Helping Your Feline Avoid the Hair Ball Woes
By Eric Hurwit D.V.M.
A recent visitor to GalacticPet.com had a great question about a very common problem in felines. K.S. inquired about how to treat her cat for hair balls — an excessive amount of hair swallowed by a cat, and then regurgitated.
Q: “Hi, I’m looking for a hair ball remedy for my nine-year-old cat. She gets sick sporadically, from every four to six days, then she isn’t sick at all.
A: The best single remedy for hair ball is grooming with a flea comb and brush. Quickly brushing your feline once a day or so eliminates the cause of hair ball, plus it helps your feline in several other important ways:
There are many hair ball remedies available on the market, but generally I don’t recommend them. Most products just hide the cause and don’t treat the problem. Many products contain mineral oil; this can lead to digestive upset and vomiting, and potentially hinder the absorption/uptake of nutrients in the digestive track. I also advise feline owners to avoid foods labeled as “Hair Ball Formula,” and only rarely recommend the temporary use of Laxitone (mineral oil based) in small quantities when medically indicated. For example, hair ball can occasionally lead to serious medical complications when it becomes too large for the feline to expel through vomiting. In this case, a hard ball, called a trichobezoar, blocks the GI track and need to be removed surgically.
What if your feline’s vomiting isn’t hair ball related? Unless you actually see hair regurgitated there could be another medical condition causing your cat to vomit, such as dietary intolerance, parasitism, or a systemic medical condition. Your first course of action should be to visit your veterinarian so your feline can have thorough exam in order to diagnose the problem. Don’t delay! Your feline’s health may depend on quick treatment.
Clearly, the best remedy for hair ball is to prevent it before it causes your feline companion any problem. Good grooming habits promote good health and provide opportunity for bonding exchange. Many of my clients report successful outcomes with this method. My personal experience with my own eight cats is more evidence that brushing is the answer to controlling hair ball without medicinal remedies or special diets.
A recent visitor to GalacticPet.com had a great question about a very common problem in felines. K.S. inquired about how to treat her cat for hair balls — an excessive amount of hair swallowed by a cat, and then regurgitated.
Q: “Hi, I’m looking for a hair ball remedy for my nine-year-old cat. She gets sick sporadically, from every four to six days, then she isn’t sick at all.
A: The best single remedy for hair ball is grooming with a flea comb and brush. Quickly brushing your feline once a day or so eliminates the cause of hair ball, plus it helps your feline in several other important ways:
- Brushing removes the hair that the cat would ingest when grooming itself, which greatly reduces the chances of building up a hair ball.
- Brushing the cat’s hair coat makes it very glossy, as combing helps to remove dander and spreads oils through the coat. A hypothesis exists, suggesting that cats secrete an inactive form of vitamin D from the skin, which is then activated by sunlight. Cats then groom themselves and ingest the active form of vitamin D. If this hypothesis is correct, grooming your cat will help them nutritionally as well.
- Brushing helps reduce the chances of hair mats forming in the hair coat, particularly problematic in medium- and long-haired felines.
- For many cats — though certainly not all — grooming is a calming, social bonding activity between owner and pet.
- Brushing reduces allergens including dander and salivary proteins. Brushing removes excess hair and dander, thus reducing allergens that play a significant role in human allergies to felines.
There are many hair ball remedies available on the market, but generally I don’t recommend them. Most products just hide the cause and don’t treat the problem. Many products contain mineral oil; this can lead to digestive upset and vomiting, and potentially hinder the absorption/uptake of nutrients in the digestive track. I also advise feline owners to avoid foods labeled as “Hair Ball Formula,” and only rarely recommend the temporary use of Laxitone (mineral oil based) in small quantities when medically indicated. For example, hair ball can occasionally lead to serious medical complications when it becomes too large for the feline to expel through vomiting. In this case, a hard ball, called a trichobezoar, blocks the GI track and need to be removed surgically.
What if your feline’s vomiting isn’t hair ball related? Unless you actually see hair regurgitated there could be another medical condition causing your cat to vomit, such as dietary intolerance, parasitism, or a systemic medical condition. Your first course of action should be to visit your veterinarian so your feline can have thorough exam in order to diagnose the problem. Don’t delay! Your feline’s health may depend on quick treatment.
Clearly, the best remedy for hair ball is to prevent it before it causes your feline companion any problem. Good grooming habits promote good health and provide opportunity for bonding exchange. Many of my clients report successful outcomes with this method. My personal experience with my own eight cats is more evidence that brushing is the answer to controlling hair ball without medicinal remedies or special diets.