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Hairballs in cats

Hairballs are normal for cats because they swallow hair when grooming, which they then vomit or excrete in their feces. However, excessive hairballs can cause health problems. Find out how hairballs form, what risks they pose and how you can avoid complications.

Hairballs are nothing unusual in everyday life with cats: During their regular grooming, these clean-loving animals swallow a lot of hair, which they then excrete in their feces or regurgitate. The sight of vomited hairballs is therefore a daily occurrence for cat owners. However, hairballs can also be dangerous and, if they occur in excess, can affect your furry friend's health. Find out here how hairballs develop in cats, what risks they pose and how you can prevent complications caused by hairballs.

What are cat hairballs and how do they form?

Hairballs are accumulations of cat hair that form real tangles in the animal's stomach. The technical term for hairballs is trichobezoars. Hairballs are formed when cats groom their fur intensively. There are small hooks on the tongue of cats that are ideal for removing dirt particles, parasites and fallen hair. This is why cats swallow a lot of hair when grooming their fur. These have no place in the cat's stomach and are either excreted in the feces or vomited.

Vomiting and excreting hairballs is a natural behavior of four-legged friends to keep their bodies healthy. Usually, excretions occur once or twice a week. However, some factors mean that hairballs occur more frequently at certain times and in certain cat breeds.

Risk factors for hairballs

Some cats naturally tend to swallow more hair than others. As a result, they are more likely to excrete and vomit hairballs. Problems arise when cats swallow too much hair and have difficulty removing the hairballs from their stomachs. Risk factors that can cause an increased occurrence of hairballs in cats include the following:

  • Long-haired cat breed: When it comes to cat breeds, long-haired cats are particularly prone to hairballs. Long-haired cat breeds include Maine Coon, British Longhair, Norwegian Forest Cat and Siberian Cat.
  • Cat breed with thick fur: Not only long-haired cats, but also those with a particularly thick undercoat tend to swallow more hair and thus develop hairballs more frequently. In addition to long-haired cats, short-haired cat breeds such as the British Shorthair also have a thick undercoat.
  • Time of coat change: Cats shed their fur twice a year: in autumn they exchange their light summer fur for a thicker winter coat and vice versa in spring. At this time, a particularly large amount of hair falls out, so the cats also excrete more hairballs.
  • Excessive grooming: Cats with a Cats with an excessive tendency to groom also swallow more hair than their counterparts. If there is a serious behavioral disorder, veterinarians also speak of psychogenic lick alopecia. Affected cats lick their fur so frequently and intensively that they cause bald spots and inflammation.
  • Obesity, age and lack of exercise: Overweight and old cats, as well as lazy cats that do not get enough exercise, are at an increased risk of suffering from large hairballs. This is because these animals often suffer from intestinal sluggishness. As a result, the swallowed hair can no longer be removed from the stomach and intestines as easily, which can lead to health problems.

Hairballs as a danger for cats

If too much hair accumulates in a cat's stomach and intestines, it becomes increasingly difficult to excrete it. In the body, the cat hair combines with fat from the food to form larger hairballs. This is a vicious circle: if your cat has difficulty vomiting the hairball or excreting it with the stool due to its size, more and more hair will accumulate over time, causing the hairball to grow. Over time, it can harden and become heavy in the stomach - similar to a stone.

Diagnosis and treatment of large hairballs

If you suspect that your cat is suffering from hairballs in its body and is having difficulty getting rid of them, you should see a vet as soon as possible. If you wait too long, one of the complications mentioned above, such as inflammation or intestinal obstruction, could occur. The vet can examine your furry friend in detail and determine whether hairballs in the stomach or intestines are affecting it. To do this, the doctor can palpate the body to feel for possible hardening caused by hairballs. Imaging procedures such as an X-ray or ultrasound examination can also be used to make a diagnosis.

The vet can use laxatives or lubricants to try to make it easier to pass the hairballs. In the case of constipation, glycerine suppositories can also help. If a hairball is already too large and the cat can no longer expel it naturally through the intestines or esophagus, the cat may need to undergo surgery. To prevent this from happening, there are a few things you can do to prevent hairballs in your cat.

Preventing hairballs in cats

To avoid the health problems listed above in your furry friend, you can prevent hairballs in cats in a number of ways. It is important to keep the number of swallowed hairs as low as possible and to make it easier to excrete them.

  • Cat grass: Cat grass refers to various plants in the grass family. The grass triggers a gag reflex in cats and helps them to get rid of hairballs in their stomachs. In the wild, outdoor cats instinctively eat freely growing grass to create this effect. This is more difficult for indoor cats: sometimes they nibble on houseplants instead. This is dangerous, as many plants such as orchids, tulips, poinsettias or lilies can be poisonous to the animals. So support your indoor cat by placing one or more pots of special cat grass around the apartment.
  • Malt paste: Malt paste consists of a lot of fiber, fats and oils and has a mild laxative effect. The fiber stimulates the intestines and excretes hairballs more quickly. The oily and fatty consistency of the paste also makes excretion easier.
  • Nutrition: In general, you can support your cat's diet by using food that is high in fiber. You can also add a few drops of oil to the wet or dry food to facilitate intestinal transit. However, you should only use oil that is suitable for cats to consume. It is best to discuss this measure with your vet beforehand.
  • Several small meals: You can also adjust your cat's diet so that you feed him several small meals of wet or dry food throughout the day. This also stimulates intestinal activity and ensures that hair is removed from the body more quickly.
  • Brushing and combing: Another useful tip is to help your cat groom its fur. Get a brush that is tailored to your cat's fur and brush your cat's fur regularly. This way you can remove dead hair by hand and prevent your cat from swallowing it during grooming.

If your cat has had problems with digestion and vomiting due to hairballs and is therefore emaciated and weak, you should feed it back to health. Our KATTOVIT Restorative Treatment is specially tailored to weakened cats and helps them to regenerate. Thanks to the easily digestible and concentrated recipe, the Restorative Treatment provides your furry friend with important nutrients and an increased energy content.

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frequently asked Questions

If your cat frequently vomits hairballs or generally has a lot of fur and sheds a lot, you can help her in various ways: Brush and comb their fur regularly and remove loose and dead hair so that your velvet paw does not swallow it. This will prevent hairballs from forming. You can also make it easier for your cat to vomit hairballs or excrete them in their faeces. To do this, you should change your cat's diet to several small meals of wet or dry food per day to stimulate intestinal activity, and if your cat has difficulty excreting hairballs, you can help with cat grass. To do this, place one or more pots of special cat grass for your indoor cat. The cat grass triggers a gag reflex and helps the cat to vomit up the hairballs. Fibre-rich food with lots of fibre and malt paste can also help the animal to eliminate hairballs via the intestines. If this does not work and you notice that your furry friend is unwell and is suffering from abdominal pain, diarrhoea or vomiting, for example, you should consult a vet immediately.

Vomiting hairballs is initially quite normal in cats and is part of everyday life. As a rule, cats regurgitate hairballs around once or twice a week. As they swallow a lot of hair in the course of grooming, hairballs can also be found in their faeces. If your cat is a long-haired cat or a cat with a particularly thick undercoat, it may vomit hairballs more often. Your cat may also regurgitate hairballs more frequently in spring or autumn due to the change of coat, but if your cat regurgitates large hairballs unusually often, you should take note. Unsuccessful attempts to retch, vomit or defecate are also clear warning signs. The hairballs in your cat's stomach may be too large to get rid of naturally. Affected velvet paws often show loss of appetite and tenderness in the abdominal region. Vomiting of undigested food or diarrhoea are also possible. Consult a vet immediately at the first sign of hairballs, as they can otherwise lead to inflammation and an intestinal blockage.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

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