How Can I Help My Cat Get Rid of Hair Balls?

There are many benefits to owning a cat, from their love and affectionate hearts to their inherently playful nature. Unfortunately, one downside of owning a cat is cleaning up warm, slimy hairballs. Hairballs are caused by the ingestion of too much long hair during grooming. Most domestic cats will easily pass the hair in its feces. Unfortunately, the intense breeding of cats has left them with longer fur and more hairballs, according to Cats of Australia. Eliminating the cause of hairballs and helping the cat with its diet will cut down on the frequency of unwanted clean-ups.

Things You'll Need

  • Cat brush
  • Water
  • Fiber
  • Cat laxative
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Instructions

    • 1

      Brush your cat with a brush designed to remove any tangles from your cat's fur. According to Doctors Fosters and Smith, a double-sided brush that contains pin brushes on one side and soft bristles on the other will remove any snarls and excess dead fur from the cat's coat. Other alternatives include a grooming glove that is covered with small hook and loop-like catches. Long haired cats, such as Persians and Angora need to be brushed every other day, while short haired cats need to be brushed twice a week.

    • 2

      Provide the cat with a steady supply of fresh water. This will aid in the cat's digestion and make the hair slicker, which will allow it to flow more easily through its intestinal tract. Adding a small amount of olive oil to the water will also aid in the digestion of the hair and will not harm the cat.

    • 3

      Add more fiber to the cat's diet. Replace the cat's current food with a formula that contains more fiber, which is found by reading the ingredients in the food or provide it with cat grass. This grass, according to Doctors Foster and Smith, is a safe way to offer your cat a renewable source of fiber.

    • 4

      Give your cat a petroleum jelly-based laxative. These laxatives, such as Petromalt Hairball Remedy or Laxatone, are given directly to the cat or mixed in with its food. The petroleum jelly, mineral oil or malt syrup in these products allows the digested hair to move more quickly through the cat's intestinal tract. Smear a small amount of the laxative onto the cat's paw and allow it to lick it off if the cat is unwilling to eat it.