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The Insider Pick:
Hairballs are inevitable for cats, and if your feline is extra fluffy, it may be a chronic problem. Luckily, there are plenty of great hairball remedies, medicines, and prevention tools out there. Our top pick is Tomlyn Tuna Flavor Laxatone Gel, which gently lubricates your cat’s digestive tract to relieve hairball-related constipation and to prevent the formation of hairballs in the future.
Cats are notorious for keeping themselves clean, spending hours every day grooming their own coats. In the process of grooming, however, cats ingest a significant amount of their own hair, which can complicate their digestion. Hair doesn’t pass easily through a cat’s digestive system so, while some of the ingested hair is expelled in the stool, the rest of it forms a dense hairball that must be vomited up.
It is completely normal for a cat to have occasional hairballs. If they occur frequently, however, it could cause a dangerous blockage in the digestive tract. Brushing your cat on a regular basis will help to reduce hairballs and keeping him properly hydrated is important for healthy digestion. If these things aren’t enough, however, you might need to consider an alternative remedy.
Remedies for hairballs come in a variety of different forms from high-fiber foods to gels and pastes. Because there are so many options out there, it can be difficult to make a choice. Fortunately for you, we’ve done the work in researching the different hairball remedies and we’ve scoured the reviews to bring you our top picks for hairball remedies including hairball control food, supplements, and lubricant gels, and treats.
If you have a cat, you'll also want to check out our buying guides for the best cat scratching posts, the best cat toys, the best cat beds, the best cat fountains, the best cat food, the best flea prevention for cats, and the best cat collars.
The best hairball medicine overall
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Why you'll love it: Tomlyn Tuna Flavor Laxatone Gel provides quick relief from hairball-related constipation and supports your cat’s digestive tract to prevent hairballs in the future.
If your cat has frequent hairballs or suffers from constipation related to hairballs, you need to take action quickly to resolve the problem. One of the most effective solutions for hairballs and related constipation is a stimulant laxative called Laxatone. Though there are versions of the drug that require a veterinarian’s prescription, there are also a number of over-the-counter options. Our top choice for over-the-counter laxatone hairball control laxatives is Tomlyn Tuna Flavor Laxatone Gel.
Tomlyn Tuna Flavor Laxatone Gel has been trusted by pet owners for more than 35 years to safely and gently relieve hairballs in cats. This product is made with both mineral and vegetable oils in a tuna-flavored gel that will lubricate your cat’s digestive tract, helping him to safely pass hairballs instead of coughing them up onto your floor. In addition to the tuna flavor, this product also comes in maple, chicken, and catnip flavors.
Best Reviews Guide speaks highly of Tomlyn Laxatone Gel, and it also makes the top 10 list for Comparaboo. With more than 450 user reviews on Amazon, this laxatone gel has a solid 4-star rating. Many users report that their cats enjoy the flavor of the product, though some note the consistency is a little thinner than some hairball lubricants. Overall, however, it seems to work well.
Insider Picks' guide editor Malarie Gokey used it on her cat once with great success. Her cat licked it up off a spoon and went back to normal shortly thereafter.
Pros: Made with mineral and vegetable oils to lubricate your cat’s digestive tract, helps your cat safely pass hairballs instead of coughing them up, comes in a variety of delicious flavors, gel formula is easy to administer, comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee
Cons: Some cats don’t enjoy the tuna flavor, consistency is a little thinner than some gel lubricants, contains petroleum-based ingredients (except natural chicken flavor)
The best cat food to prevent hairballs
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The quality of your cat’s diet plays an essential role in his total health and wellness, but it is particularly important for his digestive health. Pet nutrition experts agree that a high-protein, low-carbohydrate, and grain-free diet is best for cats. As obligate carnivores, cats simply were not designed to eat carbohydrates so cutting grains from your cat’s diet can promote healthy and regular digestion which can also reduce problems with hairballs.
Our top pick for hairball control cat food that is rich in protein, free from grains, and low in carbohydrates is Canidae Grain-Free PURE Control Hairball Control Cat Food. Made with protein-rich chicken, chicken meal, and turkey meal as the top three ingredients, this formula provides a generous 36% crude protein and 20% crude fat. This recipe features grain-free carbohydrates like green peas with chicken fat for energy and essential fatty acids. As a whole, Canidae food contains a limited number of main ingredients which helps to limit the risk for food allergies.
In addition to being protein-rich and carbohydrate-limited, this Canidae Grain-Free PURE Control Hairball Control Cat Food is loaded with digestive benefits. This recipe contains 6% crude fiber for healthy digestion and it contains dried fermentation products for probiotic support. Both of these contribute to healthy, regular digestion which is essential for hairball control.
Not only does the Canidae brand receive a 5-star rating from Petfood Reviews and Paw Diet, but it also appears on Kitty Catter’s list of the best hairball control cat foods.
After an in-depth review of the ingredients list, the quality of this product is undeniable. However, with roughly 400 consumer reviews on Amazon, there are some consumer complaints. Some consumers note that their cats simply don’t like the food while others can’t get enough of it.
Pros: Contains 36% crude protein and 20% crude fat, features premium-quality animal proteins as the top three ingredients, limited number of main ingredients reduces the risk for food allergies, supplemented with fiber and probiotics for healthy digestion
Cons: Some cats don’t like the flavor, contains several plant-based proteins, contains chicken which can trigger food allergies in some cats, formulated for adult cats, not kittens
The best hairball relief supplements
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They say that prevention is the best medicine and that is certainly true when it comes to hairballs. If you don’t take steps to prevent hairballs from forming, your cat could suffer a dangerous intestinal blockage. In addition to feeding your cat a healthy and highly digestible diet, you should also consider a supplement to promote healthy digestion for hairball prevention. Our top pick for hairball prevention in cats is Vet’s Best Hairball Relief Digestive Aid Supplements.
Made from all natural ingredients like slippery elm bark, marshmallow root, papaya, and psyllium seed, Vet’s Best Hairball Relief Digestive Aid Supplements support your cat’s digestive system and lubricate hairballs so they can pass harmlessly through his digestive tract. This formula is free from petroleum-based ingredients and features a delicious chicken flavor. Each bottle contains 60 tablets to provide a full thirty days of hairball prevention for your cat.
Best Reviews Guide says Vet’s Best Hairball Relief Digestive Aid Supplements stop hairballs before they even start. This product also receives support from PetCareRX in its article about getting rid of hairballs. Users on Amazon are generally pleased with the product, though some cats are finicky since the company updated their formula.
These Vet’s Best Hairball Relief Digestive Aid Supplements are easy to administer and chicken-flavored to satisfy your cat’s natural cravings for meat. Simply break the tab into pieces and administer twice daily for the best results.
Pros: Provides a safe and natural way to prevent hairballs, includes natural ingredients for digestive support, free from petroleum-based ingredients, lubricates hairballs natural so they can pass through the digestive system, chicken-flavored for palatability, recommended by veterinarians and the National Animal Supplement Council, each bottle protects for 30 days
Cons: Tablet may need to be broken into pieces for consumption, some cats do not like the new recipe
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