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How Nutrition Can Help Manage Your Cat’s Hairballs

Why Make a Hairball Management Formula?

Most cats are susceptible to hairballs due to continual ingestion of hair during regular self-grooming.
Cat owners have told us that hairballs are one of their top concerns.
According to IAMS™ consumer research, a number of cat owners and their cats have found hairball treatments to be an unpleasant experience.

How Were the IAMS Hairball Formulas Developed?

IAMS nutritionists were looking for a way to control hairball formation while maintaining optimal feline health and well-being. They evaluated risk factors for hairball formation in cats fed diets that varied in fiber source and content.

98 cats were studied.
Nine groups were fed test diets and three were fed control diets.
The test-feeding period was six to seven weeks, following a five-week control-feeding period.
Total cat-days of testing = 9,968.

Researchers found that feeding diets that contained a blend of beet pulp and cellulose was more effective at moving hair through the digestive tract, compared with the same diets containing beet pulp as the only fiber source.

There was an 80% to 100% increase in fecal hair excretion with beet pulp/cellulose-blend diets, compared with the beet-pulp-only diet.
By promoting the passage of hair ingested by the cat during normal self-grooming, an important risk factor for hairball formation is minimized.
Hairballs were not evident in cats fed the beet pulp/cellulose-blend diets.

How Do IAMS Hairball Formulas Work?

The fiber system (blend of beet pulp/cellulose) gently moves hair through the gastrointestinal tract while maintaining healthy digestion.
- Beet pulp, a moderately fermentable fiber, promotes optimal intestinal health.
- Cellulose helps to enhance the passage of ingested hair.
An optimal fatty acid ratio enhances skin and coat health, which decreases the likelihood of excessive shedding, a factor related to hairball formation.

How Do IAMS Hairball Formulas Compare with Other IAMS Cat Food Formulas?

IAMS hairball formulas provide high-quality nutrition and taste, like our other adult formulas, with the added benefit of reducing the risk of hairballs.

High-quality nutrition for adult cats
- Optimal protein and fat levels
- Higher fiber content due to added cellulose
- Excellent stool quality, skin and coat condition, and taurine status
Great taste
- Similar acceptability and palatability test results as other IAMS adult formulas

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Is Your Cat Overweight, Underweight or Just Right?
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This article is part of a series on how to spot signs of a healthy cat. You can learn more about the key signs here.

Assessing your cat’s body condition is an important step in evaluating their overall nutritional well-being. Particularly in cases where your cat appears to be obese or thin, it is important to evaluate their total health before consulting a vet for a proper nutritional management program. Look for the following signs that your cat is overweight, underweight or just the right size.

Thin Cat
Ribs, lumbar vertebrae and pelvic bones are easily visible
Thick neck and narrow waist
Obvious abdominal tuck
No fat in flank folds; folds are often absent
Underweight Cat
Backbone and ribs can be easily seen or felt
Minimal fat covering
Minimal waist when viewed from above
Slightly tucked abdomen
Ideal-weight Cat
Ribs are easily felt, but not visible
A slight waist can be seen behind the ribs when viewed from above
Abdomen is tucked up and flank folds are present
Overweight Cat
Slight increase in fat over ribs, but still easily felt
Abdomen is slightly rounded and flanks are concave
Flank folds hang down with moderate amount of fat — you might notice a jiggle when your cat is walking
Obese Cat
Ribs and backbone aren’t easily felt under a heavy fat covering
Abdomen is rounded; waist is barely visible or absent
Prominent flank folds sway from side to side when your cat is walking
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