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If you have a cat, then undoubtedly you are familiar with hairballs. Today we’ll cover the best hairball medicine – assuming your feline needs it, of course.
There are thousands (if not millions) of hairball medicines (and hairball remedies) on the market today, but unfortunately many are not so great. Depending on many variables, like what cat food your feline consumes, what supplements you give them, and what their digestive tract is like – you could be facing many obstacles to get hairball control to an optimal level.
Luckily we did all the leg work for you, and reviewed the best cat laxatives, the best cat hairball pastes, the chicken flavored products, mineral oils, tuna flavored cat hairball remedies – and even more. So here are our picks, for the best hairball medicine.
Our Top Pick
Hartz Hairball Remedy Plus Salmon Flavored Paste
With thousands of fantastic user reviews, this hairball remedy works wonders for your favorite feline friend. And with a very low price point, it’s very affordable to keep your cat in top shape.
If you want a paste to take care of your feline’s hairballs, this is our favorite. Hopefully hairballs aren’t too frequent, but if they are, we highly recommend this option.
Other Great Picks
Sentry Hairball Relief
The Petromalt technology in this hairball remedy makes this a top choice. With tons of fantastic reviews, and and an unbeatable price point, we were eager to test it out.
Hairballs were definitely defeated in all of our testing, and it’d be hard to think of an easier option. While you can certainly spend more, and get something fancier, for most people, this is an excellent product.
Nutri-Vet Multi-Vite Paw-Gel
This affordable gel helps to prevent hairballs, and has thousands of spectacular reviews. Our cats definitely liked the application – you simply put it on their paws, and they’ll spread it over their coat themselves.
The chicken flavor is also appealing, and while it’s not like tuna flavors, it helps with cat hairballs most effectively. You might prefer pastes, but if not, this is a great gel that will help ease hairballs from being so habitual and unpleasant.
Dechra Cat Lax Hairball Formula
We had our cats licking this right off our fingers, and hairballs became far less frequent, with this product. Whether you get it from Chewy or Amazon, this is one of the best hairball remedies out there, and will undoubtedly improve your cat’s health.
No matter what your cat’s diet is, this formula will work to get rid of furballs, and help with their gastrointestinal tract. As far as hairball control treats go, this isn’t the most flavorful, but it definitely will make cat owners happy. Highly recommended.
Pet Naturals Of Vermont Hairball Support
These cat chews will help prevent blockages, and may even help with healthy skin, since the chews contain zinc and biotin. The cat’s digestive system may also benefit from these chews, and cat treats rarely taste as good as these delectable soft chews.
Ideally you want to attack the problem before it even begins, which means stopping hairball formation, and this can be crucial with long-haired cats. Hairball treatments can eventually be expensive, so it’s better to stop loose hair before it turns into hairballs, and makes your furry friend filled with constipation.
Tomlyn Laxatone In Tuna For Hairball Relief
This hairball remedy is loaded with tuna flavor, and is also very affordable. The Tomlyn laxatone hairball remedy is one of the best ways to help your cat lose their hairballs, and it was even formulated by a veterinarian.
Whether you want quick relief, or long lasting results, this formula will work wonders. Just put a little bit on your finger, and your cat’s hairball production will likely be reduced dramatically.
Natural Hairball Control Chews
These delicious chews have no petroleum jelly, instead they use psyllium husk, and may eliminate or even prevent hairballs. Our cats liked the flavor, and the price is also great.
They’re also loaded with zinc, biotin, and fiber – making them great for your cat’s overall health as well. With tons of great reviews, these chews are hard to beat – definitely recommended.
Vet’s Best Cat Hairball Relief
These chewable tablets are made with slippery elm, and formulated with psyllium, which help to prevent hairballs. With lots of stellar reviews, and a great chicken flavor, your cat will also love these chews.
There are many cat supplements out there, but this is by far one of our favorites. Our cats loved them, and we loved the lack of hairballs – which means we highly recommend this product.
Hartz Hairball Remedy
If you want chicken flavor, these chews are perfect for your little furry friend. With omega 3, omega 6, and omega 9, these chews are loaded with healthy ingredients too.
With an amazing price point, and thousands of five star reviews, these chews are great for your wallet – not just great for your cat. No matter what your budget, you’ll be able to afford these fun (and healthy) chews – they come highly recommended.
Licks Hairball Remedy For Cats
This is a somewhat unique entry, in that this formula is completely holistic. With up to a 98% absorption rate, this medicine is perfect for your cat’s digestive tract.
If you’re looking to prevent hairballs, and you want to keep things holistic, this is a perfect solution. This formula also promotes a healthy coat of fur, so your cat will look good too – a double win.
What Are Hairballs?
Since we aren’t covered in much fur, we don’t have to worry about hairballs. Our cats, however, have to deal with a ton of hairballs.
When cats lick themselves to get clean, little hooks on their tongue catch hairs, and these little nasty hairballs can then cause intestinal blockages. Usually cats will vomit up hairballs, but this isn’t any less of a problem.
Long haired cats are more likely to produce hairballs, and as cats get older, they are more likely to have more. Younger cats won’t know how to groom themselves as well, so they’re far less likely to have hairball issues.
What Causes Hairballs?
Hairballs can technically be caused by a number of things. However, they are usually caused by cats swallowing little bits of hair, as they groom themselves.
If you have a younger, short-haired cat, you are much less likely to experience hairballs issues. Older cats, and longer haired cats, are much more likely to suffer from hairball issues.
What Is Cat Malt?
Cat malt is a combination of liquid paraffin and malt extract, and it is used to help ease hairballs. While those two things are the main ingredients in almost every cat malt, they do not comprise the entirety of most formulas.
Cat malts will also contain vegetable oils, added fiber, vegetable fats, yeast, and dairy products. They may also have added vitamins, preservatives, or coloring agents.
Vegetable Oils For Hairballs
Hairballs may be cured with vegetable oils (or other oils), believe it or not. For example, coconut oil, or other similar products, can ease the digestive process, and help clear out the cat’s digestive tract.
Extra virgin olive oil is another option that may work. While we prefer specially formulated products, if you want to keep it simple, you can try vegetable oils to help ease your cat’s hairballs.
Fiber For Cat Hairballs
There are actually many simple possible remedies for cat hairballs. For example, simply increasing the fiber in your cat’s diet may do the trick.
As a result, many specially formulated products for cat hairballs contain lots of added fiber. Even insoluble fibers, like lignins, cellulose, and hemicelluloses may help ease hairball stress.
Malt Extract For Cat Hairballs
Cat hairballs can even be cured with simple malt extract, which seems like it’s overly simplistic, but it may actually work for you. If you think of a darker looking honey, you have the general idea of what malt extract looks like.
Malt extract helps to dislodge hairballs, which also eases any issues in the digestive tract. Hairball control is a big issue with older, longer hair cats, and a simple malt extract may actually be the answer to your feline woes.
Petroleum Jelly For Hairballs
Most commonly known as Vaseline, petroleum jelly can actually help ease hairballs. Have your feline lick the petroleum jelly off your finger, and wait 48 hours.
Most of the time, any hairballs lodged in their digestive tract will come right out. However, if you continually have issues with hairballs, it’s more logical to buy one of the best hairball remedies for cats.
How Much Hairball Remedy Should You Give?
There are several factors to consider when it comes to giving a hairball remedy. For starters – how bad are the hairballs?
If you have bad hairballs, you may want to give a hairball remedy 4-5 times per week. However, the standard advice is to administer a hairball remedy 2-3 times per week.
One finger length should be enough, and it’s also important that the feline takes the medication on a completely empty stomach, for maximum absorption. If the hairballs seem to dissipate, you can lower the frequency of the doses – just be sure that the hairballs don’t come back.
How Do I Know If My Cat Has A Hairball Stuck?
It may be difficult to tell if your cat actually has a hairball stuck in their digestive tract. If you hear and see a lot of coughing and gagging, it’s very likely to be a hairball.
Oftentimes, hairballs will be vomited up, but not always. If you notice this pattern happening every few days, or they can’t vomit up the hairball within 48 hours, you should definitely invest in the best hairball medicines.
One of the most common causes of hairballs is over-grooming, as well as simply having longer hair. Cats may also have allergies, which leads to irritated skin.
Can A Hairball Kill A Cat?
If a hairball is not passed, and it remains lodged in the digestive tract, it can lead to severe complications. First comes constipation, which then leads to obstipation.
This condition is more severe, and this is where the problems really arise. Feces impacted in the digestive system can mean a visit to the vet, and may even require anesthesia.
However, if you do not take your cat to the vet, the constipation and obstipation becomes more severe. In fact, in rare, extreme cases – this can actually become fatal.
Other Buying Factors For The Best Hairball Medicine
There are many factors to consider, like whether you want salmon flavor for your cat supplements, whether you want to avoid vegetable oils, opt for chewable hairball remedies, or even if you want an expensive digestive aid. Dry cat food, greenies, catnip, omega 3 fatty acids, probiotics, – these may help, but you really need a dedicated hairball medicine to really see great results.
Papaya, slippery elm, organics, marshmallows – there are a million things that could help a cat’s digestion, but to really limit swallowed hair turning into hairballs, you need a medicine specifically to limit hairball production. Cat’s paw, soybean oil, vitamin E, lecithin, psyllium, and petroleum jelly all may help – but there is no guarantee.
The Best Hairball Medicine
So there you have it – our top picks for the best hairball medicine on the market today. Hairball control is important, as is making sure your cat’s digestive tract is working optimally.
There are holistic options, products with added vitamins, laxatives, gels, pastes, and even chews. There are thousands of different cat hairball remedies out there – the trick is not wasting your money on the bad ones.
Most products have added vitamins and other nutrients, which makes them a good idea to give your cat, even if they do not suffer from hairballs. Dogs don’t have the hairball issue, but everyone knows cats are always a little more difficult than dogs, when it comes to most issues.
You want to try and prevent hairballs before they happen – and the best hairball medicine and remedies will do just that. If you liked this list, also be sure to check out some of our other comprehensive product reviews.