Is Anti-Hairball Cat Food More Fattening?

Of course you love Tabby, but you may have to remind yourself of that if you step on one of her cold, wet hairballs before you've had your morning coffee. Ingesting fur is a natural by-product of a cat's grooming process. Anti-hairball cat food is one way to address this messy issue.

  1. Birth of a Hairball

    • Cats like to keep it clean, and sometimes, when Tabby cleans up after herself, you end up cleaning up after her. When she grooms herself, her tongue's rough surface picks up bits of loose and dead hair, which she swallows. Most of these stray hairs pass through her digestive tract without issue, but sometimes, some of them hang around in her belly. Eventually, they collect into a mass called a trichobezoar, or a hairball. Hairballs that don't pass can grow large enough to block food, irritating her digestive tract and causing diarrhea, constipation or loss of appetite. If Tabby coughs up one of these prizes, it'll have a tube-shaped form from passing through her narrow esophagus.

    Hairball Food

    • There's a variety of hairball control cat food on the market if Tabby has problems with hairballs. Anti-hairball cat food uses a high fiber content to help control hairballs, and contain from two to 10 times the amount of fiber a regular diet contains. The premise behind anti-hairball food is more fiber will help the hairball pass through Tabby's digestive tract to her litter box. If you're worried about her fat content in these foods, you can relax because these diets typically are lower in fat than other dry cat food.

    Too Much Fiber

    • If you try a hairball control cat food, you may see some changes in Tabby's litter box. Depending on how much fiber her regular diet has, the switch may be irritating to her digestive tract. Additional fiber can cause more, and larger, poop, which may -- or may not -- be preferable to the random hairball on the rug. Fiber will help hairballs move through the intestines, but not necessarily in the stomach, which is where they get stuck. Finally, too much fiber holds water in Tabby's gastrointestinal tract, leading to more concentrated urine. If Tabby isn't drinking more on a high fiber diet, an increased urine concentration increases her risk for urinary tract disease.

    Controlling Hairballs

    • If you're worried about Tabby packing on extra weight with a new food, there are other options than anti-hairball food. Commercial remedies specifically for hairballs, which act as intestinal lubricants, pave the way for Tabby's hairball. Some have pleasing flavors, such as tuna, making them a fun treat instead of medicine. Other cats will lick a small dab of petroleum jelly from your finger quite happily. You can give her an occasional boost of fiber by adding a teaspoon of plain, canned pumpkin or psyllium to her food once or twice a week. If Tabby's like most cats, she'll probably most appreciate a good combing from you. Combing her regularly will reduce the amount of hair Tabby ingests and minimize hairballs. It's also good one-on-one time with your special friend, and it's nonfat.