Cats often use their tongues to lick their fur and swallow them, leading to hairs getting mixed up in the digestive tract. Cats with hairballs are very serious and can cause serious concerns such as gastrointestinal obstruction. So what to do if a cat has a hairball? How to prevent cats from getting hairballs?
What is hairball in cats? Why do cats get hairballs?
Hair tufts in cats form from the process of licking the cat's hair and they swallow it. Normally, the cat's digestive system can usually digest these tufts of hair. However, sometimes their body can't digest it and these tufts will accumulate in their stomach until they are vomited out.
Hairball in cats is not a disease, it is just an unhealthy condition associated with the cat's daily living habits. Because they spend up to 30% time each day licking and grooming and using their tongues to lick loose hair, which is then swallowed down. Breeds with long hair or a lot of hair loss will often have tufts of hair in the intestines.
Normally, the amount of cat hair swallowed into the stomach, although it cannot be digested, will be pushed out when the cat goes to the toilet. However, in some cases, the fur in the abdomen is too much or is not pushed out at all, the cat will try to vomit the hair to reduce discomfort.
Cats vomiting hairballs out is not dangerous and it can take up to 2 weeks for them to vomit the hair out. The vomited fur will be the same color as a cat's, but may be darker due to secretions and food mixed in the stomach.
Signs that a cat has a hairball can be dangerous
Hair tufts or cat vomiting to get rid of a build-up in the belly is common and is not a cause for concern unless it occurs frequently (more than twice a month), or if:
- Cat vomits, spits, or coughs without the appearance of hairballs: This is notable because when cats are unable to vomit hairballs out, large tufts of hair are pushed down into the intestines, blocking the intestines, which can be dangerous.
- Cats are severely constipated with poor appetite, less active.
- Cats pooping stools that are hard and look as dry as ice.
- Seeing a lot of hair in cat poop.
- Stressed Cats
Effects of hair tufts on the cat's body
Cats with tufts of hair in the stomach or intestines can affect:
- Overall health in relation to the consequences of hairballs in cats.
- Hygiene of cats and the cat's environment through vomiting.
- Annoying cats.
- There is a risk of bowel obstruction, but the risk is not high and can be prevented.
How to prevent and treat hairballs in cats
Tufts are not dangerous to cats. However, creating good habits for cats to avoid hairballs is still more practical than "treating the hairballs in the cat's belly".
1, Regular brushing for cats
Brush your cat regularly every 2-3 days, or if you are busy, at least once a week to prevent hairballs. Because in 1 week, there will be a lot of lint and loose cat hair and the cat will swallow the hair when cleaning the body every day.
2. Short hair for cats
If you have a long-haired cat, in addition to brushing you can also buy a cat hair trimmer, this is extremely economical and easy to use, helping to fight hairballs in cats very effectively.
3. Feed your cat anti-bundle food
If your cat refuses to eat vegetables, or vomits, If you are constipated, have tufts of hair or hair, you should feed your cat more foods containing a variety of soluble fiber to help the hair move down the intestines. Good cat anti-hairball foods will contain ingredients that support digestion and treat hairballs effectively.
The best foods to support digestion against hairballs are vegetables and tubers such as mashed pumpkin, radish or special foods of people who can easily handle fast hairballs such as butter, cooking oil, You can add butter or cooking oil to drinking water and daily food.
However, you absolutely should not put oil or butter in the cat's mouth, even mixing oil or butter with the cat's food or water will not have much effect by feeding the cat a large amount of oil or butter in the same time. time. You can use a trick to get your cat to eat large amounts of oil and butter right away by dipping your cat's front paws in the oil and butter to let the cat lick it off on its own.
4, Moisturizing wax (Vaseline Petrolium oil Jelly) helps to treat hairballs when it is severe
Compared to cooking oil and butter, this moisturizing wax can be more effective, it both lubricates and helps to dissolve the hairball and is completely benign (safe) to use on cats. Usage is the same as using cooking oil and butter for cats.
5. Feed your cat many small meals
If your cat has hairballs, you should feed her many small + moderate meals to make it easier to digest and the ability of the stomach to bring the hair down to the intestines and push it out. Cats with bunions are advised to feed 4-6 small meals a day instead of 2 or 3 main meals.
6. Feed your cat barley grass (cat grass)
If your cat has a new hairball, you can feed them cat grass. Cat grass is mostly indigestible fiber, when the grass enters the stomach, it will tightly wrap the hairs into a tuft and become a ship that transports the hair out. Besides, cat grass also contains a lot of enzymes that support digestion and soften that cat food cannot have.
However, if your cat has severe hairballs, or has had it for a long time or often, it cannot be treated with catnip because cat grass cannot be digested in the stomach, which can cause a blockage that causes cat problems. greater danger.
7, Feed your cat a large grain or a granular dog food
If your cat has severe hairballs, you can help with her digestion by switching to dog granules or larger cat food. Because when eating large-grain food, cats cannot be lazy to chew or swallow when this large-sized particle, from which chewing will help the food entering the stomach to be crushed and easier to digest, minimizing the risk of food poisoning. obstruction muscle. However, the selected large grain size should have a high energy and fat ratio so that the cat does not have to eat a lot.
Here is some information about the problem cat with hairballs that we want to share with you. Wish you have healthy and lovely cats. If you need to know more about other ways to take care of cats, contact http://vanchuyenchomeo.com/ for advice.
English 
Vietnamese