Dealing With Cat Hairballs
Then it happens. First it begins as a small convulsion. Your cat seems to be coughing as if something has flown down its throat. Soon the picturesque moment has changed to one of grave concern. Your cat begins making very strange noises. He appears to be heaving and seemingly about to go into a seizure. Coughing and sneezing noises are then seen and heard. Moments later, your cat gives birth to something that has been inside it for quite some time: a hairball.
Hairballs are a common problem with most cats simply because it is part of their nature to keep themselves clean. In fact there are very few animals that are so meticulous about keeping themselves clean as a cat.
The cleaning process is a grooming process that is designed to pull the loose hair from its shiny coat. A cat is able to do this because its tongue is not like ours. It actually has many tiny barbs that enable it to pull the loose hair from its coat. This hair is ingested by the cat in small quantities over time and normally will pass through the cat's digestive system with absolutely no problems whatsoever.
Unfortunately, if a cat is too meticulous with its cleaning, or if it has gotten into "hairy" situations that have created multiple knots in its coat, the amount of ingested hair will create a very easy situation that will allow the hairball to be born.
Hairballs are not inherently bad for the cat, unless they are excessively large or it is a reoccurring problem that seems to have nothing to do with regular grooming. One of the easiest ways to ensure that your cat does not get hairballs is to do a regular brushing of your cat. This is especially helpful for a cat that has long hair. The longer the hair, the more easily the hair can become in tangled and create hairballs within your cat.
If you are unable to brush your cat, another helpful tip would be to use a small amount of Vaseline and place it on the paw of your cat. Instinctively, the cat will want to lick the Vaseline off of its paw and in doing so will ingest the Vaseline. The Vaseline will act as a laxative and help your cat pass the hair more readily through its intestinal system. This is not something that should be regularly done because it may not be healthy for your cat to ingest Vaseline on a regular basis.
Another solution is to take your cat to a veterinarian to get specific laxatives that are designed to help your cat pass hair and hairballs through its digestive tract more easily. You most certainly would want to take your cat to a veterinarian if the hairball problem is occurring frequently. The reason is that it may not be a hairball problem at all but a stomach disorder that needs to be examined by the vet. A common cause for cats vomiting could be as simple as a food allergy.
Caring for your cat does not have to be a difficult and time-consuming event. Most cats can take care of themselves without the need for human intervention for anything other than food, water, and occasional attention. Taking just a few moments a week to make sure that your cat is properly brushed so that excess hair does not have to be ingested by your cat is one of the easiest ways to ensure the health and safety of your cat by preventing excessive hairball development.
Related Tags: cat, cat health, cat care, feline, hairballs, cat shedding
Nick Bulka operates a number of pet-related sites, including Dog Training Instruction and The Cat Tree Store
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