The scientific answer is more complicated than you might expect. Some research suggests that plant material may physically interact with swallowed hair. However, other studies have found little evidence that cats eat plants specifically to eliminate hairballs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, does cat grass really help? And if your cat regularly vomits hairballs, what can you do to support healthier hair passage?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let’s look at what the research tells us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Why do cats develop hairballs in the first place?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hairballs, medically known as trichobezoars<\/em>, form when swallowed hair accumulates and becomes entangled in the digestive tract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cats are naturally meticulous groomers. Their tongues have tiny, backward-facing structures that help remove loose fur from their coats. Unfortunately, some of that fur is swallowed during grooming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike food, hair cannot be digested. Most swallowed hair normally travels through the digestive tract and leaves the body in the stools. However, some hair can accumulate and become tangled together, forming a hairball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When a hairball remains in the stomach, a cat may eventually vomit it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Several factors can influence how much hair a cat swallows and how likely hairballs are to develop:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hairballs are common, but frequent vomiting should not automatically be dismissed as normal. A cat that repeatedly brings up hairballs may be swallowing excessive amounts of fur or experiencing an underlying skin or digestive problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A clinical review published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery<\/em> highlighted that recurrent hairball vomiting can be associated with excessive fur ingestion or altered gastrointestinal motility. It also identified factors such as itchy skin conditions, flea infestations and dietary intolerance that should not be overlooked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The important point:<\/strong> Hairballs are not simply a matter of having too much fur in the stomach. It is also worth understanding why your cat is swallowing so much hair and how effectively that hair moves through the digestive system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat grass is commonly offered to indoor cats as a safe plant to chew on. It usually refers to young grasses such as wheatgrass, oat grass, barley grass or rye grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many cat parents believe that cats eat grass to induce vomiting and expel hairballs. But what does the research say?<\/p>\n\n\n\n A study titled Characteristics of Plant Eating in Domestic Cats<\/em>, published in the journal Animals<\/em> in 2021, investigated why domestic cats eat plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers conducted two surveys involving approximately 1,000\u20132,000 cat-owner responses to examine several explanations for plant-eating behaviour, including whether cats eat plants to induce vomiting or expel swallowed hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The findings were interesting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This suggests that while eating grass may trigger vomiting in some cats, vomiting alone does not prove that grass is an effective hairball-management method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, encouraging vomiting is not the best way to help a cat pass swallowed fur.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A newer study, Plant Eating Behavior in Domestic Cats: Support for the Hair Evacuation Hypothesis<\/em>, published in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior<\/em> in 2025, introduced a possible explanation for how plants might help cats expel hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Researchers examined six regurgitated plant samples collected from two domestic cats using scanning electron microscopy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They discovered microscopic structures on the plant material, including tiny serrations and hair-like structures, that physically interacted with animal hairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In simple terms, these microscopic structures appeared capable of catching or snagging hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This provides preliminary evidence for a possible physical mechanism through which some plant material could help cats expel swallowed hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, there is an important limitation: the study examined only six samples from two cats. It did not conduct a controlled feeding trial or measure whether eating grass reduced hairball frequency over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, it would be premature to conclude that cat grass is a proven hairball treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cat grass, or any cat food with cat grass in it, shouldn\u2019t be your main fix for recurring hairballs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It may also trigger vomiting in some cats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is currently insufficient evidence that cat grass prevents hairballs or reduces hairball-related vomiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rather than relying on one ingredient or remedy, a more sensible approach is to address the factors that contribute to hairball formation and support the normal movement of swallowed hair through the digestive tract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are several practical ways to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the most straightforward ways to reduce hairball formation is to remove loose fur before your cat swallows it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regular brushing helps reduce the amount of loose hair available for your cat to ingest during grooming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is particularly important for:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Merck Veterinary Manual recommends frequent brushing as a way to limit the amount of loose fur cats swallow and help prevent hairballs from forming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For long-haired cats or cats that shed heavily, daily brushing may be helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your cat frequently develops hairballs, it is worth looking beyond the hairball itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Excessive grooming can be associated with fleas, skin allergies, irritation, stress and other health conditions, or poor diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Addressing the underlying cause may help reduce the amount of fur your cat swallows in the first place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you notice persistent itching, unusual shedding or excessive grooming, consult your veterinarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since swallowed hair cannot be digested, it is important that it can move through the gastrointestinal tract and leave the body naturally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A healthy digestive system supports normal bowel movements, allowing waste and undigested material to pass out through the stools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nutrition plays an important role in maintaining digestive health. A suitable diet should provide adequate nutrients and support normal stool consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hydration also matters for general digestive and bowel health. Cats naturally have a relatively low thirst drive, so providing moisture-rich food and access to fresh water can help support their overall hydration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Grace Cat, we believe that everyday nutrition should work with a cat’s natural biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of relying on petroleum-based oils, fibre, cat grass, or forcing hair out through vomiting, we developed the jooy Gentle Hairball Flow Topper<\/a>, a freeze-dried duck floss topper made with egg yolk lecithin and postbiotics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n jooy is made with three main components:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two functional ingredients are intended to complement each other as part of our Gentle Hairball Flow approach: supporting digestive function and the natural passage of swallowed hair rather than relying solely on inducing vomiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why did we choose this approach?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Many conventional hairball products use oils or added fibre or cat grass to help manage hairballs. These approaches may be useful in certain circumstances, but we wanted to develop an alternative that aligns with our philosophy of species-appropriate nutrition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n jooy is:<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is designed as a nutritional topper for gentle hairball management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our interest in developing jooy did not come from ingredients alone. We also paid attention to what happened when we introduced it into our own cats’ feeding routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After feeding jooy, we noticed that some of our cats’ stools contained visible strands of fur. We also observed that they were no longer vomiting hairballs during the period we were feeding the topper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have received similar feedback from cat parents who shared their experiences after introducing jooy into their cats’ diets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One customer shared a particularly touching experience<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her cat had been losing its appetite and would vomit after eating. She had visited the veterinarian several times, and the veterinarian suspected that a significant amount of hair might have accumulated inside the cat’s digestive tract.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, her cat was not improving despite several vet visits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She then decided to try jooy Gentle Hairball Flow Topper together with gloow Postbiotic Pet Lick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to her feedback, after introducing the two products, her cat stopped vomiting, gradually regained its appetite and started gaining weight. She later shared that her cat had recovered well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We are genuinely grateful when cat parents take the time to share these updates. Seeing a furkid become more comfortable and enjoy mealtimes again is one of the reasons we continue to develop better nutritional products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A note on these experiences:<\/strong> These are individual customer and our own observations, not controlled clinical trials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, does cat grass help with hairballs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The research suggests that plant material may physically interact with swallowed hair, but there is no convincing clinical evidence that cat grass reliably prevents hairballs or reduces vomiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For cat parents dealing with recurring hairballs, a more thoughtful approach is to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n At Grace Cat, we believe that caring for our cats starts with understanding their biological needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That is why we created jooy Gentle Hairball Flow Topper<\/a>: a freeze-dried duck topper with Egg Yolk Lecithin and Postbiotic, designed to support digestive health and the natural passage of swallowed hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because we believe everyday nutrition should do more than simply fill a bowl. It should nourish, support and bring comfort to the family members we love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grace Cat <\/strong> <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you have a cat, you have probably seen them nibble on grass. Some cats seem to seek it out whenever they get the chance, while others happily chew on indoor cat grass grown in a pot. A common belief is that cats eat grass to help them get rid of hairballs. After all, cats…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29551"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29555,"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29551\/revisions\/29555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
2. Does cat grass really help with hairballs?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What the 2021 study found<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
But a 2025 study discovered something interesting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
So, should you give your cat grass?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. What actually helps with hairball management?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Brush your cat regularly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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2. Investigate excessive shedding and grooming<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\n
3. Support digestive health and normal bowel movements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
4. Consider jooy Gentle Hairball Flow Topper – a nutritional approach to supporting natural hair passage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/jooy-Gentle-Hairball-Flow-Topper-2.webp\")
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thegracecat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/5_result.webp\")
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What have we observed from our own cats and cat parents?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
5. The takeaway: Don’t just focus on getting hairballs out – support your cat’s digestive health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Real Taste of Love.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nReferences<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ani11071853<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.jveb.2025.08.002<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1098612X12470342<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.merckvetmanual.com\/multimedia\/table\/managing-hairballs-in-cats<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/www.vet.cornell.edu\/departments-centers-and-institutes\/cornell-feline-health-center\/health-information\/feline-health-topics\/danger-hairballs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12000713\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n