Cat Food for Hairballs: What the Fiber Research Shows
In a trial with 32 cats, food with 20% added sugarcane fiber made the animals pass 3.8 hairballs per day in the feces, against 6.6 in the group with no added fiber. Cellulose, another insoluble fiber, came in at 6.8: it changed nothing. There is evidence that the type of fiber matters, but no cat food in our catalog lists sugarcane fiber, and seven carry "Hairball" in the product name.
This article separates what the study measured from what the food label says. You will see what the research supports, where it stops and when the subject stops being about food and becomes a vet visit.
Does hairball cat food work?
There is evidence, not a guarantee. A 2014 trial in the Journal of Nutritional Science showed that sugarcane fiber reduced the hairballs passed in the feces of neutered cats. Cellulose had no effect. The study measured feces, not vomit, and was funded by a company.
The researchers at UNESP fed 32 cats for 42 days with four foods similar in protein and fat. Only the fiber varied: none added, 10% sugarcane, 20% sugarcane or 10% cellulose. Each group had 8 cats, and feces were collected and examined in three periods.
| Study food | Total fiber | Hairballs per cat per day (in feces) |
|---|---|---|
| No added fiber | 13% | 6.6 |
| 10% sugarcane fiber | 19.9% | 4.4 |
| 20% sugarcane fiber | 27% | 3.8 |
| 10% cellulose | 20.1% | 6.8 |
In the cats with no added fiber, the number of large hairballs (over 2.1 cm, about 0.8 in) rose over the course of the study. At the end of the 42 days, the cats on 20% sugarcane fiber passed no large hairballs at all.
Three limits weigh on the reading. The group was small, the acknowledgments in the paper state that SPF Brasil funded the research, and the authors conclude that fiber may reduce hairball formation without claiming it solves the problem. They also note that the effect of cellulose may depend on fiber length: the sugarcane fiber measured 188 micrometers, the cellulose 112.
How much fiber does the food need?
Nobody knows the ideal amount. The study tested three levels of total fiber, from 13% to 27%, and the effect grew with the dose of sugarcane fiber; the authors themselves say other levels need to be evaluated. A US label gives a guaranteed analysis for crude fiber, which is not the same number the study measured.
What our catalog shows is the guaranteed crude fiber on the label, which runs from 2% to 12% across the 53 cat food lines. Fiber follows the "indoor" label: the 21 indoor lines average 6.8%, against 4.1% for the other 32. Seven lines carry "Hairball" in the name, and they average 6.9%, about the same as the indoor lines, not above them. A hairball name signals the claim on the bag, not a higher fiber number than an indoor formula already has.
| Line | Guaranteed crude fiber | Fiber source in the cataloged ingredients |
|---|---|---|
| Hill's Science Diet Adult Urinary & Hairball Control | 9.5% | powdered cellulose |
| IAMS ProActive Health Hairball Care | 8.5% | dried plain beet pulp, powdered cellulose |
| Meow Mix Hairball Control | 7% | powdered cellulose, ground soybean hulls |
| Blue Buffalo Tastefuls Indoor Hairball Control | 5.6% | powdered cellulose |
None of these lines lists sugarcane fiber, and none of the 53 lines in the catalog does. The study did not test any of these products, so it does not allow saying that a specific food prevents hairballs.
Cellulose deserves attention: it appears in the ingredient list of all four lines above, and in the study the purified cellulose tested did not change the result. That holds for that cellulose, at that dose, and does not rate the food. The same paper cites another study, using 4% cellulose, that recorded less vomiting, retching and coughing. The evidence on fiber type does not close yet.
Why do cats vomit hairballs?
Cats swallow hair when they groom. Usually the hair passes through the intestine and leaves in the feces; if it builds up in the stomach, vomiting may eliminate it. A retrospective study in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery records that some see this as a normal process and others see it as a sign of a problem.
The 2023 paper says frequent expulsion has been pointed to as a sign of pathological grooming or underlying gastrointestinal disease. In other words, vomiting hair now and then and vomiting it often are not the same thing. In the second case, the subject is for the veterinarian.
The UNESP paper cites observations of cats that spend up to a third of their waking time grooming. The amount of hair swallowed varies from cat to cat, and this article has no source to say that brushing reduces the problem. That is why brushing is left out of the claims here.
When are hairballs a vet issue?
When the vomiting is frequent or comes with other signs. In the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery study, 44 cats operated on for an obstruction caused by hairballs arrived with acute vomiting or worsening chronic vomiting. Of the 44, 27 (61.4%) were also eating less or nothing, and 10 (22.7%) were lethargic.
Those numbers describe cats that already had an obstruction. They do not let you diagnose yours at home, and this article does not diagnose. They show the picture that led these animals to surgery: vomiting that repeats, loss of appetite and lethargy.
If your cat vomits hair often, or vomits and starts eating less, take the cat to the veterinarian. At that point the question is no longer which food to buy. In the experience of the authors of that study, supportive treatment may let the obstruction pass, but a share of the cats end up needing surgery.
How do you choose a food without promising what it cannot deliver?
Use fiber as one criterion among several, and be wary of packaging that promises "hairball control" without showing what changed in the formula. The table of hairball lines helps compare the guaranteed fiber, and the block below shows the top-rated foods in the cat ranking by overall score, not by effect on hairballs.
To filter by your cat's age, neutering status and weight, see the cat food ranking. To compare two lines side by side, use the cat food comparison tool.
Frequently asked questions
Does fiber in the food prevent hairball vomiting?
The 2014 study did not measure vomiting. It counted the hairballs passed in the feces and saw a drop with sugarcane fiber. Saying fiber prevents vomiting would go beyond what the research showed.
Is food for neutered or indoor cats good for hairballs?
The 32 cats in the study were neutered, but the result came from the added fiber, not from a "neutered" or "indoor" label. The indoor lines in our catalog carry more fiber, 6.8% on average against 4.1% for the rest, but only seven lines name hairballs, and none lists sugarcane fiber.
Can I trust the fiber number on the label?
It works to compare one line with another. It does not tell you the type of fiber or its length, which, according to the study authors, may make a difference. It is also crude fiber, a different measure from the total fiber the study reports.
To find the food that fits your cat's age, weight and neutering status, take the questionnaire.
Picked by score from our overall cat ranking, not by the topic of this article. To get it right for your pet — age, weight, spayed or neutered — take the quiz and get a list made for them. A pet with a diagnosed condition needs a diet prescribed by a veterinarian.
