Best Cat Food for Hairballs

Cats, whether they have short, medium, or long hair are finicky about keeping their coats clean. You might see them lounging about grooming from between their toes to even their own tails. Their rough, sandpaper-like tongue combs through their fur and catches any dirt and loose hairs.

While it can be fun to watch a cat groom themselves, it is not fun watching, much less hearing, your cat hack up a hairball. Hairballs do not have to be a normal occurrence for your cat, especially if you invest in the best cat food for hairballs. These specially formulated cat foods are meant to help reduce the development of hairballs so your cat will not have to suffer from choking on their own fur.

If your cat is prone to consistent hairballs, then it might be time to switch to a food that helps against hairballs to help your pet.

Best Cat Food for Hairballs

1. Blue Buffalo Indoor Hairball Control

Help your cat control their hairballs while also giving them a grain-free diet with the Blue Buffalo Indoor Hairball Control formula.

Key Features

• Hairball control formula
• Only uses whole grains
• Promotes healthy skin and coat

A real meat protein is always the first ingredient in Blue Buffalo pet foods. In this particular food, deboned chicken is the first ingredient, not a chicken by-product or fillers like corn, wheat, or soy for a filler-grain free diet.

The only grains used are whole grains, like brown rice, mixed with essential vegetables and fruits. With an optimal balance of Omega-3 and six fatty acids, your cat’s skin will be healthy and flake-free and their coats will be shiny and easier to control.

In the case that your cat is still having hairball issues, this food can help reduce it. A unique blend of fiber sources, cellulose and psyllium seed husks, provides a natural remedy against hairballs.

You will not have to worry about giving you cats any unknown chemicals to help reduce their hairball dilemma. By following the feeding instructions with the Blue Buffalo Indoor Hairball Control you will better be able to help your cat with their hairball issues.

2. Purina ONE Hairball Formula Adult Dry Cat Food

Your cat’s hairballs will be a thing of the past with the Purina ONE Hairball formula.

Key Features

• Hairball control
• No fillers
• Complete balanced nutrition
• Veterinarian recommended

This veterinarian recommended food contains all of the nutrients and vitamins a growing cat needs regardless of any special needs that they may have.

Thanks to the Purposeful Nutrition guarantee in the Purina ONE formula lines you can be sure your cat will have all the health benefits that they will need throughout their entire lives.

A protein is always the first ingredient, with no filler ingredients that may cause allergies or excess weight build up in cats. This particular formula uses a specially made mix of natural fibers that help to combat against hairballs.

This mix is safe for all cats and minimizes hairballs with no added harmful chemicals. The bites are crunchy and packed with flavors cats will love and not be able to get enough of making feeding easier and hairball control less of a hassle. The Purina ONE Hairball formula will improve any cat’s overall health.

3. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Hairball Control

Help your cat reduce their struggle with hairballs by using the Nutro Wholesome Essentials Hairball Control food formula.

Key Features

• Hairball control formula
• Wholesome ingredients
• Non-GMO ingredients

Thanks to Nutro’s partnership with trusted farmers and suppliers you can be sure that only the highest quality of ingredients are used in their dry foods. This particular formula has all-natural, farm-raised chicken as the first ingredient, no chicken by-products or filler grains.

It is also made with Non-GMO ingredients so you can feel confident you are not giving any potentially harmful chemicals to your cats. The hairball control comes from the blend of natural fibers that helps pass the hair through their waste instead of the disgusting, coughed up balls we are used to seeing.

To further help with a healthy coat and reduce hairball issues this food is packed with plenty of Omega-6 fatty acids to promote healthier skin and a shinier coat. Help your cats feel in tip-top shape by using the Nutro Wholesome formula to help with their hairball issues.

4. Royal Canin Feline Care Nutrition Hairball Care

Hairball control can be as easy as simply switching your cat to the Royal Canin Feline Indoor Hairball Control formula.

Key Features

• Hairball elimination formula
• A prime source of vitamins and nutrients
• Specially formulated for indoor cats

When cats are kept indoors they live a rather calmer, relaxed life compared to the constant movements of outdoor cats. Because of this, indoor cats are prone to shed and groom more due to not having the extra hassle of adjusting to different temperatures.

Royal Canin helps your indoor cats not have to struggle with the extra hair they consume while grooming thanks to the specially made fiber mix. The fiber mix promotes positive gastrointestinal health and makes it easier for the hair to pass through the stool instead of being vomited out.

The fatty acids in this nutrient-packed food also help to reduce inflammation that may be triggered by excess hair in the intestines of the cat. Do not struggle with cleaning up messy hairballs when using the Royal Canin Feline Indoor Hairball Control formula.

5. Wellness Complete Health Natural Dry Cat Food

By utilizing the Wellness Complete Natural Hairball Control formula you will be sure hairballs will no longer be an issue.

Key Features

• Hairball control
• All-natural ingredients
• Cat wellness support

All-natural, USA made ingredients contains only the best, high-quality ingredients and no filler products, by-products, or preservatives. This not only gives your cat the essential vitamins and minerals they need for everyday life but can also help promote healthy digestion to aid against hairballs. The natural fiber blend mix is special in helping move the cat’s ingested hair through their digestive system safely. Instead of the hair coming back out by vomiting the hair is safely passed out through the cat’s stool. You can throw away the hair as you would normally with the usual waste with no extra cleaning hassle or disgusting sight to see.

Your cat will surely be grateful that they will have fewer hairballs to deal with when you switch to Wellness Complete Natural Hairball Control formula.

6. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Hairball Control Cat Food

Stop cleaning up disgusting hairballs, instead switch to the Hill’s Science Diet Hairball Control formula to eliminate hairballs.

Key Features

• Hairball control formula
• All-natural ingredients
• Promotes healthy skin and hair

Your cat will only get the best, high-quality ingredients with each meal. No filler ingredients, artificial flavors or preservatives means no harmful ingredients or chemicals in your cat’s diet.

This diet is specifically formulated for cats 1-6 years of age who are prone to having excessive hairball production. The all-natural fiber blend reduces hairball formation while also safely passing any hair in the cat’s intestines through their waste.

No extra cleaning or hassle on your part thanks to this food. To further help with fur shedding control, this food contains Omega-6 fatty acids and Vitamin E for healthier skin and shinier, easier to manage coat.

Helping your cat to no longer have to struggle with hairballs starts by feeding them Hill’s Science Diet Hairball Control formula.

7. Iams Proactive Health Hairball Care

Control your cat’s weight and hairball issues with the IAMS Proactive Health Weight and Hairball Care formula.

Key Features

• Hairball control formula
• High-quality ingredients
• Helps maintain a healthy cat weight

Only high-quality proteins, vegetables, and fruits are used in this high-quality dry cat food. Hairball control does not need just a special fiber mix, but it also needs a healthy cat weight. I-Carnitine helps your cat lose extra weight and maintain an ideal weight for their size and age.

A proprietary fiber mix with beet pulp helps reduce hairballs before they can even form by passing the hair through your cat’s waste.

With the healthy weight management and hairball control formula, you can be sure that your indoor cat will live a happy, healthy life free of hairballs.

Your cat’s food can be more than a health food source, but a source for helping with any medical issues, like hairballs with the IAMS Proactive Health Food.

Key Information About Hairballs

Hairballs can be controlled with a specially made diet, but by understanding what causes hairballs in the first place, their dangers, and what you can do to help prevent future hairballs can further help your cat and their health.

Why do cats get hairballs?

Hairballs are a natural occurrence in all cats. Cats are fastidious groomers that spend a large amount of their time making sure their fur is clean and free of loose hairs.

A cat’s tongue has small, tiny hook-like formations, which is why their tongues feel like sandpaper, which catches loose and dead hair while they groom.

Most times, cats can vomit out loose hairs as single strands, but when there is too much hair in the cat’s stomach the hair forms into balls that are harder for the cat to pass, which can lead to some troubling medical issues.

Are Hairballs Dangerous?

Cat hairballs can become dangerous once they become too large to be passed normally. Once they reach a large size your cat can potentially choke on the hairballs when they are trying to cough it up normally.

Large hairballs can also cause a buildup in the stomach. If this were to occur, then the hairball can get trapped inside the cat’s digestive system which clogs the waste your cat needs to remove.

Your cat will then not be able to use the restroom normally and only surgery will be able to remove the waste buildup and the hairball that had triggered the block in the first place.

What are the symptoms of a Hairball?

The symptoms of hairballs are rather easy to notice but can be overlooked just as easy. If you notice your cat vomiting consistently or hacking, having a lack of appetite, being lethargic, being constipated, or having diarrhea then your cat may have a buildup of hair in their stomachs.

You can always take your cat to the vet if you notice these symptoms but are not completely sure if hairballs are the cause or if it is something else. Better to be safe after all.

Cat Hairball Remedies

Aside from providing a specialized hairball food formula for your cat, you can do two other things to help prevent and reduce hairball formations in cats.

One thing you can do is to provide a hairball product or laxative to your cat. These products and laxatives are meant to help hairballs pass through the cat’s digestive tract and come out through their waste. You will just have to be careful not to give your cat too much of the laxative as it can cause diarrhea and can harm the cat.

You can also discourage your cat from excessively grooming themselves by providing other activities to distract them. This can be either playing with them or creating a fun activity zone or climbing place for the cat to explore. The more you can entertain the cat away from grooming the better.

How can you Prevent Hairballs?

The easiest thing you can do to prevent hairballs forming is to regularly brush your cat. Hairballs are more common in adult cats with long hair due to the longer strands of fur.

Kittens with long fur may not have hairball issues while young since they are still learning proper grooming habits. But once they are adults, they will be more prone to developing hairballs.

You can invest in a special-made brush for long hair cats to help remove any loose or dead hair for your cat before they do it. Start young with your cat so they can get used to you brushing them, otherwise, it will be harder to try and brush your cat when older.

Hairballs are not limited to long hair cats, though, as any cat is prone to develop hairballs. By brushing your cat’s fur consistently you can stop the chance of hairballs developing when your cat grooms themselves.

Bottom Line

As cats naturally groom themselves they are more prone to developing hairballs compared to other furred pets. While some hair can easily pass without harming the cat, other built-up hairballs can cause a danger to your cat and their body’s health. You can do many things to help your cat or cats with their hairball issues, but the easiest aid you can do is providing them with a specially made hairball formula food.

These foods add an extra nutrient or fiber source that naturally remedies hairballs. Thanks to the natural fiber sources the built-up hairballs are broken down and passed through the cat’s digestive system safely and painlessly for the cat. Instead of your cat choking up the built-up hair, the hair is passed in their waste for an easier clean.

If your cat is prone to having excessive hairballs save the medical bills from the vet and try a hairball relieving cat food formula first. Most often this can relieve the hairball issues, but if they persist then you might need a vet’s medical attention and help.