Hairballs are definitely one of the least enjoyable parts of owning cats. Luckily, there is a lot you can do to help your cats if they are suffering from hairballs. Starting with an effective hairball treat.
We have reviewed the top commercially available cat treats and picked the very best for our top 5 best hairball treats for cats. Read on to find out what they are, plus some tips on how to prevent hairballs in cats.
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A Quick Look At Our Favorites
Product | Rating | Why We Like It | |||||||||
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1 | Whole Life Pet Salmon Cat Treats | Single Ingredient | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
2 | Stella & Chewy's Skin & Coat Boost Treats | Quality Protein | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
3 | VetriScience Laboratories Hairball Chews | Contains Psyllium | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
4 | Tomlyn Hairball Remedy Chews | Contains Laxatone | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
5 | Strawfield Super Chews For Cats | All-In-One Treat | Buy on Amazon | ||||||||
Moisture | Protein* (min.) | Fat* (min.) | Fiber* (max.) | Carbs* (approx.) | Ash* (approx.) | Calories (approx.) | Allergens | ||||
1 | 4% | 93% | 2% | 1% | 0% | 4% | 560 / 100g | seafood | |||
2 | 5% | 37% | 37% | 5% | 16% | 5% | 537 / 100g | seafood | |||
3 | % | % | % | % | % | % | / | none | |||
4 | % | % | % | % | % | % | / | corn, grains | |||
5 | % | % | % | % | % | % | / | seafood, peas | |||
* on a dry matter basis | |||||||||||
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1 | Whole Life Pet Salmon Cat Treats Single Ingredient | Buy on Amazon | |||
2 | Stella & Chewy's Skin & Coat Boost Treats Quality Protein | Buy on Amazon | |||
3 | VetriScience Laboratories Hairball Chews Contains Psyllium | Buy on Amazon | |||
4 | Tomlyn Hairball Remedy Chews Contains Laxatone | Buy on Amazon | |||
5 | Strawfield Super Chews For Cats All-In-One Treat | Buy on Amazon |
Are Hairballs Dangerous For Cats?
An occasional hairball is uncomfortable, but poses no immediate threat for your cat. However, if your cat suffers from hairballs regularly, they can become problematic.
Hairballs generally form in the stomach. Your cat will try to throw them up as much as possible. If that doesn’t work, the hairballs get passed into the digestive tract. Best case scenario, they get mixed up with your cat’s feces and are excreted that way.
A more likely, and more unfortunate, scenario is that they will slow down your cat’s intestines, allowing more moisture to be absorbed from the feces and causing your cat to become constipated.
Over time, recurring bouts of constipation can cause your cat to become obstipated, or fully blocked. Not being able to defecate is a serious, life-threatening condition. That is why you should take hairballs seriously and always monitor your cat’s litter box habits.
How Many Hairballs Are Normal?
You can certainly expect a creature covered in hair that grooms itself all day to spit out a hairball every now and then. But how many hairballs are normal?
The answer may surprise you. In fact, a truly healthy cat produces only one or two hairballs a year. Some even less than that.
This goes for both short-haired cats and long-haired cats like Maine Coons or Ragdolls. It’s all about good grooming practices and healthy living.
Are you scratching your head right now, wondering how it is that you are dealing with hairballs seemingly every other day? Don’t worry! There are some easy steps you can take to improve your cat’s well-being and practically eliminate those slimy surprises from your life.
Related Post: Is Pet Insurance Worth It For Indoor Cats?
Is pet insurance worth it for indoor cats? Read this guide to learn about pet insurance for cats and calculate if it is really worth it for your indoor cat.How To Prevent Hairballs In Cats
There are three steps to preventing hairballs in cats:
- Minimize the number of hairs swallowed by your cat;
- Minimize the formation of hairballs in the stomach;
- Ease the passing of hairballs through the digestive tract.
The best way to minimize the amount of hair that your cat ingests is to take good care of their skin and coat. You can do this by brushing them regularly and removing loose hairs. But you can also achieve this through a change in diet.
There are numerous options when it comes to specialty wet and dry cat foods, treats and supplements that are specifically formulated to give your cat a healthy skin and coat and a healthy digestive tract. The key ingredients to look for are omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
If your cat is still throwing up hairballs, the next step you can take is to give them a malt paste, such as Sentry Hairball Relief. This inhibits new hairballs from forming in the stomach and helps to pass any existing hairballs along the upper digestive tract.
If your cat is still having trouble and starts to experience constipation or is straining while defecating, it is best to take them to the vet for a checkup. Depending on the situation, your vet may prescribe a more powerful laxative or other medications to help your cat’s digestive system.
Are Temptations Or Greenies Good For Cats?
The tastiest way to deal with hairballs is by giving your cat treats. Two of the most popular brands of cat treats are Temptations and Greenies. Both have variants specifically for cats with hairballs and many cat owners swear by them. Moreover, cats go crazy over them!
But are these treats actually good for your cat?
Well,… No.
In the realm of cat nutrition, Temptations and Greenies are junk food. And so are most other brands of crunchy cat treats, to be honest.
These types of treats contain heavy grains, by-products and additives which are plain bad for cats. The reason your cat likes them so much is because they are also loaded with artificial flavors.
The real problem lies in the fact that cats can get so addicted to these treats that they will start passing on their regular food. And because you care about your cats and want them to eat enough, you might slip them a few extra treats to make up for it.
Combine this with a cat’s natural tendency to not drink enough water and you’ve got yourself a ticking time bomb. Undigested pieces of the treats will start to clump together in your cat’s intestines and cause a blockage faster and more severe than any hairball ever could.
We strongly believe in feeding cats a diet that is healthy and in line with their actual needs, because it’s the best way to prevent them from falling ill. It can be a challenge, though, given the poor quality of most commercial cat foods and treats. That’s why we strive to include only the best of the best in our reviews, so you don’t have to look for it.
Best Hairball Treats For Cats Reviews
The best hairball treats for cats fight the problem on all fronts, while not compromising your cat’s health with too many unhealthy, processed ingredients. We have compared more than a dozen commercially available cat treats on their ability to prevent hairballs, and have picked the top five products that adhere to our standards of healthy cat care.
Overall Best Hairball Treats For Cats: Whole Life Pet Salmon Cat Treats
As we’ve established, the best and most effective way to prevent hairballs is by keeping your cat’s skin and coat healthy. Because hairs that don’t fall out won’t end up in your cat’s stomach.
What better way to achieve this than by giving your cat a natural source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, like salmon. Whole Life Pet Salmon Cat Treats are actual flakes of freeze-dried wild-caught salmon. There are no additives, no preservatives, and no artificial flavors of any kind. This is a truly all natural, all healthy cat treat.
The dry flakes vary in size with a slightly chewy to crunchy texture, depending on their thickness. If your cat doesn’t like this, you can rehydrate them in some warm water to make them soft.
Cat owners report their cat’s coat becoming shinier and shedding less after giving them this treat. It also helps to improve digestion. The only real complaint people have is that the treats smell like raw fish. Because they are raw fish, after all.
If you can get over the smell, then you can rest assured that you are giving your cat the best of the best in skin care. Remember: it works for humans too.
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Best Probiotic Hairball Treats: Stella & Chewy’s Skin & Coat Boost Treats
Stella & Chewy’s Skin & Coat Boost Treats are a great alternative if you don’t like the fishy smell of salmon. Mind you, these treats do contain salmon and fish oil, but they don’t overtly taste or smell of it. Still, don’t give them to your cats if they are allergic to seafood.
These treats from Stella & Chewy’s are freeze-dried and contain only quality proteins like duck, turkey and salmon, along with zinc, biotin, and other probiotics that promote good skin health and a shiny coat. There are no grains or artificial additives in this all natural cat treat, making them a perfectly healthy choice.
The treats themselves are quite big, but light and easy to tear or crumble. You can give them as they are, sprinkle them over some wet food or rehydrate them in some water. The water will soak up the flavor of the treats, creating a sort of broth that cats seem to find very yummy.
If your cat suffers from constipation from hairballs, consider supplementing this treat with Stella & Chewy’s Digestive Boost. This is a freeze-dried chicken treat with natural sources of fiber, enzymes and probiotics to support the gastrointestinal tract.
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Best Vet Recommended Hairball Treats: VetriScience Laboratories Hairball Chews
VetriScience Laboratories uses the expertise of scientists and veterinarians in the development of their products, so you can be sure they do what they’re supposed to. Their Hairball Chews are no different.
They contain omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids that keep your cat’s skin supple and support the lining of the digestive tract. They also contain zinc and biotin, and psyllium husk powder, which helps regulate bowel movements.
The difference between these treats and freeze-dried ones is that VetriScience Hairball Chews get their ingredients from non-animal sources. This can be beneficial for cats that struggle with food sensitivities or allergies. However, in general, cats don’t do well on plant based diets. They are obligate carnivores, so whenever possible, always choose animal food sources.
Luckily, these treats are formulated in such a way that you only need to give your cat one or two a day for them to do their job and get rid of those hairballs.
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Related Post: Can Cats Survive On A Vegan Diet?
Can cats survive on a vegan diet? In short: no. Read this article to learn about the risks associated with vegan diets for cats and why cats can’t be vegan.Best Laxative Hairball Treats: Tomlyn Hairball Remedy Chews
If you are looking for a cat treat that also works as a laxative, then give Tomlyn Hairball Remedy Chews a try. These soft chews contain canola oil and fatty acids that help lubricate your cat’s intestines to easily pass the hairballs.
As with VetriScience, these treats from Tomlyn are made with plant based ingredients. But, as the package states, you should only give your cat one or two chews per day. They are perfectly safe to give if your cat is on an otherwise balanced diet.
And they actually work! Whether your cat only has the occasional hairball, or is actively suffering from constipation, these treats will do the trick.
However, not all cats seem to enjoy them. If your cat doesn’t like these treats, you might try the Tomlyn Hairball Remedy Paste instead. It has a soft texture and a tuna flavor that may be more to your cat’s liking.
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Best All-In-One Treats For Cats: Strawfield Super Chews For Cats
Strawfield Super Chews For Cats are the perfect treat for cats that are ailing on more than one front. Whether your cat has hairballs, the sniffles, digestive issues, dandruff… These treats will help with all of it.
They contain omega fatty acids and probiotics like most of the treats we’ve reviewed. What makes them different is the addition of an amino acid called L-lysine. L-lysine is used to control the feline herpes virus (FHV-1).
We should note that the actual effectiveness of L-lysine in combating the herpes virus is contested by recent studies and many vets have stopped prescribing it for that reason. However, cat owners do report their cats doing better overall when given an L-lysine supplement like Strawfield Super Chews.
Whether or not you choose to give your cat these treats is up to you. If you do, let your veterinarian know, because L-lysine can cause undesired interactions with other medications. Also check that your regular cat food doesn’t already contain L-lysine. Your cat can overdose on this amino acid.
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Our Favorite: Whole Life Pet Salmon Cat Treats
The best cat treat is an all natural cat treat. That’s why Whole Life Pet Salmon Cat Treats are our top pick as the best hairball treats for cats. Unless your cat is allergic to salmon, you can’t go wrong with this treat.
The natural omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids will give your cat healthy skin, a soft, shiny fur coat and a smooth digestive tract. Hairball will soon be a thing of the past, and your cat will love you for it!