How to Prevent Hairballs in Cats

You want to know something that is really unsightly?

It’s the hairball of a cat.

More specifically, it’s the hairballs of my cat Gary.

I don’t know how many hairballs I’ve seen him cough up.

If I had a dollar for every hairball I witnessed come out of Gary’s mouth, I’d probably be a millionaire by now.

But the point is that I’ve seen him cough up many hairballs even though I much rather he didn’t. 

I don’t know about you, but I don’t like picking up cat hairballs.

I’d probably rather drink bleach than pick up a hairball with my bare hands. 

Just kidding!

But seriously though, this was a serious problem with Gary. According to WebMD, hairballs “can cause intestinal blockages, which can be a serious health problem for your cat.”

I had to figure out why he was doing it and how to prevent it in the future. 

And that’s what I want to get into today.

So without further ado, let’s get into how to prevent hairballs in cats.

Read on below! 

5 Steps to Preventing Your Cat from Getting Hairballs

1. Hairball recipe helps food digestion.
   Use cat food that helps control hairball formation. By doing this, you are greatly reducing the likelihood that your cat will produce hairballs. Purina offers a cat food formula specifically to help prevent your cat from getting hairballs.
2. Regular brushing helps remove excess fur.
   Cats like to lick themselves. By licking themselves, their bound to get fur in their mouth, which can accumulate into hairballs. Brush your cat regularly to prevent excess fur. This metal comb is a great option to keep your cat well-groomed.
3. Plenty of playtime prevents boredom and excessive grooming.
   Keep your cat engaged by playing with it as much as possible. Keeping your cat engaged through playtime means that it will have less time to pick up any unnecessary or unwanted grooming habits. These are my top ten favorite cat toys.
4. Introduce wet food to help keep your cat hydrated.
   Keeping your cat hydrated with wet food will help keep it from producing hairballs. Though a little on the pricier end, Hill’s Science makes wet cat food specially formulated to prevent hairballs.
5. Occasionally feed a small amount of butter or petroleum jelly on paw.
   This is an occasional treat to help your cat keep its mind off of grooming itself. Use it to your advantage.

Key Things to Remember About Cat Hairballs

1. Preventing hairballs is your responsibility!
   You need to take every step possible to make sure your cat doesn’t produce hairballs again in the future.
2. Make sure your cat has everything it needs.
   Being prepared is half the battle and by making sure your cat has everything it needs, you can be sure that you will be able to prevent hairballs in the future. 

Video: Prevent Hairballs in Cats

If you’re still completely lost on how to prevent hairballs in cats, don’t worry! I got you covered. Just watch on the video link below and you should be good to go!

Final Thoughts On Preventing Hairballs In Cats

Finding hairballs can be and is an unpleasant experience. I hated it as a cat owner, but it is entirely fixable. You just need to be more forward-thinking as an owner and think of how to prevent it in the future.

It is your responsibility to prevent hairballs as a cat owner. The sooner you prevent hairballs, the better off you and your cat will be in the long run.