When A Hairball Becomes A Hairy Situation: What Every Cat Lover Needs To Know
For most cats, hairballs are a normal part of life, even if they're not the most pleasant experiences for their owners. Occasionally, though, hairballs can become complicated or even life-threatening and that's when the cat lover must have the information needed to help the fretting feline through.
Why Cats Cough Up Hairballs
Nearly every feline is a meticulous groomer, but all that hair has to go somewhere. The cat's roughly-textured tongue acts almost like a hairbrush when it strokes the fur, sending it back in the mouth and down the throat. Since cats don't have hairbrushes, and they'd never go without grooming, all that hair eventually makes its way into the digestive tract, where it's either sent back up in clumps or balls or it's released through defecation. Either way, those wet, squishy, and admittedly unsightly plops of fur help your cat stay gorgeous on the outside and healthy on the inside.
Symptoms Of A Caught Clump Of Hair
Depending on how often your cat coughs one up, you may simply realize that you haven't seen one recently and that could be cause for concern. Also, if you see your pet gagging or coughing, without anything coming up, that may be an indication that a hairball is caught somewhere. Usually, the clump will be forced out at some point; however, if it remains stuck for too long, your cat may actually vomit, stop eating, and become lethargic. This is when you know your intervention may be required to free the furball from wherever it's become lodged in your feline.
Other Possible Complications
Beyond the discomfort for the animal and the angst for you, a trapped hairball can block the digestive tract completely, leading to a slew of other complications you need to be aware of:
- Diarrhea
- Pain and swelling of the stomach area
- A drop in body temperature
- Obvious discomfort, including crying and whining, along with not being able to lay down
As you can imagine, obstruction of this magnitude would require emergency treatment. If your feline tends to experience difficulty with hairballs, start keeping a log or jot down on a calendar when the balls come up, so you can stay a step ahead of possible problems. Once the cat starts to show signs of an upcoming hair mass, pay closer attention than usual until the event has passed. Hairball remedies, including homemade products like Vaseline or olive oil, may help to expedite the process, but it's important to involve a veterinarian as soon as you think a blockage is in the works.
When To Go To A Pet Hospital
Your vet will inform you of the best food and furball treatments for your pet, but they'll also recommend you help in the grooming process, too. If your feline fancies a good brushing, take advantage of that as often as possible. Whenever a hairball isn't coming up as it should or if your cat shows any symptoms of it being stuck, call the animal hospital immediately. You may be offered advice or, more likely, they'll want to see the patient themselves, just to be on the safe side.
If things become too purrcarious for your hairing-impaired friend, a stay in the hospital may be needed, during which the vet may opt for professional, but non-surgical methods of removal, such as inserting a tool down the cat's throat to grab the lodged hair or administering a prescription-strength elixir. Don't hesitate to contact your cat's doctor whenever a hairball is overdue or causing any symptoms and certainly treat a stuck furball as a potential emergency.
While their human admirers don't necessarily enjoy the squish of a fresh hairball underfoot, the cat needs to cough them up every once in a while. If ever anything seems out of the ordinary for your feline and their hairball routine, call a local pet hospital right away to get the lowdown on the upchuck and how you can make it happen.
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