Most cat owners have stepped on one at some point: a damp, cigar-shaped lump on the floor, usually discovered barefoot at 6 AM. Many people think of hairballs as part of life with a cat. An occasional one really is nothing, but when they keep getting more frequent, something else is often behind it.
Why cats throw up hairballs
A hairball is swallowed hair that has clumped together with stomach fluid and bile. Despite the name, it usually comes up as a thin cigar shape, a few centimeters long, because it’s squeezed out through the narrow esophagus. One that stays in the stomach keeps growing and gets packed rounder.
A cat’s tongue is covered in backward-facing spines, and each one is a tiny hollow scoop. During grooming they wick saliva into the fur and hook out loose hair, which gets swallowed. Cats spend about a quarter of their waking hours grooming, so that’s a lot of hair. Most of it passes out in the stool. Hairballs come up when hair builds up faster than the gut can move it on.
Are hairballs normal?
Hairballs used to be seen as just something cats do. Most vets now think frequent hairballs aren’t normal. Hair is meant to go out with the stool, so a cat who often brings it up may have a gut that moves slowly, as with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or itchy skin that makes them overgroom, or both.
There’s no number of hairballs that counts as normal. About one in ten apparently healthy short-haired cats bring them up, and about two in ten long-haired cats. More useful than counting is noticing whether they’re getting more frequent, whether your cat is losing weight, and whether there are other gut signs. A short-haired cat swallows less hair to begin with, so regular hairballs in one are worth a closer look.
Which cats get them most
Long-haired cats like Persians, Maine Coons, and Ragdolls swallow more hair each time they groom, and most cats with a hairball stuck in the intestine are long-haired.
Older cats groom more thoroughly than kittens and swallow more hair. In cats over 10, a stuck hairball more often comes with intestinal lymphoma, so they need a more careful workup.
Itchy cats, for example with a flea allergy, groom constantly and swallow far more hair than usual.
Cats with gut disease such as IBD can’t move hair along properly.
Shedding season in spring and fall means more loose hair, so even cats that rarely have hairballs may bring up a few more.
How to reduce hairballs
Brushing and fiber help most. Hairball pastes only support them. If hairballs are frequent, the cause still needs finding.
Regular brushing
Hair brushed out before it’s swallowed never reaches the stomach. Brush long-haired cats daily and short-haired cats a few times a week, more during shedding season. The shedding guide covers how.
More fiber
Fiber keeps the gut moving, so hair travels through and comes out in the stool. In a trial of 102 cats, those on a high-fiber food had 21.5% fewer hairballs and 21.8% less vomiting. Fibers like psyllium and sugarcane fiber have shown benefits in research too.
Most commercial hairball-formula foods are simply higher in fiber, so that’s a reasonable place to start.
Hairball pastes
Hairball pastes are mostly petroleum jelly and have been used for decades. The idea is that they coat the hair so it slides through the gut more easily. They’re generally safe, but there isn’t much research behind them. Fine to use now and then, but if your cat needs one all the time, look for the cause.
When to see the vet
See a vet if you notice
- Repeated retching or gagging without producing anything
- Loss of appetite lasting more than a day
- Lethargy or unusual withdrawal
- Constipation or absence of stool
- Abdominal pain (hunched posture, resisting being picked up)
- Hairball vomiting becoming more frequent than it used to be
- A short-haired cat bringing up hairballs regularly
The first five can mean a hairball is stuck. It’s uncommon but can be fatal: a hairball too big to pass lodges in the small intestine. It usually needs X-rays or ultrasound, and sometimes emergency surgery.
The last two suggest something else is behind the hairballs, such as IBD, a food sensitivity, or a skin problem, and in older cats more serious gut disease has to be ruled out. If your cat is vomiting other things too, compare with the color chart in the vomiting guide.
A cat who seems to keep “coughing up a hairball” but never produces one may actually be coughing, from asthma or another airway problem. Film the next episode and show your vet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are hairballs normal for cats? An occasional one is usually fine, but frequent hairballs aren’t normal. Hair should pass out in the stool, so a cat who keeps bringing it up may have a gut that’s moving slowly, or itchy skin that makes them overgroom. Rising frequency, weight loss, or a short-haired cat with regular hairballs are all worth looking into.
How can I reduce hairballs, and what should my cat eat? Brush regularly so loose hair comes off before it’s swallowed. Then add fiber: most commercial hairball-formula foods are simply higher in fiber, which helps hair pass out in the stool. A hairball paste can help now and then.
When should I take my cat to the vet for hairballs? Repeated retching with nothing coming up, not eating, lethargy, constipation, or a sore belly can mean a hairball is stuck, so see a vet soon. Hairballs that keep getting more frequent, or a short-haired cat bringing them up regularly, are also worth a vet visit to find the cause.
References
- Cannon, M. (2013). Hair Balls in Cats: A normal nuisance or a sign that something is wrong? Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 15(1), 21-29. PMC
- Noel, A. C., & Hu, D. L. (2018). Cats use hollow papillae to wick saliva into fur. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(49), 12377-12382. PMC
- de Godoy, M. R. C., et al. (2017). Influence of dietary fibre levels on faecal hair excretion after 14 days in short and long-haired domestic cats. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition, 101(5), e73-e82. PMC
- Loureiro, B. A., et al. (2014). Sugarcane fibre may prevent hairball formation in cats. Journal of Nutritional Science, 3, e20. PMC
- Moreno, A. A., et al. (2022). Dietary fiber aids in the management of canine and feline gastrointestinal disease. JAVMA, 260(S3), S61-S74. JAVMA
- Barrs, V. R., et al. (1999). Intestinal obstruction by trichobezoars in five cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 1(4), 199-207. PMC
- Gollnick, N. S., et al. (2023). Histopathologic diagnosis and patient characteristics in cats with small intestinal obstructions secondary to trichobezoars. JAVMA, 261(12), 1830-1836. PubMed
- Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. (2024). The Danger of Hairballs. Cornell Feline Health Center
