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Why do my cats still get hairballs despite brushing and products?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | 7 years and 4 months old | 9 lbs

Hello, I was just wondering how I can control hairballs in my cats. The Laxatone, etc products don't work and I do brush. Thank you.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By David Darvishian

Veterinarian

Published on August 23rd, 2017

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Hairballs are a very complex problem and are not normal despite them being accepted by a lot of people in the veterinary profession and many cat owners. Hairballs are caused by abnormal digestive tract motility or by increased grooming due to skin diseases, psychological distress, and pain. Pain anywhere can cause increased grooming. It's important to discuss this with your veterinarian and set up an appointment to have Faith evaluated for potential problems that may contribute to their formation. Your veterinarian can perform a good physical exam, take a thorough history, and then advise some diagnostics to help sort this out. Good luck with Faith

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    Answered By David Darvishian

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    So basically it's trying to figure out what is causing the problem. A physical exam, fecal exam, lab tests, x-rays +/- ultrasound are good starting points when trying to evaluate whether it's an over grooming problem or the problem stems from gut motility being affected. Intestinal parasites, pancreatitis, gall bladder/liver problems, inflammatory bowel disease, sore joints, painful skin disease, etc are among some of the many problems contributing to hairball formation. I hope some of this sheds some light on this complex topic. Without knowing the real cause an adequate treatment is just a band aid on a bigger problem. Good luck with Faith.

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