These animals like to be completely clean, which is why they constantly groom themselves with their tongues, which have pointed papillae that give a rough sensation on contact. This allows them to spread the saliva over their fur with each lick, and also pull out weak or loose hairs, which can sometimes be consumed.
There is a widespread belief that vomiting hairballs are normal for all cats. This is not the case, and in many cases this is the first sign of a serious illness.
According to a recent study, up to 75% of cats are short-haired and 25% of long-haired cats never throw up hairballs (trichobezoars). Cats that throw up hairballs usually only do so once a year, and only a small percentage of cats throw up more than once a year.
Excessive consumption of hair can accumulate in the stomach and cause irritation, inflammation, pain and sporadic or frequent vomiting. Moreover, if a large amount of hair reaches the gastrointestinal tractit can cause obstructions that lead to serious health problems such as peritonitis, intestinal necrosis, sepsis and can even compromise the cat’s life.
Why is my cat throwing up hairballs?
It is perfectly normal for cats to ingest small amounts of hair, but this may increase in times of skin disorders, for example, when the females are in heatduring moulting or if they constantly lick each other.
If your pet is prone to hairballs, we recommend the following:
1. Brush it daily.
2. Take him to the vet regularly.
3. Offer him adequate food.
4. Also good hydration.
If you want to read more articles like this, we recommend you visit our Animals category.
