What does a hairball actually look like?

jili

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 4, 2003
Messages
50
Purraise
0
Can you tell I'm a new kitten owner? Our kittens are 5 months old. Yesterday I came home to a small pile of vomit on the bathroom floor. It seemed almost solid in consistency (sorry if TMI!), so I guessed that it might have happened earlier in the day. One of the kittens had obviously stepped in it, too.

I've never seen an actual hairball before. Is it actually all hair, or is it just vomiting?

Nothing seems to be wrong with them--I'll see if there's anything when I go home today.

thanks!
Jill
 

hissy

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Feb 19, 2001
Messages
34,872
Purraise
76
hairball emeisis looks like a tube- all rolled up like a hairy caterpiller. If they continue to throw up you should get them to the vet quickly. Vomiting in young kittens is very dangerous, they can dehydrate fast.
 

sammie5

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 3, 2002
Messages
1,690
Purraise
3
Sam has lots of hairballs, because he has long, dense fur. His look like sloppy poop (for lack of a better description). But he usually vomits a couple of times over several days before he produces the hairball.

However, I took him to the vet when I first had this happen (I was new to cats too, and he was a 5 year old adoptee), just to be sure that there was nothing else wrong. Now I just clean it up.
 

newtocats

TCS Member
Adult Cat
Joined
Nov 10, 2003
Messages
263
Purraise
1
Location
Easton, PA
...hahaha.....sloppy poop...

Seriously though, you couldn't have described that better!
 
Top