Cat Hairballs - A Sickly problem

Cat Hairballs are something every cat owner has encountered one time or another. Little Mo has had her fair share over the years, although being a shorthaired cat the problem has been very infrequent and mild. Longhaired cats are not so lucky and my old Maine Coon cat Tigger was prone to some very nasty attacks of cat vomiting.

So exactly what are hairballs and what do they look like?

For the first time cat owner a cat hairball can be something of a shock, especially as they don't actually look like a ball at all. To best describe them you would have to say they look like a dark coloured slimy sausage of matted cat hair. Depending on the amount of hair swallowed by your cat they can range in size, Little Mo's are about the size of my little finger, but Tigger's were much longer and thicker (this is a lovely subject isn't it?)

So why do cats get hairballs?

In the wild a cats fur coat will have different thickness's depending on the season. Their coat will naturally shed when the weather becomes warmer and thickens up during the cold months. In the wild the loose fur is more likely to fall off by itself and so requires less assistance from the cat. However our domestic cats are now used to living in more comfortable surroundings inside with central heating. This unfortunately means that the fur coat does not shed at the usual seasonal times and is more likely to have a light shedding all year round. To get rid of this loose hair cats will groom themselves and so be prone to swallowing more cat hair. This loose hair if swallowed in large enough quantities will be unable to pass through the intestines and so begins to form what we call a fur ball.

How do I know if my cat has a hairball?

Normally a hairball can be passed through the cat's digestive system and will pass out via the cat's faeces. In which case most cat owners would not be aware that there was one. Hoverer if a fur ball becomes too large the quickest and easiest way for the cat to get rid of it is to vomit it up.

The first signs that your cat might be feeling a little unwell is when you see them eating grass, which means they are trying to make themselves sick. Another indication that something is wrong is that your cat may stop eating for a day or so and may even start to retch a lot, without anything coming up.

Usually the cat will be able to regurgitate the furball by themselves after a few days. After which they are usually back to their old selves and famished. In some very rare cases the fur ball may become so stuck that the cat cannot vomit it up themselves, causing an obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract. In these cases it will have to be removed by a vet surgically, thankfully this is a very rare.

Can Fur balls be prevented?

Although there are no guarantees that your cat won't ever get a fur ball, there are certain things that you as an owner can do to reduce the occurrence and frequency of them. After all it can't be very nice for kitty to keep getting sick all the time.

Grooming - weekly or in the case of longhaired cats, daily brushing of your cats fur to remove loose hairs with a brush is essential. The fewer loose hairs there are for your cat to swallow the better.

Dry Food - There are some dry foods available that help the loose hair to pass more easily through the intestines and so prevents a fur ball from forming.

Lubrication - There are some safe lubricating remedies on the market that help your cat to pass a particularly difficult hairball. We sometimes have to give Little Mo a helping hand with this type of medication. She loves it as you can get them in different flavours and after a short while the fur ball is usually passed.

If you see your cat trying to vomit or retching, don't panic. It may look very distressing and unpleasant but it is a completely natural occurrence and your cat will soon recover once the fur ball has been passed.

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