SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Cat Care
Cat Care Tips
Why
Does My Cat Cough Up Hairballs?
Cats have such precocious personalities. They love to leave
us presents like the dead lizards they have hunted down and
killed. You might find a mouse in its death throes twitching
on your doorstep. Or you might even be treated to a wonderful
display of hacking and retching from your cat, with the wonderful
result of a hairball for its efforts. Hairballs,
or trichobezoars as the scientists and veterinarians like
to call it, are
literally balls of hair. And since hair is not a digestible
piece of matter, the rule of most living bodies is what goes
in, must come out. So, cats will either pass hair through
their digestive system or the hair will build up in their
bodies causing the retching and heaving required to get rid
of it. If you are not familiar with cats, the first time
you witness this upchucked hairball could be a bit disconcerting.
You may ask why cats ingest so much hair in the first place.
Just think about their grooming practices. They lick and lick
with that serrated like tongue that easily captures any loose,
dead fur. It is because of that rough tongue cat possess that
they cannot spit out any offending fur. So, the only thing
a cat can do is swallow the offending fur. For the most part,
the hair just passes right on through their bodies, being digested
then excreted through normal elimination. However, if too much
hair accumulates and builds up into a matted wad inside their
tummy, it is almost impossible to pass through the digestive
system, hence the hacking and retching to try and vomit the
offending hairball out.
Cats
with long fur are more likely to develop hairballs. Not
that those cats with short hair don’t also get hairballs, but
when you have longer hair, you have more of it to ingest. If
your cat cannot rid itself of a hairball through vomiting or
through the digestive system, they could suffer from a blockage
in the intestine or stomach. Left untreated for too long can
be life-threatening. Without surgery, that blockage caused
by a hairball could kill your kitty.
Some warning
signs of a possible hairball blockage could be
continued heaving or retching that does not produce anything;
there is also loss of appetite or lack of defecation. If your
cat is constipated, a hairball could be the cause. To avoid
the loss of a beloved cat, there are some steps you can take
to prevent or lessen the chance of hairballs.
Hairball
preventative #1 – Brush your cat. By doing a lot
of the grooming work for your cat, you lessen the chance of
too much ingestion of hair. Brushing your cat’s hair will help
it get rid of the dead hair. By wiping your cat with a moist
towel, this will capture any stray dead hairs.
Hairball
preventative #2 – Special hairball treats. On the
market today are selections of edible treats with special ingredients
that help break up hairballs. Many of them contain mineral
oil. Some cat food companies make special lines of food specifically
for these hairball-prone kitties.
Hairball
preventative #3 – Facilitate a hairball. If a hairball
is a continuous presence in your cat’s life, a lubricant is
needed to help your cat digest and pass the offending hairball
through the stomach and intestines. Products with petroleum
are the best a facilitating this process and are available
in a variety of flavors that cats love.
There is no
cure for the common cat hairball, but as you can
see from the preventatives listed above, there are specific
measures to try before surgery is considered. If your cat is
a compulsive groomer, they are more likely to develop hairballs.
If you can determine the cause of the excessive grooming, take
steps to eradicate the problem. Other times, cats could be
just bored or nervous and the process of grooming not only
gives them something to do, but it also soothes their nerves.
You, as the cat’s owner, can create a game to play with your
cat. In other words, redirect the cat’s energies into an activity
to avoid the excessive licking that causes hairballs.
Just remember, if your cat displays any unusual behaviors
like retching or lack of body elimination, get them into the
veterinarian as soon as possible. The vet can do a thorough
exam and provide with the best course of treatment for the
dreaded hairball.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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