Cats And Furballs – How To Handle Them
No cat owner wants to have to deal with hairballs, but they are a common problem with cats. Hairballs are due to the owner not brushing the pet’s fur enough. As we all know, cat fur is very thick and if it doesn’t get groomed regularly then furballs accumulate which the cat can then end up swallowing. Once these lodge in the cat’s throat, choking can ensue. Its not a pleasant thing to watch and it can be very dangerous.
Cat health care is all about looking after all aspects of your cat. Look out for a build up of fur. Great advice is to make sure grooming your cat forms a part of your daily routine. Owners and pets get pleasure from grooming, so persevere with it. Make sure you do it gently so the animal becomes more relaxed and it will sit in your lap all day as you groom it!
Some cats with longer fur (and more of it) are prone to hairballs, and this is something that the vet should remind you of when you take it for check-ups. Take Persian cats as an example – they have beautiful long fur but if it ends up forming hairballs, this could be very risky for them. No-one can stop a cat from licking, which is why hairballs are a problem. People often ask how come dogs don’t have the same problem, but you may notice that dogs don’t lick their fur, thus hairballs aren’t an issue. Cats clean themselves by licking their fur and hairballs can occur at any time.
The process is simple – as soon as the hairball gets into the stomach, the cat tries to cough it up. This is when you will hear choking sounds and it can make pet owners quite nervous when they hear this, as they don’t know how to deal with it. There’s not much you can do at this stage, and it’s a case of letting the cat cough the hairball up, but be sure to keep an eye on the cat. Look out for any worrying signs and just make sure the cat is okay after coughing the fur up. There are also plenty of treatments out there for help with preventing hairballs, so speak with a vet to get the best advice.
