6 Purrfect Hairball Remedies to Make Your Cat (and You!) Happy

Do you feel like you've tried every remedy known to man to prevent your cat from having to go through uncomfortable hairball symptoms like coughing, gagging, hacking, and vomiting?  In my home and in many of my client's homes over the years I've had to clean up many hairballs and, believe me, it has never been pretty so I did some research to find simple remedies to combat this issue head on! Here's what I've found and I certainly hope they make you and your cat happy!

Canned Pumpkin

This orange vegetable can help hairballs pass all the way through your cat’s system. Mix in one to two tablespoons plain canned pumpkin to your cat’s food each day or a couple times a week. You can add it as is, but for cats with a sensitive stomach, warm up the pumpkin. The natural fiber in pumpkin keeps your cat regular and assists pushing swallowed hair out with bowl movements.

Olive Oil 

A teaspoon of olive oil every week or so should do the trick. Oil throughout the digestive system will help your cat eliminate hair in its stools and aid in digestion. This should cut down on stomach aches associated with hairballs. Other oils, such as mineral oil, corn oil or saffron oil can also help.

Butter

A teaspoon of butter will work like the oil. Melt it in the microwave and drizzle over your cat’s food once a week.

Cat Food 

As a precautionary measure or if hairballs are a persistent problem in your cat’s lives, feed a hairball formula food. Hairball formula food helps hairballs to pass out the other end while improving hair and skin health and reducing shedding.

Grooming 

Brush your cat daily to decrease the amount of hair that is ingested. To remove as much loose hair as possible, wipe her down with a damp cloth in the direction of hair growth after brushing. Assisting with grooming is especially important for long haired cats and older cats. 

Petroleum Jelly 

You can trick your cat into relieving his or her own problems by applying a bit of petroleum jelly to a paw. Your cat is sure to lick the jelly away, lubricating the digestive track. This will help make feces elimination more comfortable, thus removing hair in the cat’s digestive tract. Do this once a week or so.

Which of these remedies have you tried and what were the results? Are there any other remedies that I forgot to mention here that you'd like to add? Please leave a comment below!  Thank you!