Cats naturally ingest hair when they groom themselves, and this hair accumulates in the stomach, creating hairballs. To prevent an abdominal obstruction, the cat must pass the hairballs, either by vomiting or defecating. Owners most often notice hairballs when their pets vomit them.

One or more of these natural hairball remedies might help your cat pass hairballs more easily:

• 1 teaspoon of bran daily
  
• 1/8 teaspoon unflavored fiber product or unprocessed psyllium hulls daily
  
• 1 teaspoon canned pumpkin or strained prunes daily
  
• 1/8 teaspoon slippery elm daily

These are all natural and can be combined as needed. Also, manufacturers have developed capsulated fiber products that can be opened and mixed in food.

You can help cut down on the number of hairballs your cat must pass by regularly grooming your cat. Weekly or even more frequent grooming sessions will cut down on the amount of hair your cat ingests through self-grooming.