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Hairballs?

post #1 of 3
11/8/02 at 10:49am
Thread Starter 
Tink being my first kitten, I've never experienced hairballs. What are they, how does she cough them up, and is there anything I should be concerned about? Any other info on them that I should know?
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post #2 of 3
11/8/02 at 11:44am
Hairballs, one of the not-so-great things about owning a cat. Hairballs are made up of hair that gets digested when kitty cleans him/herself. Long haired cats are more prone to hairballs than shorthairs for obvious reasons. Generally, the hair should pass through kitty, but sometimes it does build up in the stomach and the result is a hairball.

Coughing up a hairball is really a misnomer. They vomit up hairballs. Hairballs sometimes look like poos if you find them on the floor, sometimes they are hidden in regurgitated food.

Hairballs are a normal part of being a cat, some are more prone to them than others. If you have a long haired cat, brushing more often will cut down on the hairballs. That is the best prevention. There are hairball gels that they sell, which are really mild laxatives to help the hair pass through the cat instead of coming back up.

I have one kitty, a long haired black boy, who is very prone to them. My other kitty, short haired, has only had 3 in her whole 3 years. That part just depends on the kitty.
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post #3 of 3
11/8/02 at 4:57pm
Heidi,

Thank you so much for that explanation of hairballs. . .simple and understandable -- and in common everyday language!!

I -- for years -- was confused about the term "coughing up hairballs" when it sure as heck looked like the kitty was heaving :tounge2: like was it only MY cat that heaved them and other cats delicately coughed them??

. . .and I was never sure how the hairball medicine was supposed to work.. . on the label it just says it will help "pass" the collection of hair, but it never says in which direction it passes -- up or down I wasn't sure whether I wanted it to encourage more in the UP direction. Now I can rest easy.

ok maybe just call me dense
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