Trichobezoar.
It sounds like a dinosaur from the Cretaceous period, but nope, it’s the technical term for a hairball, that cylindrical wad of hair and digestive juices expelled, after some retching and gagging, from your pet cat.
Lovely visuals.
Later, we will explore the topic of best cat food for hairballs, but first, let’s delve into the how and why of the feline hairball.
In this article, we’re going to review the following cat foods for Hairballs:
- Nutro Wholesome Essentials Hairball Control
- Hill’s Science Diet Adult Hairball Control
- IAMS Proactive Health Indoor Weight and Hairball Care
- Blue Buffalo Adult Indoor Hairball Control
- Purina Pro Plan Focus Hairball Management
Our fastidious companions are constantly using that barbed tongue to groom themselves, removing dander and loose hair, especially cleaning themselves up after meals.
They also tend to lick other cats in their household, and we think this is a form of bonding with each other.
According to the Cornell Feline Health Center, most of the hair a cat ingests moves uneventfully through their GI tract and out through their feces. Plainly, they eat it, and they pass it.
Unfortunately, some of that hair can stay in the stomach and form a wet clump, a hairball.
The term hairball is a misnomer, because it comes out on your freshly-cleaned carpet in an elongated, cylindrical shape, not a sphere.
Yuck.
Back in the old days, we would get the tube of Hairball Remedy out of the cabinet, wrangle the cat out from under the bed and the fight would be on, to get him to eat that gooey medicine out of a tube.
Now, we are lucky to have cat food made specifically to reduce or eliminate hairballs, and since we have to feed Felix anyway, this is very convenient.
I have compiled a list of the Top 5 Best Cat Food for Hairballs, to make it easier for you to choose how to best deal with Felix’s trichobezoars.
The 5 Best Cat Food for Hairballs Reviews
1. Nutro Wholesome Essentials Hairball Control Adult Dry
This cat food is full of healthy ingredients, with farm-raised chicken being the first ingredient.
It contains a natural fiber blend, which helps to minimize hairball formation.
It also touts essential antioxidants such as Vitamin E and is made with non-GMO ingredients.
This food has an even higher rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars on Chewy.com, with glowing comments such as, “Great stuff. Highly recommend,” and “Really works.”
This food is appropriate for cats aged 1 year+.
It comes in three sizes, 3lb, 6.5lb and 14lb bags.
Mary only buys natural, antibiotic-free food for herself, such as free-range chicken.
When her cat Stormy developed a hairball problem, the Nutro Wholesome Essentials Hairball Control diet was the one she chose for her feline best friend.
Is this the best cat food for hairballs?
It sounds like this Nutro diet is worth nibbling on, but what other options are there?
2. Hill’s Science Diet Adult Hairball Control
It comes in 3.5lb, 7lb and 15.5lb bags of dry food/ Science Diet proclaims their diets to be based on 100% precisely balanced nutrition, with nutrient-rich Hill’s, high-quality ingredients.
This food contains natural fiber to comfortably reduce hairballs, clinically proven antioxidants and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.
Besides this version for adult cats, it also comes in a variety for cats that are 7+ years old, a light version for overweight felines and a product that is made for cats with history of urinary tract issues as well as hairballs.
There is also a canned version of this product for kitties who prefer canned over dry food.
Bill runs a cat rescue.
He separates the cats into “herds,” by age and other factors such as activity level and medical issues.
He detests hairballs and uses cat food to prevent hairballs if he can.
Hill’s Science Diet is his go-to company because of the different diet options it has produced.
Holy hairball, cat man!
Has Hill’s cornered the science of hairballs?
Pawsibly so.
Haven’t found a diet which fits your cat purrfectly?
Read on.
3. IAMS Proactive Health Indoor Weight and Hairball Care
The IAMS company has created this protein-rich product, with chicken as the number one ingredient, l-carnitine for maintaining a cat’s healthy weight, and a fiber blend with beet pulp, which helps reduce hairballs before they start.
IAMS also has this product in a regular version, for cats who are not prone to weight issues and a version made for mature (senior) cats.
This cat food comes in 4 different sizes, 3.5lb, 7lb, 16lb and 22lb bags of dry food.
Stephen supplements his diet with protein to help build muscle when working out.
He has a young male cat, Biff, who is very athletic and muscular.
Because Stephen specifically wants Biff to have a high-protein but not high-calorie diet, along with hairball control, he makes sure that Biff doesn’t run out of the IAMS Proactive Health Indoor Weight and Hairball Care food.
Have you heard the mews?
This is a good option for overweight felines with hairball issues.
4. Blue Buffalo Adult Indoor Hairball Control
This diet has protein-rich, deboned chicken as a first ingredient, and also contains wholesome whole grains, garden veggies and fruit.
I almost forgot we are talking about cat food here, sounds yummy.
To help reduce hairballs, Blue Buffalo has mixed a unique blend of natural fiber sources, cellulose and psyllium seed husks.
This is a natural product.
You will find no chicken by-product meals, corn, wheat, soy or artificial flavors or preservatives in this food.
Customers on Chewy.com like this product a lot, they have rated it at 4.8 out of 5 stars, claiming it is “Fantastic,” “No more hairballs” and “Outstanding results.”
The only negative comments came from a few people whose finicky felines wouldn’t touch the stuff.
This natural food comes in 3lb, 5lb, 7lb and 15lb bags of dry food.
Laura is a vegetarian.
She is also a cat lover.
She knows, from talking to her veterinarian, that cats are meat-eaters, but she also wants her cats, Boots and Socks, to eat fruits and vegetables.
She loves feeding the Blue Buffalo Adult Indoor Hairball Control to her cats, and they love her for it.
Is this Blue Buffalo diet the best cat food for hairball control?
Maybe so, let’s look at one more product.
5. Purina Pro Plan Focus Hairball Management
This high-end Purina product has chicken as the #1 ingredient, contains natural fiber to control hairballs, and contains 40% protein to meet a cat’s unique nutritional needs.
Chewy.com customers love this product and have rated it at 4.8 out of 5 stars.
They say that this food is their cat’s new favorite and that less hairballs means less work.
Consumers have a choice of 3.5, 7 and 16lb bags of dry food.
James only does business with tried-and-true, established companies and avoids all the so-called fly-by-night startups that no one know anything about.
What is now the Nestle Purina Company, which makes the Purina Pro Plan Focus Hairball Management food, was originally started in 1894, according to Wikipedia.
“If they have stayed in business this long, they must be doing something right,” says James.
He decisively chose this product for his beloved Kit Kat, and her hairballs are history.
Another good choice in the cat and mouse game of hairball control.
Conclusion:
In order to fight the dreaded trichobezoar, I have compiled this list of dietary options.
What is the best cat food for hairballs?
It depends.
I have detailed five different good options.
All five options come in a variety of bag sizes, so you can start out with a small bag and then buy a larger size next time when you have found a good match for you and your feline.
If you are looking for an all-natural or more natural option, both the Nutro Wholesome Essentials and the Blue Buffalo variety would fit the bill.
If you need lots of options, including a canned option, a light option for overweight cats, an option that is made for senior cats and one that is made for felines with a history of urinary tract issues, then the Hill’s products are for you.
I hope this information will help you choose the path to eradication of the slimy, tubular hair creatures hacked up on the living room floor.
Fur real.