It's 2 am in the morning and you're waking up to the dreaded yak, retching, gagging sound from your cat. Ugh... another hairball.
Did you know that the last Friday in April is Hairball Awareness Day?
Cats develop hairballs after grooming due to the small barbs/ridges on their tongue that collect hair. Hairballs are more common in long-hair cats but can happen in short-hair cats as well. Most of the time a cats hair can pass through its digestive system however, sometimes excess hair can stay in the digestive tract and build up over time. Eventually, your cat will vomit the clump that he/she was unable to pass.
So how can we limit the amount of hairballs and having to hear the dreaded vomitting sounds at 2 am?
Regular brushing and grooming; daily brushing can help reduse the amount of hair your cat ingest and allows you to get in some quality time your cat. Use special shampoos & wipes to help reduce the amount of shedding.
Special foods and diets; look into specific foods to help with your cats skin and coat, this can help reduce shedding and loose hairs that they could ingest while grooming themselves.
Hairball relief/oral medicines; look into hairball relief or digestive aids for your cat such as soft chews or treats. One of our favorites is Vet's Best Cat Hairball Relfief Digestive Aid, it can be found at Chewy or Amazon (always consult a vet before starting your pet on a new form of treatment).
An important reminder, excessive grooming could be stress, bordem or illness related, if your cat is over grooming themselves or has hairballs more often it may be worth a trip to your vet for a check up!
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