It can be alarming to see your cat retching and bringing up a hairball, but it’s usually nothing to worry about. For some cats, it’s just a regular occurrence! For us clearing up the furry contents of a cat's stomach, it's not so great.

As a cat owner you need to know, so here is all you ever wanted to know about cat hairballs and what to do to help your cat if the hairballs are causing problems.

What is a Cat Hairball?

A hairball or furball (also known as a trichobezoar) is a collection of swallowed hair that forms after your cat grooms. Cats are good at grooming themselves because they have rough tongues with backward facing barbs. So when licking their coats, any loose hair is swept up by the barbs and then swallowed.

Cats need a thick coat of hair in the winter to keep warm and then shed their old coat for the summer months. So, they moult their dead hair during the shedding seasons of spring and autumn. Some cats are heavy shedders and shed all year round. A cat’s digestive system can usually cope with a small amount of hair, and it passes through the cat without any issues.

But in some cats, the hair can remain in the stomach and accumulates to form a clump of hair. The undigested hair may pass in the cat’s poo or your cat is vomiting it up when it’ll appear as a long, tube-like mass covered in digestive fluids. The hairball is tube-like rather than a ball because it's forced through the oesophagus.

How Will I Know if My Cat has a Hairball?

Sometimes it can take several attempts for your cat to cough up a hairball. You’ll spot or hear your cat dry heaving or retching trying to vomit up the hairball. Your cat may initially only vomit up fluid or partially digested food but will keep trying to get rid of the hairball. Once the hairball appears, your cat will be fine. 

Sometimes owners think their cat has a cough when they’re actually trying to be sick and may then be surprised to see a soggy lump of hair being vomited. The sound your cat may make can be described as ‘cough-gag-retch'. If your cat keeps getting hairballs, they may be constipated, lethargic, and have lost their appetite. You may also notice them nibbling grass to make themselves sick. 

How Can I Help My Cat with a Hairball?

If your cat struggles with hairballs, giving your cat a hairball remedy like a laxative can help. Flavoured petroleum-coated laxatives will lubricate hairballs allowing them to move along the digestive tract more easily. Your vet can advise you on what to use. Some cats may need a laxative every few days, while others may only need help at times of heavy shedding.

If your cat continues to have problems, your vet can prescribe medication to increase gut motility which will help prevent the hairballs causing an obstruction. But if hairballs continue to be a persistent problem for your cat, your vet may want to investigate further, just in case there’s a problem with their digestive system.

Frequent hairballs can also be a sign that your cat is overgrooming. This can happen when they’re stressed about something. If you remove the source of the stress for your cat, the number and size of hairballs should reduce.

How to Prevent Hairballs in Cats

There are a few things that can help prevent hairballs. The most important thing is to groom your cat regularly to reduce the amount of loose hairs before your cat can swallow them. Start grooming your cat's coat when they’re young so they become used to the routine. Most older cats enjoy the time spent being grooming so whether your cat is short-haired or long-haired, introduce a regular grooming session into their daily routine.

Not only will this help to prevent hairballs but will also help prevent all that cat hair on your carpets and sofa. Long-haired cats like Persians and Maine Coons will be more prone to hairballs as their longer hair accumulates into a lump faster. 

There are also special cat food diets available to prevent hairballs. These contain lots of fibre to help any hairballs along their way! These tailored diets also contain vitamins and minerals for a healthy coat and reduced hair loss.

When are Hairballs a Cause of Concern?

Occasionally, a hairball can get stuck in a cat’s digestive system and cause an obstruction in their intestinal tract. In these rare cases, surgery may be needed to remove it. So, if your cat has been retching for more than 48 hours and still isn’t bringing anything up, it may be best for your cat to have a check-up with your vet.

Other signs to watch out for are if your cat hasn’t used their litter tray for a couple of days, has been off their food, and is lethargic. If your cat has brought up yellow-green bile along with hair, let your vet know. Your vet may decide an x-ray is needed to determine if there is a troublesome hairball or if another health condition is causing your cat to retch.

It's not pleasant to see your cat retching and bringing up hairballs but the occasional hairball is nothing to be worried about. If you think your cat is producing too many hairballs, you can ask your vet to recommend a hairball treatment. You should also make an appointment with your vet if your cat has been retching for over 48 hours or if an older cat has started to have hairballs.

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Content reviewed and updated by Vetstream - www.vetstream.com/treat/felis 

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