Hairballs and vomiting

All the cats I know including my own 2 throw up hairballs and I have never really understood if it just ok to let them do it (they never seem distressed afterward) or is there some kind of food that prevents it or what? Sometimes my one cat seems to overeat on purpose just to throw up right by the dish. Then he runs off and plays.

What can you tell me on this subject?

 

It is totally natural for cats to throw up hairballs as it is the quickest way to get rid of it. Many cats eat grass to deliberately make themselves vomit for this reason. Regular grooming can help to reduce the amount of fur they ingest and you can get some food/treats that help to breakdown the fur.

 

My longhaired cat has this problem too, but ever since I started giving him Hartz hairball remedy, they have reduced. I just give him an inch of this fish flavored paste and I mix it in with is food if he doesn't want to lick it off of a spoon. It works wonders! Regular grooming really helps in addition to the paste.

 

I feed my cats a cat food that is formulated for indoor cats. It's made to reduce weight and hairball control. It has reduced the amount of hairballs a lot.

 

My cat has been throwing up a very watery substance lately. I have no idea why. Could this have anything to do with his diet?

 

All my cats have hairball issues from time to time, but I found something that helps the hairball problems. Try using a Magic Eraser. I know this sounds strange, but it works. Just dampen the Magic Eraser, and squeeze it out. Then, wipe over the areas that they tend to be most of the time. I use it in my cat room, where there's carpeting. After I wipe several spots, I then, can see all the hair from their furs on the Magic Eraser. I only have to do this about 2 times a week, and my hairball issues are solved. Hope this helps! Make sure you take a small bag with you, so you can keep pulling the hair off of it. Just grab the eraser and gently start pulling a bunch off of it. Keep repeating until all hair is off the carpet or floors.

 

The occasional hairball and vomitting is okay. It's perfectly natural.

If it's constant and/or they're struggling at all, though, you should really try some of the suggestions above. Make sure they're being groomed occasionally (yes, they clean themselves, but remember you also control the temperature inside the house and may be encouraging constant bulking up on fur and then shedding more so than 'natural'). Try out a new food that might help a bit more.

 

Yes I agree that grooming does play a big part in hairball control, from my experience. The right food is very important. I used to give my cats a cheaper brand of cat food, and they all used to vomit more than once a week. Once I changed their brand of food, they hardly ever had hairball issues.

 

It's good if they can throw up the hairball. Otherwise it's going to cost quite a bit to buy some medication to get those hairballs out. Come to think of it, I wonder if those big cats, like tigers and lions, have any problems with hairballs.

 

Royal Canin addresses these needs with a complete line of diets designed for the indoor cat. Nutrition includes hairball systems to help prevent and eliminate hairballs. Our kitty/cat has been on Royal Canin since a few days after he found us (about ten months now). I have NEVER seen him hack up a hairball...and he eats plenty of things outside to warrant them. I truly feel that Royal Canin is THE BEST brand of food for coat and health. (His coat is the shiniest I have ever seen!)

Maybe try switching their food to this and see if you have better results. Good luck, it breaks my heart to hear of them hacking up so often.

 

I am afraid you lost me there. I always thought that hairballs came from the hair on the cat's body. So what kind of "plenty of things outside" would make a hairball?

 

You are correct, trichobezoars are exactly that; the majority of this hair passes through the digestive tract without issue. If hair remains in the stomach it can form a hairball.

To clarify, my cat eats plenty of things to warrant a sensitive stomach and cats with sensitive stomachs are more prone to hairballs than cats without. If a pet eats things it shouldn't like paper, string, litter found on the floor, grass or other indigestible things, that too, can plug up the digestive process and will aid in the formation of hairballs.

 

The things which you described makes me think more of a goat than a cat. I have seen many strays cats in the wet market and I haven't seen any eating non-edible food yet. Maybe the strays are smart cats.

 

I use Hartz Hairball remedy, it can be used at any age. If your cat is coughing up a lot of hairballs you can give them the required amount each day, however once that has passed you can continue to use this product once a week and it'll help in the formation of hairballs. I have two cats and I rarely have to clean up a hairball. I hope this helps, good luck.