why does my cat throw-up hairballs?

Answer 1

Cats prize themselves as being clean. There are few animals that clean themselves as much and completely as cat do. Always licking their coat, assuming positions that are almost painful to watch. Every time kitty awakens, and just before sleep, the ritual begins again. Even the paws fall prey to the cats precise cleaning. Well, it's not just a cleaning going on. Kitty is trying to remove loose hair. The tongue of a cat has tiny barbs that pull loose hair from it's coat. This hair is ingested by the cat and in small quantities it will pass through the cats digestive system with no problems. Sometimes, too much is ingested making kitty sick. The end result is a cat heaving and making strange noises through its nose and throat, almost like a muted cough or sneeze. Within a few minutes, a hairball is born. This is very discomforting to the cat, so much that kitty has to begin cleaning itself again, usually with the same results. There are over the counter remedies for this, or you can use a simple "old way" to deal with it. Vaseline. A little bit smeared on top of the front paws will do the trick. Of course, your cat will look at you like you have violated all cat honor, but will just as quickly get it off, first by trying to shake it off, then by licking it off. The Vaseline helps keep the hairball confined to a small ball and lubricates it so it will pass easily.
This treatment is for the occasional hairball and not recommended for daily use.
If the condition persists, and over the counter remedies don't work, or it appears to be hurting the cat, a vet trip may be highly recommended. These severe "attacks" can be very painful and may even cause the digestive track to stop working. To help prevent hairballs, brush your cat often. Cats really enjoy this. If your cat has long hair, it may be recommended to give kitty
a cat cut, especially in the spring when shedding occurs most.
Some vets are recommending feeding cats a small amount of grass or cat nip every other day.
Grass and cat nip are a rich source of fiber and can help in minimizing formations of hairballs.
Wheat, barley, oats or rye type grasses work well. All can be grown indoors for your cat.
A few pinches every other day should be enough.

Answer 2

No it relatively is completely effective. My 3 twelve months previous cat Mocha has on no account coughed up a hairball and basically threw up a million time,yet my different cat Missy very nearly accepted with the hairballs. i think of a few cats purely have a much less confusing time digesting their hair than specific cats.

Answer 3

Your cat, like all cats, can't digest its own fur, which it swallows when it cleans itself.

There are a couple of things you can do to help prevent it:

1. Brush your cat more often, to dislodge and remove more hair before it gets swallowed.

2. Feed your cat a "hairball" formula cat food. Lots of companies (like Hill's Science Diet) make it in both wet and dry.

3. Give your cat an occasional dose of Petromalt or another similar product, which will help the cat pass the fur in its stool.

Answer 4

Just get a cat food that helps rid of hairballs. I always give my cat that kind and she has never had a hairball.

Answer 5

all cats do this, as u know cats clean themselves all the time, when they do this the hairs stick to the tongue and they swollow this. It eventually goes into a big ball of fur and they cannot digest it so have to sick it up, My cat does it quite often.

You can purchase anti hairball remedies from petshops sum are like cream that you put on the fur, but to be honest they are not very good.

Just makesure you brush your cat regularly to get rid of alot of the loose hairs.

Answer 6

Let the cat lick some butter... helps with hairballs

Answer 7

Cause they are always cleaning themselves and swallowing their hair, there is a formula called Hairball Control from Friskies that I use for my cat and it helps control it.

Answer 8

This is a good thing, be thankful. The hair is caused from the cat cleaning itself by licking their hair. If the cat cannot throw up the hair it has a problem.

Answer 9

Because he has a diet that is 2/3 corn which is almost totally indigestible for cats. Meat is what cats are supposed to eat. When they do there is enough digestive enzymes and acid let in the stomach to also digest the hair they ingest from grooming.

Answer 10

Because when he is washing himself, he is ingesting his fur. You can't stop it completely, but brushing him regularly and giving him hairball remedy will help. If he has long hair, brush him a few times a week.