Royal Canin Hairball Care cat food review

The aim of Royal Canin Hairball Care is a simple one: provide a safe source of nutrition for cats who are prone to coughing things up. While having to clean up after them isn't the most fun of jobs, it pales next to the worry that they might be in some discomfort. If there's anything you can do to make their lives easier then you should definitely give it a go. We look at the ways in which Royal Canin Hairball Care – which featured in our guide to the Best Cat Food of 2020 – can make your cat both healthier and happier… 

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Royal Canin Hairball Care: features

For many cat owners, cleaning up hairballs from the floor is a fact of life. But it really doesn’t need to be. 

Royal Canin Hairball Care may well provide the means to both stop your cats coughing up fur, and safeguard your floor-based surfaces. Its formula helps move hairballs on through the body, and safely out of the stomach.

It achieves this feat thanks to its blend of insoluble and dietary fibers. Effectively, the former sweeps accumulated hairs through the stomach and into the bowels, so they can be excreted rather than vomited up. The latter helps stimulate healthy intestinal transit, with nutrients being absorbed as a result.

Moreover, this product’s balance of dietary fibers (including psyllium) and minerals contributes greatly to general and digestive health beyond simply preventing hairballs. The assorted health benefits include a glossier coat of fur, reduced inflammation, and better teeth through reduced plaque build-up.

Even so, it’s by no means perfect. Like a number of other types of cat food, this contains corn, which might not be ideal for cats with allergies. Also, it’s rather expensive compared to some other types of cat food aimed at hairball prevention, with a 6lb bag costing close to $30.

However, there’s a good chance that the issues mentioned above won’t matter to you all that much. In this case, there’s a lot going in its favor. Thanks to Royal Canin Hairball Care, your cat will be able to groom themselves until their heart’s content, without you both living in fear of the dreaded hairballs!

Royal Canin Hairball Care: User reviews 

Judging by the user reviews, Royal Canin Hairball Care certainly succeeds in its stated aim. Multiple cat owners (notably ones with long-haired breeds) have reported that hairballs greatly reduced.

One owner claimed that their cat had gone from vomiting up hairballs daily to only doing so once a fortnight, with a number of others saying theirs had stopped doing so completely. Clearly Royal Canin are being serious about this product’s mission statement.

It’s not just a matter of reducing visible discomfort, however. Cats seem happy to munch away on it, so it’s clearly enjoyable to eat as well as being beneficial to their digestive health.

It also appears that it comes recommended for cats with certain health conditions. One review reported that their cat suffered from blocked anal grands. After being advised to switch to this by a vet, this person did so. Hairball Care subsequently kept these glands working, thus helping the cat and saving its owner from excessive vet bills.

While the price has been brought up, people have indicated that they would rather stick with this due to its proven effectiveness, rather than switch to a cheaper alternative and potentially see the problem return. It’s hard to find a more emphatic affirmation of a product’s positive impact than this.

Even so, there were a few quibbles about the price (which one claimed had increased post-COVID), but these seemed to be in a minority. Most were happy to pay a bit extra for a product that was proven to work.

Should you buy  Royal Canin Hairball Care?

If your cat is unlucky enough to be prone to hairballs, then we highly recommend buying this. As well as having the benefit of positive testimonies from numerous cat owners, it has proven to be a hit with the cats who are actually eating it, providing enjoyment as well as safe sustenance. Admittedly you'll have to pay a fair bit more than you normally would for cat kibble, but considering the benefits we'd say it's worth the price. Should your cat start coughing up things, Royal Canin should be your first port of call.

Find out how Royal Canin Hairball measured up against other cat food in our round up of the best cat food 2020.