Mary Allen
As long as cats vomit hairballs, and this only happens occasionally, you don’t necessarily need to see a vet. A few preventive measures are then sufficient to support your cat’s coat care and digestion. However, hairballs can become a health problem if they get out of hand. Here you can find out when a vet visit is necessary.
Cats spend a lot of time grooming and personal hygiene. When your velvet paw brushes its fur with the cat’s tongue, it also swallows a few cat hairs, and hairballs can form. However, this only happens when too much cat hair gets into the digestive tract. This is usually designed to excrete the swallowed hair, but sometimes it doesn’t work so well. When does your furry friend need medical help?
Vomiting Hairballs: Is the Cat Sick?
If hairballs have formed in the digestive tract, your cat will try to throw them up. If this only happens once in a while, about once every week or two, and your house tiger otherwise seems healthy and alert, you don’t need to go to the vet. Still, keep an eye on your velvet paw in case she vomits more frequently or her health deteriorates. Symptoms of the disease are, for example, loss of appetite and weight, apathy and exhaustion, changes in behavior (unaccustomed withdrawal, unaccustomed trustingness, or sudden aggressiveness ) as well as constipation or diarrhea. Then you should have your cat examined by a vet.
Hairball Obstruction: Off to the Vet!
Cats may also try to throw up hairballs but not succeed. They then make the typical gagging motions and noises associated with vomiting, but the hairballs don’t come out. If this behavior is repeated several times, a visit to the veterinarian is also recommended. It may be that the hairs have gotten so badly knotted in the digestive tract that they can neither be passed out nor vomited. In this case, there is a risk of an intestinal obstruction, which can even be life-threatening. Therefore, better safe than sorry.
How to Prevent Hairball Problems
You can help your cat groom it so it swallows less hair and reduces the risk of hairballs. You can also help her digestion with certain dietary supplements and healthy oils and fats so that swallowed hair is passed out more easily and does not collect in the stomach or intestines. Ask your veterinarian for advice on which products and foods he or she recommends.