Hairballs

Does hairball a serious matter?
I've read that hairballs can be cough out by cats, I have never seen my Charlie coughing. How will I know if he has hairballs and how to prevent it? I'm not really alarmed about this matter because Charlie has short fur and has less hair fall, is this attitude of mine normal or should I be alarmed?

If he doesn't seem to shed and you regularly brush/comb him to get what little he does shed, he may never have hairballs.

If you notice him suddenly coughing and nothing comes up after several tries, schedule a vet visit as coughing can be from other things.

In cats that do get hairballs, some cats can get them up and some cats can't and it becomes a problem. In cats very prone to them, preventative measures such as hairball controlling foods or adding more fiber to the diet, and using something to aid in getting them up helps - some people like petroleum based products, some people don't, some people let their cats have a little butter.

MysteryCat, this article should be helpful to you

http://www.suevet.com/cat_vomiting.html

By the way, not every cat coughs from hairballs. Some never do. Some (I've seen this with my short-haired cats) never have hairballs either.

Thank you for the link

Attitude so far(knock on wood) has never had any problem with hairballs. I have to see how she dopes since she has blown her winter coat(she has fairly long hair being a Maine Coon mix.) I use the Furminator on her as often as I can and every session I get enough fur to make another cat so I'm sure that helps. I would use a brush or Furminator(which is better) to help remove hair but Spaz was never brushed and she never had a hairball in her life. She was a short hair but I swear I was finding clothes with her hair on them 5 years after she left us(she escaped while MIL was watching her) and she shed like crazy.

Most cats never have any issues with hairballs at all. It's mostly long hairs with thick coats that need regular grooming, like Persians and other really long haired breeds that have repeated issues with hairballs. Most short hairs and even long hairs might hack up an occasional hairballs but most(at least in my experience) never have any obvious hairballs at all. All cats puke at least once in a while and you rarely know the cause so it could be a hairball or they just puked.

Taryn

Holland is a SH, and I don't brush her as often as I should... She's never had a hairball as far as I know. AND she's a good little groomer.

Like I said, Spaz was never brushed in her life and she never had a hairball. Like I said most short hairs never have hairballs.

Taryn

It should not worry me, since Charlie has short hair and he don't leave fur on our couch

I have 3 short hairs who shed more than my long hair. So don't assume short hair means worry free. One of those, if not brushed regularly, will get hairballs. Another one will occasionally get them because he grooms 5 of the other cats..

LOL at the short hairs and no hair balls... I have two that are ultra short hair yet do to grooming others have them regularly

Originally Posted by sharky

LOL at the short hairs and no hair balls... I have two that are ultra short hair yet do to grooming others have them regularly

Click to expand...

I have this issue with Bumper, he grooms everyone so gets hairballs

but it isn't something to worry about, its more worrying if they are coughing and can't bring up the hairball and it causes an obstruction in their digestive tract

I should have said that shedding affects their hairballs, cat that tend to shed more tend to be more prone to hairballs, whether long or short hair. Spaz was a heavy shedder but never had an issue with hairballs as far as I know.

I misspoke when I said short hairs, I meant cats that aren't heavy shedders. Not sure why I said shirt hairs, Spaz was a short hair and shed more hair year round than Attitude and Nuts combined, even now while they are blowing their coats.

Taryn

Shedding isn't always the case, either. There are some cats that don't shed that much, but are heavy groomers. My Tomas is that way... but it's his frequent grooming of any cat that will hold still for him that's the problem.

Sho, my DSH that has more hairball problems moderately sheds. But it's his thick undercoat and, again, sometimes over fastidious grooming that can give him hair balls. Simple solution here is just to use a furminator on him a couple times a week. Ultimately that's the best thing you can do - good food and grooming.

Yeah, grooming has to do with it as well. My brain won't kick into gear. Some cats also seem more prone to them while others could eat hair for breakfast and still never hack up a hairball. Nuts once ate a giant amount of hair that I had just got out of Attitude with the Furminator(I couldn't get it away before he scarfed it down.) I thought for sure he'd be hacking it back up but he was perfectly fine, never hacked or threw up so I guess it all got through him considering this was months ago.

Like I said I think some cat irregardless of grooming, fur length, or anything else are just more prone to them.

I just keep Furminating Attitude and will hopefully get Nuts at some point. Neither seem to shed, but I get huge amounts especially out of Attitude when I groom them.

Like I said cats with dense undercoats seem to get more hairballs. I just hope my 2 aren't prone to them, nothing more fun than stepping in cat puke and/or having to clean it up.

Taryn

Sometimes I can hear Charlie hacking, like this, *hack, haaaacckk, haaack*