Font Size

Pets

When Hairballs Become Hazardous

By Elizabeth Parker

Hairballs are the butt of many a cat joke, even though the telltale hack-hack-hacking may seem commonplace to most feline owners. Cats are fastidious self-groomers, so it’s this habit that causes hairballs -- swallowed loose fur that is not completely digested. The problem usually warrants no cause for alarm, but in some cases, hairballs become too big for a cat’s digestive tract and cause blockage that can be life-threatening. It’s important for any cat owner to know why hairballs form, why they’re so common and when they can be dangerous.

Harmful Hairballs
“Most cats will either vomit the hair or pass it in their stool,” explains Tami Groger, DVM, associate veterinarian at Bay Hill Cat Hospital in Orlando, Fla. The feline digestive system is designed to handle hairballs (called trichobezoars by doctors) but only up to a certain size. “We had a long-haired kitty who stopped eating for three days and just did not look comfortable,” recalls Bernadine Cruz, DVM, of Laguna Hills Animal Hospital in California. “Everything seemed normal, but when I [felt] her abdomen, there was something there under the rib cage. We took an X-ray and saw this big thing. We did surgery to remove one huge hairball -- at a cost of $2000.”

The kitty recovered fully, but the owner may still be recovering from that bill.

Another problem caused by hairballs is that sometimes their symptoms appear similar to respiratory problems, such as asthma, which also require a veterinarian’s attention. Keeping hairballs to a minimum will therefore help your veterinarian diagnose asthma more quickly, should your cat develop it.

All cats get hairballs, says Dr. Groger, but “they are more prevalent in the long-haired breeds -- Persians, Himalayans, Maine Coons and domestic long hairs.” She adds, however, that she has “seen problems with short-haired cats, as well.”

Hazardous Hairball Warning Signs
Three key symptoms can distinguish a not-so-worrisome hairball from one that may require immediate medical attention. These are:

Continued retching that does not culminate with the expulsion of a hairball
Frequent diarrhea
Loss of appetite following repeated hairball episodes

All three of these symptoms could mean that your cat’s throat, stomach or intestines are blocked by a hairball obstruction. If your cat exhibits any of these symptoms, schedule a visit to your veterinarian’s office as soon as possible.

How to Prevent Hairballs
The best defense against hairballs, dangerous or not, is to keep your cat from getting them in the first place or to make sure they can be digested. Here are some tips recommended by veterinarians.

Brush your kitty “You really need to get down to the skin to loosen some of the fur,” says Dr. Cruz, who recommends using a soft rubbery brush for the task. Follow up with gentle combing using a fine-tooth comb. Older cats especially need this care, she says, as their digestive systems slow down with age and they’re less able to get rid of hairballs.

Feed your cat a specially formulated hairball care food Look for foods with beet pulp, carbohydrate blends and a fruit and vegetable extract known as FOS, which promotes healthy stomach bacteria. This combination of ingredients not only helps reduce fur balls, but it also enhances your cat's ability to absorb nutrients, provides bulk to move food through the intestines, promotes colon health and reduces waste and litter box odors.

For repeat hackers, increase their fiber intake Increasing fiber in your cat’s diet can help. The fiber will help hold onto hair and aid it in passing through the digestive track. Dr. Cruz suggests adding bits of asparagus, small amounts of canned pumpkin or oat grass to your cat’s hairball care commercial diet.

Offer a little oil You might also add a very small amount -- around half a teaspoon -- of petroleum jelly, olive oil or butter to your cat’s food. This too will help push through fur in the digestive system.

Purchase a commercial hairball remedy Commercial hairball remedies often contain similar fiber and oil ingredients combined with flavor enhancers to tempt your cat. Look for them at your local pet store. Just be sure to follow the enclosed listed directions carefully.

Keep a clean house Don’t allow your kitty access to pieces of string or thread around the house. If ingested, these can get wrapped up with swallowed fur and cause an obstruction.

Hairballs are an unpleasant side effect of your kitty’s natural inclination to stay clean and beautiful. Our job as cat owners is to allow that self-grooming but take responsible steps to make sure it doesn’t result in a dangerous, albeit hairy, health hazard.

About the Author

Elizabeth Parker has written for The Boston Globe, Shape, Glamour, Viv and many other publications. She is co-author of Heeling Your Inner Dog: A Self-Whelp Book (Times Books) and currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband, son, cat and two rabbits.

Digg

del.icio.us

Article Rating

Click a star to rate this article

Add a comment or Ask our expert

hairball remedy

I have just started giving my cats a hairball remedy to help them from throwing up hairballs. I have noticed that since I had to change to a different food for cost purposes that they were throwing up more frequently. Besides the fact that it's gross to have to clean up so many hairballs - I knew it wasn't good for them. The nice thing is that the cats think it's a treat!!

Posted by Stephanie on 2008-09-10 at 12:04:27

Hairballs

I have tried every hairball treatment on the shelves and nothing works. She was throwing up every day. I switched her to a new canned cat food for hairballs and at first she went 5 days without throwing up. I thought it was solved and then she started again. She does skip a day periodically - about once a week. I plan on keeping her on this for the time being. I brush her every day. I also bought the ferminator which removes more hair. She won't eat food with petroleum jelly in it. Actually she won't eat anything that I try to add. I did try the butter and the oil. She leaves it. I wish I could find the answer.

Posted by Mary Lamberson on 2008-09-16 at 20:04:13

my cat throws up everyday also

My cat had all his blood work and xrays done in the past 3 weeks because he vomits every night and breaths like he is having an asthma attack. It really scares me but doctors could not find out what was wrong, Now they will try prednisone

Posted by diane on 2008-09-28 at 22:20:04

This is for Mary L

My cat is the same way. My groomer recommended me to get this food royal canine #34 i did n she hasnt touched any of it in 4 days. So i am taking it back tomrow. I plan on giving her this Oat Grass and some butter in her food and maybe a little of canned pumpkin for fiber. Pet. Jelly, and oils doesnt do anything for her. Makes her sick.She vomits everything she eats. I am trying more n more each week. I give up!!!!! Tired of cleaning up messes around the house!!!! She is 14 years old looks like a 3 yr old, and has a great dispostion. She drinks like a horse. I dont give her any milk products just water. She does get Collodial Silver liquid in her water. This helps on bacteria in their bodies. I also give her mulitiacidolphilus caplets once a day for stomach problems. HELP!!!! :) Happy

Posted by Happy :) on 2008-10-01 at 23:58:10

14 yr old cat

Ive tried hairball treatment too. I try everything each n every week for my cat. Everything I try she throws up. Pet Jelly, oils dont work. I will try Oat grass and some canned pumpkin. She does get multiacidophilus and collodial silver. Silver in her water for bacteria. Vets said in 1996 that she had feline leukeemia and has been in doors ever since. Remmber she s 14 yr old and actin like a 3 yr now. :) any suggestions

Posted by Happy :) on 2008-10-02 at 00:16:50

Try "Petromalt" & wheat grass

My cat had fierce hairballs until I got "Petromalt" at the pet store. You just put about an inch of it on the foot and they lick it off. You also need to vacuum regularly, especially if you have long hair. I also keep wheat grass around, which you can buy at the local store.

Posted by Seattlite on 2008-10-24 at 10:21:10

milk

is it ok to give my cat milk?

Posted by jackie on 2008-10-24 at 15:00:59

milk

is it ok to give my cat milk?

Posted by jackie on 2008-10-24 at 15:01:07

Cat hairball

11/12/08 Prolly a bit late.... We took our 2 year old long haired cat "Fluffer" to the vet today after she has not eaten or hardly drank for a week. In her short loveable life, she has had a history of hairballs. After some tests today and finding no diseases, etc, the vet recommended we leave her overnight for xrays. He says; Maybe she has a hairball blockage. Could result in surgery. He advises it's expensive. We're on a fixed income. Tough call.... any advise? Do the "over the counter" products do what they say? Help!. Skip

Posted by Skip Parsons on 2008-11-12 at 20:18:58

Constant vomiting

I have a 9yr old male who'd began vomiting a lot. Vet thought it was IBD, we tried different treatment protocols, found out it was small cell lymphoma (after surgery and a biopsy). Is your cat vomiting or regurgitating? There IS a difference and the answer will help determine the correct treatment. Good luck.

Posted by cindy on 2008-12-28 at 22:02:32

Cat Throwing up

My cat is not eating but does throw up after he does eat. The vet has him on fur ball medicine. He's licking the door frame and is not active around the house. I hate to keep running to the vet with more bills. He's also not drinking water as much. Can you help me?

Posted by Carolyn on 2009-02-23 at 04:07:34

Cat and Hairballs

The problem is my cat won't let me brush her and I want to prevent these hairballs, but she gets upset and wants to attack the hair brush, so I will try the over the counter medicines, and I will let you know what happens, if she continues to have these hairballs.

Posted by Yolanda on 2009-04-30 at 13:59:33

Daily Hairballs

My 3.5 year old persian has been throwing up hairballs nearly every morning for the last few weeks. It always happens between 5:30-7:30am, a very specific window of time. He's been to the vet, and all test results came back fine. The Dr. now thinks he may have psychogenic alopecia (obsessive grooming), and that he may be doing this at night when I'm sleeping or during the day when I'm at work. He does have a nervous/skittish disposition, so this may be his way of calming himself. The thing is that he doesn't have much fur though. When I got him from the humane society about a month ago, they said they had shaved him late in December because of matting, but the hair on his back hasn't grown back yet. I'm thinking that his over-grooming is keeping it that way. I started him on a natural hairball gel remedy a couple days ago, but haven't seen any results yet. I also bought him a little tank top to wear at night to prevent him from obsessive licking. I sure hope this helps. I am so tired of cleaning up hairballs and digested food during the wee hours of every morning.

Posted by Natalie on 2009-07-23 at 23:37:39

hairball

My cat kept throwing up liquid but no hair ball for a few weeks...then one night he got very sick...he threw up about 8 times in one night then it was just mucus...he lost 5 lbs and he was so run down...we took him to the vet and they said that he could have kidney failure because his levels were more than double what they should be...so we thought he was going to pass away...then the next day we took him to the his vet not emergency one and found out he has a blockage because of a hairball...so if ur cat is throwing up but no hairball take them immediately because this was the scariest thing that ever happened n horrible watching my kitty go through it...they said that he should be fine now and it will pass through him...don't mess around and wait...take the cat to the vet right away the sooner the better

Posted by Emily on 2009-10-05 at 17:30:35

Older cats - Hyperthyroid

For those who have older cats who are suddenly throwing up constantly it could be Hyperthyroidism. Especially if they are drinking lots of water.

Posted by Amy on 2009-10-15 at 16:18:39