I know it's kind of gross! Is she sick if throw up comes out, as well?
This is her second one in a week. They are huge hairballs. Is that normal? Is she sick?
2007-07-12 09:46:58 · 16 answers · asked by :-) 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
Yes, she is a long-haired cat.
2007-07-12 09:55:28 · update #1
It's hairball season because cats are shedding more in the hot weather.
The best way to cut down on hairballs is to get one of the Shed-Ender or Evolution pet combs and use them on your cat frequently. They bring up the fluffy undercoat and do a better job than brushes and combs that just remove surface loose hairs.
2007-07-12 09:58:46 · answer #1 · answered by Kayty 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Increase her brushings. You can spend $35-39 on a "Furminator" tool, or spend about $5 on a little comb, sometimes called a "flea comb" that is great for getting at that undercoat.
Poppy here is a long hair and I don't think she's ever had a hairball. I brush her 2-3 times per week, and when I use that little comb, I end up with a second cat in the garbage can!
It might not hurt to run her into the vet to rule out any illness, especially if she shows any other symptoms or is acting in any way unusual. If not, you can wait a bit and see how things play out after you give her a few good brushings.
I don't recommend hairball food, and certainly not on as a steady diet. If she's only thrown up twice in her life, that's not enough to say you have a chronic problem on your hands.
Grooming should do the trick for you. But you can check into those hairball remedies and give them every now and then particularly when she's actively horking.
2007-07-12 10:52:18 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need not only to get a hairball reducing cat food, but you need to brush the cat as often as you can. Several times a day if possible as the more loose hair that you remove means that much less that gets into the cat from her grooming herself. The combination of the two should do remarkable feats in helping to the point of almost not having hairballs any more. Good luck.
2007-07-12 10:19:34 · answer #3 · answered by prayer l 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can try feeding her a special hairball formula food, but be careful if she is overweight because those foods tend to be high in fat (there's a lot of oil in the food to help, um, lubricate their systems and let the hair pass through). I think some brands now make a low-fat hairball formula, I don't know how well that works. There are also special hairball medicines and treatments you can use -- just ask your vet! (I'm not sure if I would use Vaseline or other products not designed for cats -- I would ask the vet first before trying that!)
Also, brushing the cat (preferably daily) can help pull out some of the loose hairs, giving her fewer hairs for her to swallow.
2007-07-12 09:57:40 · answer #4 · answered by Jen 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Brush her daily and if necessary trim her hair so that it is shorter. There are petroleum hairball remedies that you give to your cat so that the hair passes out easier. Otherwise the hair will cause an intestional blockage and the cat may die. Feed your cat a special diet as well.Watch your cat's eating habits. If the cat ever shows a sign of not being hungry when she should be that it one of the signs of a blockage. Just keep brushing the cat as often as she'll let you.
2007-07-12 10:07:38 · answer #5 · answered by Animal Girl 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Regular brushing your cat will help reduce the number of hairballs she'll have. However, I let my cat lick a "gob" of Vaseline off my finger every day or so and NO MORE HAIRBALLS! My cats have always liked the taste and two beg for it as if it were a treat.
2007-07-12 09:56:36 · answer #6 · answered by missingora 7 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Groom her regularly to reduce the amount of unattached fur from being ingested. Also give her some Laxatone (a meat-flavored jelly made for hairballs). And grow some cat grass; greens help with digestion.
It's perfectly normal -- especially in hot weather when there's a lot of self-grooming going on (that's why you need to comb your cat -- gently, please).
(If your kitty is like ours, she coughs up the stuff on the fringe of the good rug, right?!)
2007-07-12 09:59:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I've discovered feeding a really high quality cat food helps a lot with hairballs. I've only had one small one since I switched food a year ago.
2007-07-12 09:52:50 · answer #8 · answered by thedivineoomba 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Brush her often to help her get rid of the loose hairs. This should help clear the problem right up. Get a cat brush, and brush her 2 or three times a week.! Hope this helps!
2007-07-12 19:13:54 · answer #9 · answered by Ayana 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
please do a search for hairball remedy...you will find hundreds of different types of things taht you can buy to give your cat to help with that problem.
M sister used to have a persian that she would buy this gel stuff that helped tremendously and it came in a tube. all she had to do was squirt some out of the tube and the cat would go nuts for it. good luck
2007-07-12 09:53:38 · answer #10 · answered by mom tree 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋