2006-11-10 11:32:38 · 16 answers · asked by forest lover 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
Cats vomit or regurgitate hairballs (not "cough" them up) because they ingest hair when they groom themselves. You can see this for yourself if you aren't too squeamish by looking closely at a hairball. You might notice some bits of food or vomit in addition to the wad of hair. So why don't they just spit the hair out? A cat's tongue has little "barbs" on it, much like Velcro. The barbs point toward the back of the mouth, and the hair gets caught on them. Sooo... the cat has no choice but to swallow the hair. After a while, enough hair accumulates in the GI tract that it makes the cat nauseous. Normal intestinal contractions compact the hair into the slimy felt-like mat that the cat gaks up in the middle of the night or poops out (if it's small enough).
However, cats aren't always successful in gakking the hairballs out. Sometimes, a hairball can get so large that it causes an intestinal blockage. This is a very serious situation, which could require surgery in extreme cases. Fortunately, I have only seen one case where a cat absolutely had to have surgical hairball removal-- but I have seen MANY close calls.
You can minimize these problems for your cat with daily or every-other-day brushing, even for a shorthaired cat. This will dislodge loose hairs and keep them from being swallowed. After all, if the hair ends up in the brush, it won't end up in your kitty's belly. If your cat does start having hairballs, you can give a lubricant/laxative made for cats called Laxatone (or Petromalt... there are several similar products under different brand names, available over the counter). Try giving a "ribbon" of the stuff as long as your index finger once daily for 3 or 4 days, then once or twice weekly (adult cats). However, if the symptoms don't improve after a day or two OR if Kitty stops eating for more than 24 hours, it's time to see your vet.
Fifty-cent word for the day: TRICHOBEZOAR=HAIRBALL
2006-11-10 12:04:41 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Cats cough up hair balls because they can't digest their fur that they lick.
2006-11-10 11:38:33 · answer #2 · answered by kaia c 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They have lose hair and if you look closer, their tongue looks like a hair brush. They clean themselves by licking their fur and that fur doesn't always get digested. So instead of becoming a poop, they cough it up and puke hair balls.
2006-11-10 11:36:26 · answer #3 · answered by Este 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They cant actually swallow a hair ball. It gets stuck in their throat. So they need to cough it up. This is done after cleaning themselves.
2006-11-10 13:56:58 · answer #4 · answered by Moose 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is because of the cleaning. It may seem unnatural. However, in nature, cats don't have as much time to spend cleaning themselves so they don't ingest as much hair. That's why it's mostly something that happens to pets.
2006-11-10 14:16:57 · answer #5 · answered by NellyPackrat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the cat loses hair so when its trying to clean its self she/he licks the fer as it attaches to their tongue
2006-11-10 11:39:42 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They just keep cleaning themselves. All the fur goes down their intestine, until they to have to get rid of it.
2006-11-10 11:42:12 · answer #7 · answered by Count Acumen 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Because they groom themselves with their tongues and it gets stuck in their throats
2006-11-10 11:46:26 · answer #8 · answered by betty.hansard 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
b/c they have loose hair and when they lick themselves they swallow the loose hair and one way they caugh it up is by eating grass so they can get rid of the loose hair they accidentally swallowed =)
2006-11-10 11:34:38 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Cause they lick themselves to clean up. And there's loose hair, so they swallow it and it groups up. Gross, right?
2006-11-10 11:35:51 · answer #10 · answered by Serena T 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋