> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://my-feline.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Hairballs and Gastrointestinal Health - URL: https://my-feline.com/hairballs-and-gastrointestinal-health/ - Published: 2025-02-14T09:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-26T14:31:55.000Z - Description: Discover the science behind hairball formation and learn strategies for prevention. This article explores recent research on how diet, grooming, and other factors influence hairball development in cats. - Author: James Cudd - Tags: Medical Conditions & Prevention, library Every cat owner knows the sound. That low, rhythmic heave from the next room, followed by a small damp offering on the carpet. Studies have shown how cats handle the hair they swallow while grooming, and what makes hairballs more likely. The occasional one is normal. Knowing when they might mean something else is what helps. ### How Cats Groom ![Cat Grooming](https://ismqigxmrhobxfjfipgo.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/library-medical-conditions-and-prevention/MCP-003/MCP-003%20Section%201.jpg) Cats spend around a quarter to a third of their waking hours on personal hygiene. Their tongue is covered in tiny backward-facing hooks called papillae, which work like a built-in comb. Loose fur comes away with every lick, and most of it gets swallowed. A short-haired cat loses roughly 28g of hair for every kilogram of body weight each year, and about two-thirds of it ends up in the stomach. Most of that hair passes through on its own. Sometimes it collects into a clump instead, and that clump is a hairball. The scientific name is a trichobezoar, which is basically a small wet sausage of fur. For most cats, the occasional hairball is nothing to worry about. But research suggests that frequent hairballs outside the shedding seasons may be a sign of something else going on... **Download and sign up to the My Feline app to read the full article...** --- Research rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 of 5). Last updated 25 August 2026. ### Sources - Loureiro, B. A., et al. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition. - Weber, M., et al. Veterinary Medicine and Science. - Woerde, D. J., et al. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery Open Reports.