Cats And Furballs – How To Handle Them

Hairballs can be a nightmare, not least for the pet owner, but also for the pet. An accumulation of fur occurs when the owner does not brush the cat frequently enough, and this is what causes the hairballs. Cats end up swallowing furballs and this is where the problem starts. These tend to get stuck in the cat’s throat and they start choking. This is not a nice thing to witness and it can end up being quite risky.

If you want to know how to minimise the risk of hairballs, you need to make sure you know your cat health care. Keep your eyes peeled for hairballs and matted fur. Groom your cat daily to make sure there is no loose fur that can get stuck in its throat. This is a great activity as you are helping the cat’s health and also your pet will love being stroked. Be gentle with it and you will have many happy hours of grooming!

Since some cats out there have very long and thick fur, it is important that you check with the vet if anything specific needs to be done to look after it. 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. Luckily, dogs don’t suffer with this hairball problem, as they don’t clean themselves by licking the fur. Cats have to lick their fur to keep clean which is why they end up with copious amounts of hair in their throats!

Once the hairball gets into the digestive system, the cat will start trying to cough it up. When the choking starts, the cat’s owner will get a bit nervous about how they are supposed to handle the situation. The cat must finish coughing up the hairball, so keep an eye on it. Check the cat is okay after getting rid of the offending hairball. Luckily, there are some things available to help treat hairballs, so speak to the vet for more information.