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Anyone with a cat is probably familiar with hairballs; besides being unpleasant to clean up, hairballs are no laughing matter for your cat, either. Cats are naturally fastidious, and it is estimated that cats spend 30-50% of their waking hours grooming. An inevitable side effect of all this grooming is ingestion of loose fur. A cat’s tongue is covered with backward-facing barbs which act as a built-in comb, but also makes sure that any fur caught on the tongue is swallowed. Luckily, much of the fur your cat ingests passes harmlessly through your cat’s digestive system. However, some fur can remain in the stomach or intestines where it collects and eventually forms a hairball that is vomited up by your cat. A cat disgorging a hairball makes a characteristic gagging, hacking noise and the hairball is often tubular shaped. long haired cats, excessive groomers or cats that shed a lot are a lot of likely to develop hairballs.
Because hairballs can result in constipation and even intestinal blockages, it is always best to stop hairballs from developing in your cat rather than treat them once they have already formed. One way to stop hairballs is regular grooming with a de-shedding tool such as the FURminator to remove loose fur before your cat has a chance to swallow it.
Now there is a new product which makes stopping hairballs easy: Hairball plus for Cats. available exclusively from PetMeds, simply feed two of these tasty, chicken-liver flavored soft-chews per day to your cat as a treat. Hairball plus for Cats is loaded with Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which help support your cat’s G.I. tract, zinc and biotin for healthy skin, and Psyllium which is a soluble fiber that helps step the hairballs through the digestive tract.
Because blockages in your cat’s digestive system can become life-threatening, be sure to seek advice from your veterinarian for recommendations if your cat exhibits symptoms such as lack of appetite, excessive vomiting, constipation or frequent diarrhea.
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