Yuck! Their first hairball.

My kitties are just over two years old. They have never had hair balls before, but today one of them coughed one up for the first time. I guess this is some sort of kitty right of passage. Can anyone tell me how often cats tend to cough up hairballs? Is this a regular occurance now that it's started or will it be every once in a while. I'm just curious. I don't actually mind much other than it being really gross.

My torti gifts me with a hairball every few months or so. It used to be more frequent, but someone recommended adding acidophilus to her food to help her break down the hairball & it seems to be working. She is the 1st cat I've ever had that produces hairballs...I sure was startled the 1st time I saw one!
Amanda

once in a blue moon is normal and okay... may i ask if they have changed food s recently??

They haven't changed foods at all. I hope they don't do this very often, because it does leave a stain on our very light beige carpet, but oh well, what can you do.

My cats have never coughed up a hairball. I give them hairball gel as a preventative once a week. Mellie gets brushed a couple times a week with the Zoom Groom, and the boys get brushed about once a week.

I've never seen mine cough up a hair ball. Zakk has thrown up on the odd occasion, and also has made deep coughing noses like he might have one. Giving him some hairball gel usually puts a stop to it. I haven't heard him do this in a long time, thank goodness. I try to brush them often, of course Zakk is the one who hates it the most, so it's a matter of having the brush around and getting him at the right moment.

My Trent is a medium/long haired kitty with a persistent hairball issue. During shedding season he'll produce one a week or so. Off-season it's as low as once a month. Doesn't matter how often I brush him, and the hairball gel doesn't do any good on the wall (which is where it ends up!). It's just part of who he is, so we deal with it.

Ophelia is a short haired kitty, and she will have a hairball maybe once a year. Maybe.

My kitties hardly shed at all, so I was surprised to see a hairball in the first place. I guess I'll start brushing them two or three times a week instead of once.