If you have a cat, you’re likely an expert when it comes to cleaning rugs or carpet. Why? Because our lovely kitties can be little hairball-making machines, adorning the carpeted areas of our homes with upchucked tubular balls of hair. In this 3 minute quick-read, The Meowing Vetย explains how hairballs form, their potential consequences, and how you can prevent them from developing in your cat.
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The closest we humans may ever get to having superpowers is when our heightened “spidey sense” kicks in the minute we hear our cat about to barf. We seem to move at a superhuman speed to prevent our kitty from vomiting on our bed or living room rug. Unfortunately, we are in reality just mere humans and can’t always prevent a pet mess and the resultant need to clean it up.
A plethora of health issues can cause chronic gastrointestinal upset in cats: regurgitation from eating too quickly (often called โscarf and barfโ) or vomiting secondary to GI parasites, chronic kidney disease, hyperthyroidism, liver disorders, food allergies, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as well as certain cancers such as intestinal lymphoma. A full workup by your veterinarian is necessary to properly diagnose and treat your catโs underlying medical disorder. If your kitty gets the all-clear from your veterinarian, then your “up-chucking” cat may simply have a hairball problem.
Hairballs (trichobezoars) cause GI issues for many felines. Long-haired cats are especially prone to hairball problems. Being the meticulous groomers that they are, a cat’s rough tongue (which “combs” through his or her hair during bathing) picks up loose hair that is then swallowed. This fur then accumulates in the GI tract. In many cases, hairballs exit easily through the intestines. However, other cats may experience vomiting in which a hairball (seen as a tubular clump of fur) is passed. Rarely, a hairball can grow large enough to cause an intestinal obstruction, requiring immediate medical or surgical intervention.
You can help prevent your cat’s chances of developing hairballs with regular grooming and brushing (to remove loose fur before your cat has a chance to ingest it). Additionally, ask your vet about a feline diet formulated to reduce hairball development as well as over-the-counter or prescription products that lubricate your cat’s GI tract to ease the passage of hairballs.
– Maranda Elswick, DVM
