Nutritional management of hairballs

Why make a hairball management formula?

• Most cats are susceptible to hairballs due to continual ingestion of hair during regular self-grooming

• Cat owners have told us that hairballs are one of their top concerns

• According to Iams consumer research, a number of cat owners said that they and their cats find hairball treatments to be an unpleasant experience

How were our hairball management formulas developed?

IAMS nutritionists were looking for a way to control hairball formation while maintaining optimal feline health and well-being. They evaluated risk factors for hairball formation in cats fed diets that varied in fiber source and content.

• 98 cats were studied
• 9 groups were fed test diets and 3 were fed control diets
• Test feeding period was 6 to 7 weeks, following a 5-week control-feeding period
• Total cat-days of testing = 9,968

These researchers found that feeding diets that contained a blend of beet pulp and cellulose was more effective at moving hair through the digestive tract, compared with the same diets containing beet pulp as the only fiber source.

• 80 to 100% increase in faecal hair excretion with beet pulp/cellulose-blend diets, compared with the beet pulp-only diet
• By promoting the passage of hair ingested by the cat during normal self-grooming, an important risk factor for hairball formation is minimized
• Hairballs were not evident in cats fed the beet pulp/cellulose-blend diets

How do our hairball management formulas work?

The blend of beet pulp and cellulose gently moves hair through the gastrointestinal tract while maintaining healthy digestion.

• Beet pulp, a moderately fermentable fiber, promotes optimal intestinal health
• Cellulose helps to enhance the passage of ingested hair

How do our hairball management formulas compare with our other cat formulas?

Our hairball management formulas provide the same high-quality nutrition and taste as our other adult formulas with the added benefit of reducing the risk of hairballs.

Both provide high-quality nutrition for adult cats

• Similar feeding amounts as our other adult formulas
• Excellent stool quality, skin and coat condition, and taurine status
• Great taste

• Similar acceptability and palatability test results as our other adult formulas