Preventing Cat Hairballs (Trichobezoars)

No one likes to vomit and the same goes for your
cat. Little surprises that they sometimes
through up and leave for you on your light
coloured carpet, of course are a chore to clean
up. Cats are known for grooming themselves a
lot. It's roughly estimated that a cat will
spend up to a third of its waking life washing
itself. When your cat washes herself miniature
hooks pull the loose hair out and go in to the
digestive system. The occasional hairball is
usually nothing to worry about it's when it
becomes more frequent that you should worry.

Nature has designed a carnivores stomach to
digest fur and hair. Any wildlife programme you
watch will show meat eaters stripping fur and
flesh and consuming it all together. The issue
is the breeding of long haired animals,
Persians, Birmans, Maine Coon and other medium
to long haired cats. This doesn't mean that a
short haired cat won't have problems as well.
When a cat grooms, the hair sits in the gut and
usually passes through. However if there is a
problem in the stomach the hair will collect,
become thicker and come back up the wrong way!
As a kitten you probably never really saw any
hairballs from your pet, however as your cat
grows so does their ability to groom themselves
better.

Frequent brushing with a good quality cat brush
should be a daily procedure for any responsible
animal owner. If you're going to have a long
haired cat as a pet then make sure you are
taking the time out to groom them correctly.
Your pet shop should have a mixture of good,
quality cat brushes and combs. Brushing alone
isn't enough, combing is necessary too. A brush
tends to collect fur from the top where as a
long, wide toothed comb will get through thick,
long hair and remove dead hair from the root.
The thickness is just as much a problem as the
length. Also the issue of flea treatment will be
easier to deal with if you can lessen the amount
of dead fur that your pet has to carry around.

Hydrating your pet is a must for helping with
hairball problems. Cats are notorious for liking
to drink in different places. So having fresh
water readily available in all your cat's
favourite places, as well as at the feeding
area, will get your cat used to drinking more.
This will start to lubricate the digestive
system and help to flush the hair through rather
than clumping in the stomach. It's a well known
fact that cats love to drink from running water.
Have you ever seen them sit in the bath catching
the dripping tap water? If you have a difficult
cat then you're more likely to entice them into
drinking by purchasing a fountain type water
bowl. Certain brands are now selling hairball
control food. Where this is good in terms of
high fibre content it can cause problems if your
cat doesn't drink enough water.

Always check with your vet first and ask for
their opinion on dietary changes and
supplements.

----------------------------------------------------
Alex Kelly

As a pet and website owner, my articles are
based on issues I feel are important for fellow
animal lovers.
Pet Promenade has everything you will need for
the furry member of the family. From pet food,
dog leads, grooming equipment and bird cages.
With over 5000 pet products, at competetive
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