Effects of Combined Use of Keratinolytic Enzymes and Sugarcane Fibre on Hairball Excretion in Cats

The study investigated the effect of combining sugarcane fibre and keratinolytic enzymes on hairball excretion in cats. Twenty-four adult cats were divided into four treatment groups. The results showed that while separate additions of insoluble fibre or enzyme complex did not affect hairball excretion, their combined use significantly reduced the total number of hairballs excreted. The size distribution of hairballs and the digestibility of crude protein were not significantly affected by the treatments. The study concluded that sugarcane fibre combined with keratinolytic enzymes could effectively reduce hairball excretion in cats, although improvements in faecal hairball quantification methods were needed.