17.12.2021

Hairballs to the wall—the best cat food for hairballs from Untamed!

Hairballs are traumatic for both you and your cat.

The sight of your kitty struggling to expel a ball of fur and mucus is never pleasant, and many cat parents seek ways to reduce the obvious distress their cat suffers.

Although hairballs are a natural phenomenon, you can reduce their frequency and severity by choosing a proper diet for your feline.

Whether your cat food of choice is dry, wet, semi-moist, raw, or homemade, tailoring your cat’s meals to reflect their natural diet is the easiest way to help with hairballs and shedding.

Untamed is here to make cats’ lives healthier and happier, so check out our guide to the best cat food for hairballs.

The best cat food for hairball control

If your feline is already a regular hairball sufferer, your best course of action is to try to ease the symptoms with adequate food.

Hairballs form when ingested fur stays in your cat’s stomach rather than pass through the gastrointestinal tract.

As food plays a significant role in your feline’s gut health, the right nutritional choices can help pass more hair through the digestive system and reduce its tendency to clump in your cat’s stomach. It can be particularly beneficial if your kitty has a sensitive stomach and is prone to vomiting after eating.

You should put your feline on a high-calorie diet that delivers energy in small, easily-digestible portions, so their food should be rich in:

1. Animal protein
2. Animal fat

Animal protein

As obligate carnivores, cats thrive on animal protein as it provides the necessary amino acids in the most digestible form.

The crucial differences between animal and vegetable protein for a cat are:

• Vegetable protein is hard to metabolise, so a feline needs to eat more to cover amino acid requirements
• Taurine is missing from vegetable protein sources and must be added to the food to ensure it is complete and balanced

Animal protein should make up a large percentage of your cat’s meals. Meats differ by their biological value—the percentage of protein a cat can metabolise. The best protein sources in cat food are:

A grain-free diet allows your kitty’s digestive tract to process food as efficiently as possible, so more hair will be passed through the gut and not regurgitated as hairballs.

Untamed goodness!

Image (c) Untamed

Animal fat

While animal fat is not directly connected with hairball control, it is essential in providing omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids to your feline. Omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids help regulate your kitty‘s inflammatory response—the healing process that ensures skin and coat are maintained optimally.

A healthy inflammatory response means that cats suffer less from allergic skin reactions. This can lead to less frequent grooming and, therefore, less ingested hair.

If your kitty regularly suffers from hairballs, high-quality, meat-based food can help alleviate the problem.

A cat’s coat renews itself approximately every six weeks. You should notice a gradual reduction in the number of hairballs you have to clear up within this time.

I don’t have hairballs. I’m puurfect!

Source: Pixabay

Can you use cat food for hairball prevention?

Hairballs only begin to appear in adult cats that overgroom.

Most kittens don’t suffer from hairballs, so you should switch your kitten to a high-quality diet as soon as possible to avoid problems later on.

It’ll also help your kitten grow and develop as healthily as possible while avoiding stomach upsets and other nutrition-related issues. If your kitten grows up with healthy skin, coat, and digestive system, they won’t overgroom later in life.

Your cat’s fur is mainly made up of protein, so a diet rich in animal protein should help keep it sleek, shiny, and less prone to shedding. A healthy coat requires less grooming, meaning your cat will end up with less hair to form hairballs in the stomach.

The ideal values you should look for in your cat’s diet are:

Does Untamed offer cat food for hairballs and sensitive stomachs?

If you are looking for a diet to help combat or prevent hairballs in your feline, Untamed is a perfect choice.

Designed with cats‘ natural nutritional needs in mind, our products adhere to the following:

1. Animal protein sources only
2. Double the amount of protein compared to most commercial cat food
3. Vet-designed formulas
4. Human-grade ingredients
5. Ethical production processes

Animal protein sources

Untamed cat food contains only animal protein sources—we do not load our products with grains, cereals, or carbs to bulk them up.

Untamed meals are free from any known allergens and suitable for even the most sensitive feline stomachs.

Double the amount of protein

Every Untamed tin contains twice the amount of animal protein found in most commercial foods.

This means your cat gets all the required nutrients in small, easily digestible portions. Feeding Untamed to your cat should help keep weight under control and feeding amounts low—similar to the way cats eat in the wild.

With so much goodness in each tin, Untamed is also tasty enough to please even the fussiest cats.

Vet-designed formulas

Each Untamed recipe has been formulated in collaboration with vets, so every tin contains all your cat needs for a healthy life.

Whether you choose our cat jelly or cat gravy dishes, you can be sure you are giving your feline the healthiest food possible.

Human-grade ingredients

We make sure that only the best of the best ends up in each Untamed tin.

Our ingredients are all human-grade, and we procure our:

• Meat from cruelty-free suppliers
• Fish using sustainable, dolphin-safe methods

Ethical production processes

Untamed is not only good for your cat—it’s good for the planet, too.

All our packaging is fully recyclable, and our production processes leave a minimal carbon footprint.

Our food does not keep your kitty alive—it helps them thrive. Give us a try and see for yourself!

A cat’s gotta do what a cat’s gotta do.

Source: Pixabay

How to go Untamed

The Untamed journey is convenient—there’s no need to hunt for it in the shops thanks to our practical online cat food store.

Your kitty’s fave food gets delivered to your door as soon as you:

1. Give us some info about your feline friend
2. Check out a customised meal plan we’ll make for them
3. Order your first trial pack of Untamed

It will land on your doorstep in no time, and your kitty can start exploring Untamed delicacies.

Once your trial pack is finished, we will resupply the goods at the same time every month—you can customise your cat food subscription anytime. After switching to Untamed, you should notice the following positive changes in your cat:

What else can you do about hairballs?

Hairballs only become a serious problem if your cat is prone to overgrooming or obsessive licking in particular areas.

The following conditions can be behind excessive grooming:

1. Ticks, mites, and parasites
2. Allergic skin reactions
3. Ringworm or fungal infections
4. Stress or psychological discomfort

Ticks, mites, and parasites

If your cat wanders around outside, you may occasionally have to deal with parasites setting up home on your feline’s skin.

The most common parasites are:

• Ticks
• Botfly larvae under the skin
• Fleas
• Mites, such as scabies and Demodex

The usual symptom will be swelling around the infected patch, and your kitty will often react by trying to lick the problem away. The results are bald, irritated patches of skin, and frequent hairballs.

Indoor cats are less susceptible to parasitic invasion, but regular fur and skin inspections can help you spot problems before they become serious.

Allergic skin reactions

If your feline is allergic to a specific food, this will result in skin inflammation or pustules.

Food allergies are caused by a cat’s system mistaking particular proteins for harmful invaders and launching an immune response to expel them.

Obsessive licking will be the most obvious symptom of a food allergy, but you may also notice:

• Shortness of breath
• Diarrhoea or vomiting
• Loss of appetite

Ringworm or fungal infections

Ringworm and other fungal infections can cause red, circular patches of inflammation of your cat’s skin, and your feline will most likely try to cure the problem with compulsive licking.

If left untreated, your cat may lose all the hair in the affected area, and much of it will be ingested through grooming.

Ringworm is highly infectious and can be transferred to humans, so it should be treated immediately.

Stress or psychological discomfort

Cats are creatures of habit, and the slightest disruption to their routine can cause them stress. This often results in compulsive grooming, so if you notice your cat seeking solitude or being more distant than usual, you should check whether:

• Their daily routine has changed
• The food bowl or a favourite sleep spot has been moved
• A home device is making sudden noises near your cat’s feeding area
• They react to a new pet in the household

A stressed cat may ingest more hair than usual and, consequently, produce more hairballs. You should check for any symptoms and seek treatment or remedy the situation as soon as possible.

Gotta pampaw yourself sometimes.

Source: Pixabay

Are hairballs harmful to your cat?

Hairballs are a natural phenomenon, and you may find them more disturbing to you than to your cat.

If your cat is constantly retching and struggling with hairballs, you should ensure no underlying conditions are causing the behaviour.

The most dangerous result of too many hairballs is that one may pass through your cat’s stomach and get stuck in the digestive tract. It can be a life-threatening situation and needs to be treated immediately.

If you notice your feline displaying any of these symptoms, you should check with your vet as soon as possible:

• Retching, vomiting, or coughing without a hairball being produced
• Loss of appetite
• Constipation
• Lethargy
• Diarrhoea

You should also remember that some breeds are more likely to suffer from hairballs than others.

The breeds most susceptible to hairballs are:

• Maine Coon
• Persian
• Birman
• Any long-haired crosses

British Shorthairs and other cats with a less luxurious coat are less susceptible to hairball issues.

What happens if I do nothing about my cat’s hairballs?

If your cat is not struggling with hairballs, there is probably nothing to worry about.

You should also keep in mind that you may not notice your cat producing hairballs. If your kitty is used to roaming the neighbourhood, you probably won’t witness the retching and vomiting as it will often happen outside.

In case your cat prefers to spit out their hairballs at home, and you are fed up with steam-cleaning your carpet every three days, you should:

1. Check for any bald patches or obsessive grooming indicating an infection
2. Switch to Untamed to improve digestion and the condition of your cat’s skin and coat

Big can be beautiful too!

Source: Pixabay

What other benefits can high-quality nutrition like Untamed have?

Untamed can help your cat combat a variety of health issues besides hairballs.

Untamed cat food can help your cat fight the effects of:

1. Diabetes
2. Kidney deterioration
3. Cystitis, bladder stones, and urinary tract infections (UTIs)
4. Digestive issues such as Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
5. Dental problems
6. Advancing age

Diabetes

As a carb-free food, Untamed ensures that glucose is released slowly into your cat’s bloodstream.

This reduces the pressure on your feline’s pancreas to release insulin, so blood sugar control is easier.

The high protein content and healthy formulation of Untamed cat food also mean that even your comfort-loving neutered cat is less likely to suffer from weight management problems—one of the critical factors linked to diabetes.

Kidney deterioration

Kidney deterioration in cats is only noticeable once around 75 per cent of renal function has been lost.

In such cases, it is crucial to maintain your cat’s quality of life while making sure that the remaining kidney function is preserved.

High protein and balanced fat levels ensure that cats remain active even after renal insufficiency diagnosis.

Cystitis, bladder stones, and UTIs

Cats’ urinary tracts are highly sensitive, and nutrition plays a crucial role in keeping your kitty’s bladder healthy.

Animal protein helps keep your feline’s urinary tract at the correct pH level to hinder the formation of bladder stones that lead to the most common UTIs in cats.

Most cats suffer from some form of UTI at various times, but Untamed can help minimise their frequency and severity.

Digestive issues

Chronic digestive issues like IBS are best controlled with high-quality nutrition.

Giving your cat the optimal amounts of animal protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals can keep the digestive tract healthy and reduce bowel irritability.

Dental problems

If your feline has dental problems, high-quality wet food such as Untamed will be easier to eat than dry biscuits.

You can easily feed cats Untamed even if they have no teeth or have an acute dental issue. It ensures that dental problems don’t lead to anorexia and rapid weight loss.

Advancing age

As cats get older, their bodily functions deteriorate, meaning that your choice of nutrition becomes even more important.

If a senior cat’s sense of smell weakens, this can affect their enjoyment of food—the smell of Untamed cat food will help them rediscover their appetite in no time.

Loss of eyesight can also affect a cat’s desire to be active—the result can be weight gain, quickly leading to obesity in older cats.

The healthy nutrition that Untamed offers can help avoid excessive weight gain. Even if your kitty no longer feels comfortable exploring unknown spaces, the usual hangouts should be no problem.

Muscle loss and fat gain also afflict many older cats, but Untamed’s high protein content ensures that muscles don’t waste away.

Untamed is the complete nutrition to control not only hairballs but many of the niggles affecting cats—we help your feline friend stay healthy and happy while enjoying every meal.