Ellen Barber 
Katie Dahlhausen, PhD 
Shân Osborn 
When your cat hacks up a slimy hairball, you may be disgusted or annoyed (especially if a favorite rug is involved). But you might also wonder whether it’s normal.
An occasional regurgitated wad of hair isn’t cause for alarm. However, frequent hairballs may mean your cat has an underlying health problem, such as anxiety, allergies, or an imbalanced gut microbiome (the community of microorganisms in the digestive tract).
Here’s how to keep your cat’s digestion running smoothly — and lessen your chances of trampling on squishy surprises in the night.
Key Takeaways
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Why Do Cats Get Hairballs?
Domestic cats spend 30–50% of their day grooming themselves (that is a lot of licking!). Grooming is essential for a cat’s health; it keeps them clean, helps regulate temperature, and is deeply soothing.
Because of the hook-shaped protrusions (papillae) on their tongues, cats end up swallowing much of the loose hair they lick from their coats. This hair is a normal part of feline digestion.
Uh, Do They Poop This Hair Out?
A lot of it, yes. Hair (also known as fur in cats) is made of keratin, a protein that mammals can’t digest, so most of the fur cats swallow is passed along, unprocessed, and eliminated with the stool.
When cat parents send poop samples to us for gut microbiome analysis, they’re sometimes alarmed to see clumps of hair in their cat’s stool. But that’s actually normal. We’ve processed thousands of cat fecal samples, and as our Chief Science Officer, Dr. Holly Ganz, said, “I can tell you that there is a lot of hair in there.”
So while hair in stool might look surprising, it’s often a sign that your cat’s digestive system is doing its job: moving ingested fur efficiently through the intestines.
What if They Can't Poop All the Hair Out?
Sometimes, ingested hair stays behind in a cat’s stomach and forms a ball — the technical term is trichobezoar. If the hairball becomes too big to pass into the intestines, it’s regurgitated instead. Traveling through the esophagus on its way back out squeezes the ball into more of a poop (or bullet) shape.
“It’s not uncommon for a cat to regurgitate a hairball once every week or two,” said Richard Goldstein, DVM, of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
Cat hairballs happen either because the ingested hair can’t move easily through the digestive tract, or because the cat is taking in more hair than their system can handle.
Your Cat's Gut Has More to Do With Hairballs Than You Think
The gut microbiome performs all kinds of important functions that support digestion and nutrient absorption. So if your cat is producing frequent hairballs, it may indicate that digestion isn’t working as efficiently as it should, possibly due to intestinal inflammation or an imbalanced gut microbiome.
The Importance of Gut Motility
More than a few hairballs a month may suggest that your cat’s digestive motility — their ability to move material along the GI tract — is impaired. When motility is impaired, things don’t move through the gut at the pace they should, giving hair more time to accumulate.
Motility and the microbiome influence each other: an imbalanced microbiome can slow the gut, and sluggish motility can, in turn, change the microbiome’s composition. This means that addressing one (the balance of the microbiome) can help with the other.
Is Your Cat’s Gut Microbiome out of Balance?
When beneficial bacteria are missing, or harmful ones take over, the gut becomes imbalanced — a state called dysbiosis. This imbalance can trigger inflammation and slow digestion, increasing the likelihood of hairballs. Dysbiosis is also linked to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a condition that further disrupts gut motility and can make hairballs more frequent.
Our simple, at-home Gut Microbiome Test for Cats can reveal whether your cat’s microbiome is balanced. The test uses a small stool sample and provides a personalized report with actionable insights, plus diet and supplement recommendations based on your cat’s unique bacterial profile.
Because early detection of dysbiosis can help prevent a whole host of downstream issues, understanding your cat’s digestive health is one of the best proactive steps you can take in keeping your cat healthy.
How (Specific) Prebiotics and Probiotics Can Help With Hairballs
All those different kinds of gut bacteria need the right fuel in order to perform their functions. By feeding the good bacteria in your cat’s gut with the proper nutrients, you can reduce or even eliminate uncomfortable symptoms like frequent hairballs.
Substances that feed and promote the growth of healthy bacteria are called prebiotics. Common prebiotics include fibers such as inulin, fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS), and mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS).
Studies have shown that FOS offers particular benefits for cats. Our S. boulardii + FOS Powder supplement contains both this helpful prebiotic and the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii, which has been shown to reduce inflammation and promote beneficial bacterial growth. The powder can easily be added to your cat’s food.
Bacteria “eat” prebiotics through fermentation. The byproducts of that process — called postbiotics — are also vital for gut health. One of the most important groups of postbiotics is short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which help regulate intestinal motility.
Rebalancing Your Cat’s Gut
If your cat’s Gut Microbiome Test results show missing beneficial bacteria or excessive harmful populations, restoring balance can help resolve a range of symptoms, including frequent hairballs.
One way to do this is by taking good bacteria from healthy cats and introducing them to the gut of a cat with dysbiosis. Also known as a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT), it is now available in oral capsules, so you don’t have to put your cat through any uncomfortable or expensive procedures.
For example, our Gut Restore supplement is an oral FMT option that quickly introduces a diverse, cat-specific community of healthy microbes. These fill in missing bacteria, crowd out harmful ones, and support long-term balance for your cat.
[CAT PHOTO]
Do Other Animals Get Hairballs?
They can! The hyena, a cousin of the cat, is known to get hairballs. Hyenas can digest bones but not hair, so in the wild, they solve this problem by regularly regurgitating hairballs.
Another interesting example is the alligator. A few years ago, a wildlife biologist was surprised to find a hog hair hairball in an alligator’s stomach — suggesting that, depending on their diet, alligators may retch up hairballs, too.
Overgrooming May Indicate Anxiety, Allergies, or Pain
Cats who retch up a lot of hairballs may be ingesting an abnormal amount of hair because they’re grooming too much.
Excessive grooming can result from:
- Anxiety or stress, such as from a sudden change in the home environment.
- Skin conditions, including allergies or flea irritation
- Pain, leading cats to lick specific body areas more aggressively.
If you notice your cat grooming too often or too intensely, consult your veterinarian (DVM) to rule out underlying causes.
Can Hairballs Be Dangerous?
If a hairball becomes lodged in the intestines, it can cause a potentially life-threatening blockage. Gastrointestinal blockages require prompt veterinary care.
See your vet immediately if your cat has:
- Repeated unproductive retching.
- Lethargy.
- Loss of appetite.
- Constipation or diarrhea.
Coughing can sometimes be mistaken for hairball gagging. If your cat is coughing frequently, consult your vet. It could indicate asthma or another respiratory issue.
What Can You Do to Prevent Hairballs?
You can help your cat avoid hairballs by making small, practical changes at home:
- Brush or comb your cat regularly to help remove loose hair, especially for long-haired cats (like Maine Coons and Persians) and older cats.
- Support gut health with microbiome testing, prebiotics, and probiotics.
- Ensure proper hydration with multiple water sources or wet food.
- Feed smaller, more frequent meals to help prevent hair accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Don't give any sort of laxative without first consulting your veterinarian.
Hair's the Final Word
Hairballs are part of life for most cats, but frequent ones are usually a sign that something’s amiss.
By supporting your cat’s digestion, gut microbiome, and grooming habits, you can keep their system running smoothly (and hairball retching to a minimum).
If you’re unsure where to start, a simple Gut Microbiome Test can help uncover whether gut imbalance might be contributing to your cat’s hairball problem. It will also help you create a personalized plan for better overall feline health.Should I worry if my cat is getting hairballs?
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I treat my cat’s hairballs at home?
Regular brushing, hydration, and a balanced diet with the correct fiber supplements help reduce hairballs naturally. This Fiber Biome Blend powder offers a blend of several fibers that feed healthy bacteria throughout a cat’s digestive tract. Supporting gut health with probiotics can also make a major difference, as can oral FMT capsules.
How do I stop my cat from having so many hairballs?
Pet parents should focus on supporting digestion and reducing stress. Feeding smaller meals, brushing daily, and maintaining a healthy gut microbiome with supplements can prevent excess hair buildup. A groomer may help with long-haired or mobility-impaired cats.
How does a cat’s diet affect hairballs?
A diet rich in moisture and fiber keeps digestion smooth, helping swallowed hair to pass naturally. Hairball control foods can be a useful hairball remedy for some cats; they work mainly because added fiber helps move swallowed hair through the digestive tract. But fiber alone does not address the underlying gut microbiome health that also influences hairball formation. A high-quality diet, along with gut health supplements that include specific probiotics and fiber to keep your cat’s digestive system running smoothly, may be a safer hairball prevention strategy.
Do hairball treats, chews, or gels really work?
Some hairball products can ease digestion by lubricating the digestive tract. However, many contain mineral oils like petroleum jelly, which aren’t ideal for long-term use or pet health.
