Hairballs in Cats: When They're Normal and When to Ring the Vet

Cats spend a startling amount of their day grooming themselves — by some estimates between a third and half of their waking hours. Their tongues are covered in tiny backward-facing barbs that act like a comb, pulling loose fur away from the coat. That fur has to go somewhere, and most of it ends up swallowed.

Most of what they swallow passes through the digestive tract without any fuss. Sometimes it doesn’t — and the result is a hairball.

Here’s what’s worth knowing.

What a hairball actually is

The word is a bit misleading. A hairball (technical name trichobezoar) isn’t usually shaped like a ball — it’s more often a sausage-shaped plug of compacted fur, often coated in stomach fluid. That cigar shape comes from the cat’s oesophagus, which the hairball passes through on the way out.

Cats bring them up by coughing-retching — a distinctive crouched, low position with a series of strong abdominal pushes. It’s not pleasant to watch, but for the cat it’s usually a brief, manageable event.

How often is “normal”

This is the bit people get wrong. The widespread assumption that hairballs are a routine, weekly part of being a cat is not quite right.

A rough rule of thumb that most feline-medicine guidance lands on:

• A short-haired cat might bring up a hairball every few weeks, or noticeably less often.
• A long-haired cat (Persian, Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest Cat, etc.) might bring one up every couple of weeks during heavy moult periods, and less frequently the rest of the year.
• More than one hairball a week, especially over a sustained period, is worth raising with your vet — it suggests the cat is swallowing more hair than they should, or having trouble moving it through.

What you can do at home

Three things help most cats:

1. Brush more — properly

This is the single biggest lever. The more loose fur you remove with a brush, the less the cat has to swallow. For:

• Short-haired cats: a quick brush 1–3 times a week with a soft-bristle brush or rubber grooming mitt.
• Long-haired cats: ideally daily, with a wide-toothed comb followed by a finer comb. Pay attention to behind the ears, under the chin, the “trousers” on the back legs, and the belly — that’s where mats start.

Make sessions short and pleasant. Most cats learn to enjoy it.

2. Watch the food

Some commercial cat foods are formulated to help fibre move ingested hair through the gut. They aren’t magic, but if your vet recommends one for a cat who’s having repeat hairball episodes, they can be useful as part of a wider plan.

Plain fibre additions (such as a small amount of plain canned pumpkin) are sometimes suggested anecdotally; ask your vet before changing the diet.

3. Hairball remedies — only on vet advice

There are flavoured gels and pastes sold as “hairball remedies” that contain mineral oils or other lubricants. Some cats do well on them; others don’t need them, and overuse can interfere with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Run any product past your vet first.

When to ring the vet — straight away

A cat who is bringing up the occasional hairball is generally fine. A cat showing any of the following signs needs veterinary attention promptly, because what looks like hairball trouble can be a sign of something more serious — including an intestinal blockage:

• Repeated unproductive retching (coughing or trying to bring something up but nothing comes out) — especially if it’s continued for more than 24 hours.
• Loss of appetite for more than a day.
• Vomiting food, not just hair, especially if it’s frequent.
• Lethargy — the cat is unusually quiet, withdrawn or reluctant to move.
• Constipation, or straining in the litter tray without producing much.
• Weight loss over weeks.
• Swollen or painful belly, or any sign of distress when their stomach is gently touched.

In a worst-case scenario, a hairball can lodge in the small intestine and form a blockage. Blockages are a surgical emergency. Cats sometimes hide how unwell they feel, so the threshold for ringing the vet should be lower than you might think.

This article is general guidance, not a substitute for professional veterinary advice. If you’re ever in doubt about your cat’s health, ring your vet — most practices have a phone triage system that will tell you whether to come in.

The boring but effective takeaway

Brush regularly, watch how often hairballs happen, and don’t shrug off the warning signs above. That’s most of it. Cats are good at hiding discomfort — paying attention pays back, and your vet would much rather see a cat too early than too late.