As the name implies, a hairball is in fact a ball of hair – the clump of ingested fur forms in a kitty's tummy and, if it becomes too big, causes that "present" found on your carpet. Because of the heat of the season, many cats shed more in the summertime, making this a growing problem. 
Even though cats groom themselves excessively, it's still important to brush them during this time, especially long-haired cats who've got more coat to collect. If you're noticing (or worried about) this problem, switch to a high-quality, special hairball formula food or a petroleum-based digestive aid. Already have a picky kitty on your hands? Try adding a teaspoon of yummy canned pumpkin or baby food squash to his normal food: The sticky stuff can help coat the tummy's contents and hopefully allow your cat to smoothly pass the hairball in the litterbox instead.
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Get on the Hairballs This Summer!
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when my husband and i were dating, we were at my house and the cat had a hair ball. hubby picked it up and thought it was a cigar until the moment he touched it. he was so grossed out. i still laugh to this day!
1ha ha jessie that is hilarious
I give my cats a "petroleum based digestive aid," but I feel funny about it and I'm not sure it even helps. The long haired kitty gets unbelievable hairballs.
2What ever happened to a good combing session? Just sayin...
3fuzzles, my long haired kitty hates being brushed so I never get very far with her. I've tried different kinds of brushes but they all freak her out. the short haired kitty, who doesnt even need to be brushed, loves it, of course!
4My cat rarely ever coughs up a fur ball. I can't remember the last time it happened. She is a Siamese with short hair, though. She just gets her shedding loose all over the house!
5my cat rarely coughs up hairballs. weird thing is that she just threw one up a couple of minutes before i read this.
6The photo looks almost like my little chihuahua. Black and white and lots of hair.
7i came home sunday night to a very foul smell in the bedroom and found it - a kitty hairball on the comforter. any idea why they smell so bad? febreeze didn't help - made it smell like hairball and febreeze so into the washer the comforter went. my kitty constantly has hairballs ... even with the brushing. yuck!!!
8has anyone tried the pumpkin or baby food trick? i feed canned pumpkin to my pups and they love it ... not sure the kitty would eat it. any suggestions for baby food types or is it pumpkin baby food?
9i feed my cats an indoor cat food formula that is suppose to help with hairballs. it is actually lower calorie than light food, my cat is obese. hopefully it helps, she wont eat any hairball remedies regularly and 2 years ago she spent 3 days at the hospital because she had a GIANT hairball blocking her digestive track. the vet got her to pass it finally but she lots a lot of weight very quickly in the process.
i try everything i can to help with her hairballs but she never coughs them up so hopefully she is passing more hair out the other end so we dont have to deal with a giant ball again. i did notice that her poo did seem to have a bit more hair at first when we switched but i quit sticking my head in the litter box right after she was done after a while, not a pleasant smell, hehehe.
10I feed my kitties Hiei and Pharaoh a teaspoon of Cod Liver Oil once a month and brush them out at least once a week, so far, no hairball problems yet! And, they love the fishy oil.
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