Hairballs and brushing
Hairballs and brushing: the grooming fix, and when to call the vet
A hairball is hair the cat licked off itself and could not pass. Grooming cannot change what a cat does with swallowed hair; that is your vet's territory. What grooming can do is reduce the amount of loose hair on the cat, and that turns out to matter a great deal.
The mechanics
What the coat has to do with hairballs
A cat's tongue is covered in backward-facing barbs that comb the coat as it washes. Every hair that is already loose comes away on the tongue and is swallowed. In a shed, or on a long-haired cat, that is a great deal of hair. The coat is the supply side of the hairball, and it is the one part of the equation you can change from the outside.
Two things push the supply up on Cape Ann. The spring and fall sheds, when a Maine Coon or a domestic longhair lets go of its undercoat in bulk, and the heating season from November to March, when dry indoor air loosens more hair and static keeps it on the cat for the tongue to find. Owners notice more hairballs in April and in the deep of winter.
- Loose hair is swallowed at every wash
- Long coats and shed seasons multiply the amount
- Heating-season static holds loose hair on the cat
- Brushing removes it before the tongue does
At home
The brushing routine that cuts the loose hair
The routine is simple: take the loose hair off with a tool before the cat takes it off with its tongue. Comb first to lift undercoat, brush second to sweep it off, then run a damp hand over the coat to collect the fine hairs both tools missed. Focus on the flanks, belly and rump, where a cat licks most.
Frequency follows coat length. A long-haired cat, daily in the sheds and every other day the rest of the year. A medium coat, three times a week. A short-haired cat, twice a week with a rubber curry, which pulls surprising amounts of dead hair from a coat that looks bare. Keep sessions short and stop while the cat still wants more.
- 01
Brush after a meal, when the cat is settled and about to wash itself
- 02
Comb with the lie of the hair, then lift sections to reach the undercoat
- 03
Follow with a brush to sweep away what the comb lifted
- 04
Pass a damp hand over the flanks, belly and rump to gather the fine hair
- 05
End with a stroke the cat likes, and keep the whole thing under ten minutes
Tools by coat
Which tool takes the most loose hair off which coat
A short-haired cat needs a rubber curry or a grooming glove, used in small circles, then a soft bristle brush to lift what the rubber loosened. A medium coat wants a slicker for the top layer and a metal comb for the undercoat. A long coat needs the metal comb above all else, wide teeth then fine, because nothing else reaches the skin through several inches of hair.
Do not confuse hair on the brush with hair off the cat. A slicker fills quickly with top coat while the undercoat, the part that actually gets swallowed, stays put. Test your routine by running a damp hand over the cat after a session; if it comes away coated, the tool is not reaching the layer that matters, and it is time to add the comb.
- Short coat: rubber curry or grooming glove, then a soft brush
- Medium coat: slicker on top, metal comb beneath
- Long coat: metal comb, wide then fine, to the skin
- Every coat: a damp hand as the final pass
At the studio
A de-shed visit at the Gloucester studio
One Full Bath takes out what weeks of home brushing would. Warm water and shampoo release packed undercoat, the brush-out afterward removes it, and careful drying leaves a coat with very little loose hair for the cat to swallow. At $95, the Full Bath includes the nail clip. For a long-haired cat, Minimal Trims at $45 shorten those areas without a bath, and the Full Service at $120 combines bath, shaving and trims.
The studio at 210 Eastern Ave is a quiet room apart from the dog floors, staffed by cat behavior specialists who groom at the cat's pace with minimal restraint. The groomer reviews the coat and temperament when you arrive and chooses the treatment to match. No evaluation is needed for cats; book online, in the Dogtown app or by phone. Cats come to us from Rockport, Essex and Manchester-by-the-Sea as well as Gloucester.
- Full Bath $95: the de-shed, with nails included
- Minimal Trims $45: less hair on the belly and britches to swallow
- Full Service $120: bath, shaving and trims
- Time it for April and October if you can
The vet
A coughing or vomiting cat is a vet visit, not a grooming appointment
Brushing is coat maintenance. It does not treat hairballs, and it cannot tell you why a cat is bringing them up. If your cat is coughing, retching or gagging without producing hair, vomiting more than very occasionally, straining in the litter box or off its food, call your vet. Those signs have many possible causes, and a groomer is the wrong person to ask.
Our groomers are happy to tell you what a coat looks like and how much loose hair came off. They will not offer an opinion on remedies, diets or supplements, because that is medical advice. If your vet has seen the cat and suggested more brushing, we can set up a Full Bath schedule around the shed seasons and show you the home routine.
- Coughing, gagging or retching that produces nothing
- Vomiting more than very occasionally
- Straining in the litter box
- A cat off its food or unusually quiet
At Dogtown
Less loose hair to swallow
The Full Bath with brush-out in the Gloucester cat studio, and the home routine shown on the table.
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about this
Short, complete answers you can act on today. More in the full FAQ.
Does brushing actually reduce hairballs?
How often should I brush my cat for hairballs?
My cat is gagging but nothing comes up. Is that a hairball?
Do short-haired cats get hairballs too?
More questions? Read the full FAQ
Keep reading
Next step
Less hair on the cat, less hair in the cat.
Book a Full Bath at the peak of the shed, online or by phone, and ask the groomer to show you the home routine. No evaluation for cats.
- 01Free evaluationWeekdays 6:30 – 9:30 AM
- 02Book a dayOnline, in the app or by phone
- 03Play, rest, repeatReport card at pick-up
