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Staying as clean as your cat does is not an easy task.
During the course of her daily grooming, the cat
consumes a lot of hair. The feline digestive system
wasn’t designed to handle this ingested hair, so instead
of being broken down by stomach enzymes the way food is,
all this hair passes through the system and comes out in
the cat’s stool.
Every so often, however, a clump of hair doesn’t work
its way through the digestive tract, and forms a dense
mat in the stomach. When this happens, the cat expels
the unwanted clump by vomiting out a hairball.
Although not very pleasant to look at, occasional
hairballs are harmless to cats. However, if these
hairballs are occurring regularly, you should regard
them as a warning sign that the pet might be developing
a more serious problem. Hairballs that become impacted
can block the stomach and intestines, preventing the cat
from defecating or vomiting. If your cat has frequent
hairballs and experiences vomiting of undigested food,
constipation, dry retching, diarrhea or a swollen
stomach, she should be taken to a veterinarian for
treatment. In some serious cases, impacted hairballs may
have to be removed through surgery.
As is always the case with health issues, prevention is
the best treatment for hairballs. You can begin by
regularly brushing the cat’s coat. Bristle or pin
brushes can be used depending on the coat type. Rubber
grooming brushes and grooming mitts are also very
effective in picking up loose hair. The more hair
removed through brushing, the less there will be for the
cat to ingest when grooming.
Diet can also be a tool in the battle against hairballs.
You can feed the cat a hairball formula variety of a
premium food. These formulas contain extra fiber to help
hair pass through the digestive tract before it forms a
solid mass. If you switch your cat to a hairball
formula, make this transition gradually, since sudden
changes in diet can lead to digestive problems. (Please
see “How Do I Switch My Cat To A New Food,”).
Indoor “kitty grass” can also help a cat process hair
more efficiently by introducing fiber to the diet.
Another option is to give the cat a hairball remedy
formula. These products lubricate the colon and the
outside of the feces, making it easier for hair to pass
through the digestive system.
Ensure that the cat has an adequate intake of water.
Drinking fresh clean water aids the digestive process
and helps avoid constipation. To encourage the cat to
drink more, try using a watering system. These products
recirculate water, which keeps it fresher. Cats are also
drawn to the constant surface movement of the
recirculating water, making them more likely to drink.
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