We Compared The 5 Most Popular Hairball Remedies. The $39 Treat Cats Actually Eat Won.
It's the one that sends swallowed fur to the litter box instead of your rug. There's no gel to wrestle onto her paw, and it comes with a 30-day guarantee.
Updated September 2026
Does your cat bring up a hairball every week or two?
Have you tried a gel and ended up wearing most of it?
Would you rather give her something she actually asks for?
Yes to any of those? Then this page is worth two minutes.
Most cat owners we hear from have already tried at least two hairball remedies. There's the gel on the paw, the paste in a syringe, the special food, and the tray of cat grass on the windowsill. Some of them work for some cats. Nearly all of them share one problem: the cat has to cooperate.
We put the five most common options side by side and judged them on four things that matter at home.
The 5 options, ranked
Purrsley Freeze-Dried Cat Grass Treats
- She eats it as a snack, because it's made with real chicken
- Real freeze-dried cat grass: the fiber helps swallowed fur move through
- No gel, no syringe, no towel
- Five ingredients: cat grass, chicken meat, liver, heart and fish oil
- Straight from the pouch or on top of her food
- Free tracked shipping to the US and Canada
- Works a little every day, so give it a few weeks
- One flavor (chicken). Skip it if she's allergic to chicken
Hairball gels and pastes
- Easy to find in any pet store
- Cheap, around $10 to $17 a tube
- Coats swallowed fur so it slides through more easily
- Hard to get into a cat that doesn't want it
- Ends up on paws, walls and furniture
- Only works as long as you keep getting it into her
- Many are petroleum-based
Hairball-control cat food
- No extra step once she's switched
- Adds fiber to every meal
- You have to change her whole diet
- Picky cats often refuse the new food
- Around $28 to $68 a bag
- Plenty of owners say she still throws up
Cheap hairball treats
- Most cats will eat them
- Very cheap, a few dollars a bag
- Mostly flavor
- The fiber often comes from powdered cellulose, which is wood fiber
- Easy to overfeed as a snack
Cat grass trays
- The right idea, because outdoor cats eat grass
- Cheap to start
- Goes moldy or dries out within weeks
- Dirt on the windowsill and the floor
- Many cats ignore it, or eat it and bring it straight back up
Why Purrsley won
Every hairball has two ways out. Up, onto your rug at four in the morning. Or through, into the litter box.
Gels aim for the second exit by coating the fur so it slides along. That works if you can get the gel into her, which is the part most owners we hear from struggle with. Purrsley aims for the same exit with fiber instead. The freeze-dried cat grass helps swallowed fur keep moving, and it comes inside a treat she eats on her own.
Outdoor cats sort this out on their own. They eat grass. Indoor cats mostly can't, so Purrsley puts the grass inside a crunchy chicken treat.
We expected picky cats to turn their noses up. They didn't.
This is where most hairball products fall apart. A remedy she refuses is just clutter in a drawer. Purrsley smells like chicken the second you open the pouch, and that does most of the work. Brook C. has four cats, and they get through two bags a month.
There's nothing to smear and nothing to hide in her food. You give her a couple from the pouch or put them on top of her dinner, and let her set the pace.
Cat grass
Chicken meat
Chicken liver
Chicken heart
Fish oilHow much is this actually going to cost you?
| Option | What you pay | Will she eat it? | Where the fur goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hairball gel or paste | $10 to $17 a tube | Often a fight | Through, if you get it into her |
| Hairball-control food | $28 to $68 a bag | Picky cats refuse it | Through, if she eats it |
| Cheap hairball treats | A few dollars | Yes | Little real fiber |
| Cat grass tray | Cheap, but you keep replacing it | Hit or miss | Through, until it goes moldy |
| One vet visit for hairballs | $50 to $150 | n/a | n/a |
| Purrsley | $38.98, second pouch free | Yes, she asks for it | Through, to the litter box |
Three carpet cleanings in six months. Or one pouch.
It's also covered by the 30-Day Empty Carpet Guarantee. If your cat turns her nose up, email Purrsley within 30 days of ordering and they'll refund you.
What cat owners are saying
"I have four cats, so unless you fix it, you get to hear that sound four times as often, every single day." Now: "we go through two bags a month. I think they genuinely like them because there's actual chicken inside."
Brook C. · Verified buyer"We tried gels and pastes before and she'd still throw up. I always had to basically force feed her. This worked like a charm though. Totally recommend."
Anna M. · Verified buyer"I had to get my carpet completely cleaned three times in the last six months, which is a real pain." Now "it all comes out normally, just in the litter box. Perfect solution."
Mark · Verified buyer
- Free tracked shipping to the US and Canada
- 30-Day Empty Carpet Guarantee
- Five ingredients, no gel, no petroleum