The retching! The mess on the carpet! How to tell the difference between whether it's hairballs or vomit and what you should do about it.
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| Hairball? |
- Hairballs: Hairballs are normal occurrences caused when cats inadvertently swallow their fur when grooming themselves. Normally, the fur will pass into the intestines but sometimes it gets trapped in the stomach. The cat will then cough, retch, or hack in an effort to bring it up. When they are able to bring the hairball up, it doesn't look like a ball but rather a 'tube' of compacted hair in a puddle or liquid stomach contents. It is common for a cat to pass a hairball once every week or two.
Rarely hairballs cause a problem. However on rare occasions, they can become impacted in the intestinal tract causing a life threatening condition. Sign to watch for are not eating, lethargy, inability to pass stools, or repeated unproductive retching episodes.
To help prevent hairballs (and save your carpet!) implement routine brushing or grooming sessions, feed a high fiber hairball formula diet, and use a laxative hairball remedy such as Laxaire.
Vomiting: The biggest difference between hairballs and vomit is the presence of hair. Vomit would comprise of food kibbles and digested material without any tubes of hair. Occasional or frequent vomiting is not normal for cats and requires veterinary attention. Some cats will do what we call the "scarf and barf" where they vomit up whole kibbles right after eating which could be caused by eating too quickly. Other causes of vomiting could be a sign of a metabolic condition, intestinal parasites, poison ingestion, or food allergies.
If your cat is having trouble with any of these symptoms, we're just a phone call away. Your cat and your carpet will thank you!
-Amanda Ward, R.V.T
Kutter Pet Care Center
