This is a big problem for several reasons. Many people keep their cats largely indoors these days and in my opinion this contributes to poor coat quality in cats and shedding and shedding around your home. Cats naturally like to groom themselves a lot to keep themselves neat and clean. If their coat quality is poor for some reason, they tend to groom themselves more and guess what? they swallow quite a bit in the process and get a hairball. This is easily treated, but can be avoided with regular attention to the coat.
I think indoor cats need to be brushed regularly to help them with the process. You can purchase a two-sided metal cat comb and give them a gentle start even as kittens. Cats will usually enjoy this, but don’t do it for too long because this can lead to your cat suddenly losing their sense of humor and you may be put off forever if he or she attacks. I think every other day for a few minutes is fine.
Long-haired breeds pose a number of additional problems. Obviously, they will also need care, but many feel it especially in the abdomen and between the legs. Start early to avoid disappointing results when your cat is older.
Sometimes a very large pile of hair will develop. Even the whole cat side can be involved. Don’t neglect this. Doing so can lead to nasty skin conditions and provide the perfect home for fleas and other skin parasites. You may be tempted to cut this out with scissors. I would advise against this. I have stitched up many cats where the tearful owner has been a bit clumsy and cut into the fur. It takes skill to remove this bunch of hair. Go to the vet. He will have special clippers designed for the job, and remember that it may be necessary to give your pet an anesthetic or sedative to do this, so let him starve just in case.
Old cats can have dental problems or sometimes mental problems, meaning they have essentially stopped grooming themselves due to dental pain or loss of mental acuity. Talk to your vet. It’s trained to help with this, but you’ll need to do a lot more grooming for an older cat.
