The dreaded shed, hairball season, aka spring and fall, when our cats are shedding more and throwing up more. But here’s something you might not know, your cats shouldn’t be throwing up hairballs. Hair should actually be moving through the GI tract and ending up in the litter box aka your cat’s stool.
So here are some tips to help fix those pesky hairball issues and ensure your cats aren’t throwing up hairballs that you step on at 3am when you stumble to the bathroom. If your cat is vomiting regularly, showing signs of pain or nausea, or not eating, please consult your vet.
Increase Fiber
Fiber helps break up hair and push it through the GI tract. If you’ve ever looked at the ingredient list in hairball control foods, you’ll notice almost all of them contain cellulose, and sometimes psyllium husk. Cellulose is an insoluble fiber, meaning it’s not highly digestible, which makes it good at getting hair moving.
With that said, many hairball control foods are trash and loaded with carbs. However, here are a couple I like. Purina Pro Plan Hairball Pate which contains cellulose, and RAWZ Digestive Support, which contains miscanthus grass, another fiber that may help with hairball buildup.
You can also supplement fiber directly with psyllium husk. A general starting point is around ⅛ tsp per day, working up slowly to about ¼–½ tsp per day as tolerated. Always start low and work up. Another fiber option is Vet’s Best Hairball Treats, which also contain psyllium husk and can be an easier option for some cats.
Lecithin
Lecithin is a fat emulsifier that helps break hairballs up and move them more efficiently through the GI tract and into the litter box. Egg yolk naturally contains lecithin, but you can also supplement egg yolk lecithin directly. You can use fresh eggs from the grocery store but one egg yolk is too big for one cat and can be hard to split. I’d recommend you either make your own egg yolk powder, hard boil the eggs then crush up the yolk and dose that way, or buy dried egg yolk, start with a pinch and work up to about ⅛ to ½ tsp per day. Start small and increase slowly, because too much yolk too soon can (and will) accidentally give your cat diarrhea (ask me how I know).
You can also use quail eggs, which are smaller and easier to dose for cats. One quail egg yolk per day is generally well tolerated. There are lots of freeze dried yolk options, I like the ones from Savage Cat, but you can also buy fresh quail eggs from Asian markets or Costco and hard boil them. You can feed the whole egg (minus the shell) or just the yolk.
For egg yolk lecithin supplement, which are more concentrated than yolk itself, start with ⅛ of a capsule per day or less, and work up slowly to 1–2 capsules per day as needed. As with yolk, too much too soon can cause diarrhea so go slow. As with any supplement, the goal is always to start low and work up to the amount that’s most effective for your cat.
Hairball Paste
Hairball pastes or gels primarily contain petroleum jelly, which can help push hair out and into the litter box, but they aren’t designed to manage the problem long term. While I do keep CatLax around for occasional use, it’s not something I recommend using daily. These products are best reserved for temporary management, while you focus on longer term strategies like fiber and lecithin to actually address the underlying issue.
Most cats need some combination of these. For my own cats I’m using Pro Plan hairball control food in rotation, and egg yolk lecithin as well as some Vets Best.
Disclaimer – Feminist Kitty LLC is not a veterinarian, and this is not medical advice. This guide is for educational purposes only. Please consult your veterinarian with any questions or concerns about supplements or your cat’s health.
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