How to Get Rid of Your Cat's Hairballs

Your cat can spend all day licking and swallowing their hair. However, sometimes this natural process of grooming causes your cat to gag and hack up hairballs that have built up in their stomach. Although hairballs are rarely a serious problem, there are a number of things you can do to help get rid of your cat's hairballs. When your cat first starts hacking, give her ¼ teaspoon of Vaseline to help the hairball flow through the digestive system easier. It may be difficult to get your pet to swallow Vaseline but you can dab some on her paws so she can lick it off and swallow it that way. You can do this once a day for three to five days to help get rid of hairballs.

If your cat still doesn't take to the taste of petroleum jelly you can always go to a pet store and buy some hairball lubricants, which are very tasty to cats. Cats will lick the hairball lubricant no stop, which helps get rid of hairballs stuck in their stomach. Another effective hairball treatment is butter. Butter, of course, is a natural lubricant that will help smooth out the hairballs but also helps the gallbladder to constrict and empty bile into the digestive system. Butter helps to quicken the process of eliminating hairballs out of a cat's system before too much of it gathers.

A high fiber diet can also help to get rid of your cat's hairballs. A diet high in fiber will always get the digestive system moving allowing food, and hairballs, to move out of the system without causing a major backup. Be sure to get a high-fiber diet that contains 3.5-10 percent in fiber. If your cat is constantly grooming herself, it could be fleas. Fix the flea problem with any number of flea sprays and powders available for cats at your pet store or the vet. You can also help get rid of hairballs by keeping your cat groomed, especially during the spring and summer months, if you brush more often, your cat doesn't have to do it. Be sure to wipe your cat down after you groom them to get rid of loose hairs.

Some cats just like to lick to pass the time. If your cat seems to just like to lick her fur, try giving them a toy or playing with them more often. You can also open up the blinds or curtains, so they can watch all of the activity going on with the birds and squirrels. Getting her mind on something else could help stop your cat from licking excessively and cutting down on the amount of hairballs in her system.