The Trouble With Hairballs

Hairballs are a serious problem for cats and not one to overlook as a pet owner.

The problem of getting hair lodged inside not only is a dangerous medical condition for cats, it can threaten their lives. Just watch your cat throw up a hairball and you’ll know it’s a disgusting and uncomfortable problem to have.

The hairball is generated by excessive grooming or if your cat lacks in grooming. In that case, the hair will fall out on its own and turn into a hairball.

Hairballs become a serious problem when they become lodged in the cat’s intestines. Here, they can block the intestines and prevent your pet from urinating or moving bowels properly. If this happens, take your pet to the veterinarian immediately. The cat needs medical care to resolve the problem.

There are hairball medicines on the market that will help your cat remove the blockage and also helping to prevent future hairballs. There even is cat foods that help prevent hairballs.

For pet owners, paying for the medical care can be expensive. If hairballs become a serious problem and block your cat’s intestines, it might require a costly surgery to remove it. So, paying for the preventative measures is a better, and less costly, investment.

The more you know about hairballs and their causes, the better you’ll be able to care for your cat – and your checkbook.

It is normal for cats to lose hair. They lose hair everyday and virtually every minute of every day.

Cats’ fur coats thicken upon the arrival of cooler weather in the fall and winter. Then, when spring arrives with its warmer temperatures, cats naturally begin losing some of that fur coat because they no longer need it to stay warm.

That’s when you begin to notice more cat hair on your pillow, on your couch and more dust-bunnies bouncing along your kitchen floor. You spend more time vacuuming the hair and sweeping floors. This is a common time for cats prone to hairballs to have problems.

Brushing your cat’s fur daily will do a lot to help prevent hairballs. Brushing the fur will pull out loose hair that otherwise would end up inside your cat. This will cut down on the amount of hair that potentially could build up and create a hairball. It’s an easy task and only takes a few minutes a day.

Many cats enjoy brushing and will become very affectionate during the process.

Pet shops sometimes sell wall-mounted brushes that some cats enjoy rubbing against. It feels good to the cat but also will pull out some of that loose hair and help curb a hairball problem. It’s another affordable investment to keep your cat healthy.

Remember, if you don’t have a pet shop near you, or can’t get to one easily, there are numerous pet supply businesses with Web sites. Order online and it will be delivered to your front door.

An ugly and disgusting side of a cat’s hairball problem is vomiting. Cats with this problem will vomit the hairball up. You’ll find evidence of this throughout your home – on carpets, on hard wood flooring, on your bed and on window sills. It’s a mess to clean up and can stain your cloth. It’s also dangerous for your pet to vomit so much each day.

One method to help curtail the vomiting problem is to give your cat grass to eat. Many cats enjoy eating grass and it will help clear the hairball.

Veterinarians also have remedies they will sell you, and some do not cost a lot of money. Some of these are liquids that can be dropped into your cat’s drinking bowl.