Hazards of Cat Hairballs

What is a Hairball

• A hairball, which is also known as a trichobezoar, is a buildup of undigestable hair in the stomach of your cat. The hair gets there from the grooming that a cat does with its tongue. Some of the dead hair removed in the grooming process is propelled down the cat's throat by the tiny backwards slanted projections, called papillae, which are found on a cat's tongue. Some of the hair makes it through the intestine and is removed from the body as feces and some builds up in the stomach and comes back up the throat as a hairball.

Too Big

• If the hairball is too large it cannot fit from the stomach into the intestines, and it also cannot fit into the esophagus to come out through the mouth. The hairball may break up and make it out of the stomach, but if it does not, medical attention may be required. Symptoms that your cat has a hairball that is too large include a lack of appetite and lethargy.

Small Intestine

• Sometimes a hairball makes it in to the intestines but then, for whatever reason, becomes lodged in the intestines. The intestinal blockage that results will cause the cat to appear lethargic and have no interest in food. An intestinal blockage from a hairball is uncommon, but often fatal. Once possible solution is a laxative, though any medication should be administered by a veterinarian once a diagnosis has been reached.

Preventing Hairballs

• The best way to avoid the various hazards associated with hairballs is to prevent your cat from developing too many hairballs. A haircut is one possible solution. Another is to give your cat regular groomings with a brush or comb, so that it is not ingesting too much hair. You should also keep the floor clean as much as possible, as pets do sometimes like to eat paper, string and other litter found on the floor, which can aid in the formation of hairballs.