Hairballs - When to Worry
By: Pet City
Ew! Let’s not beat around the bush. Hairballs are unpleasant.
Grooming is a natural part of your cat's routine. It usually comes after a meal, as an instinct to remove all scent of their prey off them to remain stealthy for their next hunt!
What Causes Hairballs?
Due to cats being self groomers, they will swallow hair within the grooming process. The hair will usually move through the gut and cause no issues. However, for some animals too much hair is consumed and in conjunction with other factors may not make it out of the stomach. The body will cause the cat to throw it up as a mechanism to prevent further blockages.
Cats Prone To Hairballs
- Domestic Long-Medium Hair Cats
- Ragdolls, Maine Coones and other long-coated breeds
- Cats that overgroom
- Cats in multi-cat households
How To Prevent Hairballs
- Brushing your pet
- Providing weekly cat laxative
- Increasing water and fiber content
Providing your cat with a high-moisture diet can ensure the gut is healthy and can help pass hairballs through the body. In some cases, putting your cat onto a higher fiber diet can help push hairballs through the gut too.
Brushing your pet regularly will also reduce the amount of hair consumed. A slicker brush is purrfect for regular brushing; Furminators can also help but use in moderation (once a week).
Cat Laxative will also help hairballs pass through the stomach and gut safely.
Symptoms of Hairballs Include
If you notice the following hairball symptoms be sure that you contact your veterinarian, as they could be a sign that a hairball is causing a potentially fatal blockage:
- Ongoing gagging, vomiting or retching without producing a hairball
- Watery Vomits
- Lethargy
- Consitipation
- Diarrhea
- Loss of interest in eating
Hairball Prevention with Diet
There are many ways to help prevent hairballs with diet. Firstly, you can try to up your cat's water and fiber content. The easiest way to do these things is offer canned or raw foods, or switch to a Hairball specialty food.
There are a number of cat foods available that help to avoid hairball formation. Try:
