Cats and Hairballs

Hairballs (or trichobezoars), according to animal hospital personnel, can be a common occurrence when you have cats in the house. Cats ingest hair when they groom themselves. Usually this is not a problem because the hair is excreted in the feces gradually over time. However, in some cases, the hair may build up to a level where it cannot be excreted and must be vomited up. Sometimes, there may be so much hair that it cannot be excreted or vomited up, and can lead to an intestinal blockage.


It is noted that hairballs are generally more common in long-haired or older cats. If your cat is going to vomit up a hairball, it is quite a performance! There will be lots of retching and dry heaving before the hairball is finally spit out onto the floor. (This can be a "wierd experience" for owners watching their cats as they are trying to cough up the balls. After the animal accomplishes this, then you will be left with a lovely mat of wet, soggy hair on your floor!


Note, if your cat gets an intestinal blockage due to a hairball this is a serious situation. You may notice signs of dry heaving, attempts to vomit without production, and constipation. If you suspect an intestinal blockage you should contact your veterinarian because this may require medical intervention.


If your cat is prone to hairballs, you can feed her a special "hairball-reduction" diet. This diet is available from many of the major pet food manufacturers. These are basically higher-fiber diets that will help your cat move the hairballs along her digestive tract. There are also treats that work to help break up the hairballs within the digestive system. The best way to reduce hairballs, especially in a long-haired cat, if through frequent brushing. By reducing the amount of loose hair on your cat for her to ingest, she will form fewer hairballs in her digestive tract!"


Most cat owners are not aware that cats may need special attention and brushing; and may need to make a more conscious effort to brush their cats more often.


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(Note: Many of these important points above were obtained from a animal hospital which is used to seeing all kinds of pets and providing information to help pet owners.)


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About the author: L Johnson
Author lives in Illinois; loves animals, cats, dogs. See more tidbits of information regarding cats and dogs at: www.soulcast.com/limoore

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A very informative guide to healthcare for dogs can be seen at: https://paydotcom.com/r/4603/limoore/399717/



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