that actually works

Brushing is the single biggest lever. Less fur on the cat means less fur in the stomach.

• Short-haired cats: five minutes, two or three times a week.
• Long-haired cats: ten minutes daily during shedding seasons, every other day otherwise.

I use a slicker for the topcoat and a fine metal comb for the undercoat. If your cat hates brushes, start with a grooming glove. Most cats accept the glove and you can graduate to a brush later.

Diet and fibre

A bit of dietary fibre pushes ingested fur through to the stool instead of letting it pile up.

• A hairball-formula dry food. Higher fibre, works for most cats. Not a fix on its own if you're skipping the brush.
• A teaspoon of plain pumpkin (not pie filling) stirred into wet food, two or three times a week.
• A hairball gel like Laxatone or Petromalt, once or twice a week. The malt-flavoured ones go down easy.

Skip the homemade oil remedies. Mineral oil can get aspirated and cause pneumonia.

Water matters too. A hydrated cat passes fur more easily. If yours barely drinks, check cat water intake for ways to lift it.

When a hairball isn't a hairball

The retching motion that produces a hairball looks identical to the retching that produces other things. If you see the motion but nothing comes up, or what comes up isn't recognisable as fur, you're looking at vomiting. See the vomiting guide.

A stuck hairball is rare but serious. Signs:

• Unproductive retching that goes on for more than a day.
• Refusing food for 24 hours.
• A swollen, hard belly.
• Constipation alongside the retching.
• Lethargy.

Any of those, call the vet. Surgery for an obstruction is routine, but the cat needs to get in quickly.

When the cause is over-grooming

A cat suddenly producing a lot of hairballs may be grooming more than usual. Usual culprits:

• Fleas or itchy skin. Check the base of the tail and the belly for flea dirt. A monthly preventative handles it.
• Stress. A new pet, a move, a renovation. Stressed cats lick themselves bald in spots.
• Pain. Cats lick at sore joints or a sore belly.

If brushing and diet tweaks don't drop the frequency inside a few weeks, book a check-up. Hairballs are easy to wave off, but they're often the first sign something else is going on.