Cat Hairballs: How Much Is Normal?

Why Hairballs Form

Cats spend a big part of their day grooming (cleaning their fur with their tongue). The tiny barbs on their tongue catch loose hair, which they swallow. Most of it passes through in their stool, but some collects in the stomach and forms a hairball. Coughing one up is a normal way for a cat to get rid of it. If your cat vomits once or twice a month or less, and eats and plays normally afterward, there's no cause for concern.

How to Reduce Hairballs

• Brushing is half the battle — the most effective thing is to remove loose hair with a brush before your cat swallows it. Two or three times a week for short-haired cats, daily for long-haired cats. During shedding season (spring and fall), brush more often
• Hairball-formula food and treats — these add fiber to help hair pass out in the stool
• Boost water intake — the gut needs to move well for hair to pass through. Check the right daily amount with the water intake calculator
• Manage stress — over-grooming can be a sign of stress. If your cat licks one spot so much that the fur thins out, it's worth looking into the cause

Signs You Should See a Vet

If your cat vomits often (once a week or more), keeps retching without bringing anything up, or shows a loss of appetite, constipation, and lethargy at the same time, a hairball may be blocking the intestine (gastrointestinal obstruction). An obstruction can be an emergency that requires surgery, so if you see this combination, don't put it off — see a vet. Also, frequent vomiting that gets brushed off as "probably just a hairball" is sometimes actually another condition (pancreatitis, thyroid problems, and so on), so if vomiting becomes more frequent, finding the cause comes first.