Mary Allen
Since every cat swallows hair every day, every cat can develop hairballs that cause them problems. Read here which cats are particularly at risk and how you can easily promote the natural elimination of cat hair.
Why Do Cats Get Hairballs?
Do you devote a quarter of your day, or maybe even half, to your personal hygiene? What sounds a lot exaggerated for us humans is completely normal for our velvet paws. They lick their fur extensively every day and a lot of hair gets caught on their rough tongue.
Studies have shown that an average shorthair cat weighing 4 kg swallows around 75 g of hair every year in this way.
The cats simply excrete most of it with their feces. The rest is regurgitated and vomited out of the stomach. It’s unpleasant for us when it happens in the apartment, but it’s completely normal.
Is Рairballs Вangerous in Сats?
Problems arise when large amounts of hair collect in the cat’s stomach and clump together into tight hairballs (trichobezoars) that lead to frequent vomiting or that cannot be vomited at all. In the worst case, such trichobezoars can cause a life-threatening acute intestinal obstruction (ileus).
But chronic problems with hairballs can also affect your cat’s quality of life, such as vomiting, abdominal pain, poor eating, and weight loss.
The longer a hairball stays in the stomach or intestines, the larger and harder it can become. First, fat from food accumulates on the hair, creating a tight clump. Later, this lump can even calcify and resemble a stone.
How Do I Know if My Cat Has Hairball Problems?
As already mentioned, there is no reason to worry if your cat throws up hair or small hairballs from time to time or if you find hair in the cat’s feces. However, there are some signs you can use to tell if swallowed hair is becoming a problem for your cat. If you see these signs in your cat, you should have the cause checked by a vet:
Frequent vomiting due to hairballs
If your cat throws up hair once or twice a week, this is usually still normal. The hairs may be mixed with stomach contents or appear as small, firm hairballs. If the cat vomits more frequently, this can be an indication that it has to bring out an above-average number of hairs or that it is suffering from a gastrointestinal disease. If your cat is also losing weight, eating poorly, or showing stomach pains, it is essential that you see a veterinarian. These can be the first signs of intestinal obstruction (see below).
Bloody Poop from Hairballs
Large amounts of hair can irritate the intestinal wall and cause colon inflammation. The cat droppings then not only contain a lot of hair but can also be covered by a layer of mucus in which streaks of blood can be found.
Chewing on indoor plants because of hairballs
In the wild, cats use grass and other green plants to absorb mucilage and fibrous substances that make it easier for them to shed their hair. Indoor cats like to eat cat grass for this purpose. If this is not available to them or if their digestion is tormenting them excessively, they will sometimes eat other plants as well. Since we humans find many plants beautiful that are poisonous to cats (e.g. orchids, cyclamen, and many more), this can quickly become dangerous.