Dealing with Cat Hairballs

Hairballs are a familiar problem to any cat owner, especially if they have a pet with long hair. Short hair cats also suffer from this problem, but it’s more common to those that have longer hair, like Persian cats.

What happens is that the cat licks the fur, and swallows hair as a result. Since the digestive system can process it easily, sometimes it gathers in hairballs in the stomach. This doesn’t happen all the time, as it usually just gets evacuated like anything that reaches the stomach. When the hairball does appear, sometimes it can become quite big, and the health of the cat can be in danger.

When a cat has problems because of hairballs, it will be evident by the fact that it doesn’t eat anymore. In most cases, cats are able to just cough up the hairball, so don’t be alarmed when you hear harsh noises coming from the cat. It sounds a bit like it’s choking, but it all goes away once the hairball is spat out.

However, if the cat can’t spit out the hairball, it can get lodged in and it will keep growing. The result might be constipation for the cat and they might stop grooming themselves. If it gets to this stage, the cat needs to be taken to a vet as soon as possible, so they remove the hairball from the stomach, surgically. While your wallet (or the cat) will not enjoy this visit to the vet, it’s a necessary procedure if the cat can’t spit out the hairball on her own.

You can use a cat grooming rake to get the hair that is loose and dead from the cat, helping her with the grooming and trying to prevent the appearance of hairballs in her stomach. If the cat is moulting, the importance of such a grooming process is even more important. In the beginning the cat might hate the grooming process, but if you start doing it since it’s a kitten, she will learn to like it. Doing this, you will notice a large quantity of dead hair taken off your cat, hair that will not get in her stomach if you groom her.

If the cat has problems with hairballs on a regular basis, you can buy some food products that are designed to help cats digest the hair, so it doesn’t build up in their tummy. I can’t guarantee for these products, as I haven’t used any of them.