The secret to getting your cat to poop out its hairballs? Beet pulp.

Image: Flickr/Paul AndersonHere's a paper with a title that reads like poetry: "Beet pulp intake and hairball faecal excretion in mixed-breed shorthaired cats". Laugh if you want, but if you've ever had a cat with hairballs, anything that gets them to poop them out instead of puke them up is pure poetry. Let's just hope the beet pulp is no longer bright red because that would be... less than optimal.Beet pulp intake and hairball faecal excretion in mixed-breed shorthaired cats. "Hairball formation may induce vomiting and intestinal obstruction in predisposed cats. Some insoluble fibres as sugarcane fibre and cellulose can prevent hairball formation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of beet pulp consumption, a moderate soluble and fermentable fibre source, on faecal trichobezoars excretion in adult shorthaired cats fed kibble diets. Eighteen mixed-breed shorthaired cats and three extruded diets were used as follows: a basal diet ...