Content
- Why does my cat swallow so much fur?
- The weather and coat of the cat
- Symptoms of trapped hair balls
- prevent fur balls
- Help the cat to expel the fur balls
One of the most common characteristics of felines is their level of cleanliness. It's an animal that clean very often, who uses the litter box and can't stand it being dirty. For these reasons, they should only take a shower on very rare occasions. However, maintaining such a cleanliness without needing our help does not come at a price. the dreaded fur balls they can become a very serious health problem if they are not expelled, so the animal needs our attention and help to avoid this condition. At PeritoAnimal, we explain in detail everything you need to know about the fur balls in cats, so you can help your feline stay healthy.
Why does my cat swallow so much fur?
The cats spend a lot of time cleaning themselves to keep your fur clean and in good condition. This is a task that they easily perform thanks to their special tongue that has small pimples that allow you to drag the entire falling coat effectively. The problem is that the animal cannot spit out this hair after dragging it with its tongue, having no choice but to swallow it.
When the coat builds up excessively on the animal's stomach, it will make an effort to vomit itself, thus throwing the fur ball out. However, at times you may not be able to do it successfully, as the hairball is trapped in the intestine, causing severe constipation and making it impossible to expel. It is at this point that it is important to bet on home remedies to promote their expulsion. However, if the animal is still unable to expel the fur ball, it should be taken to the veterinarian as a matter of urgency.
The weather and coat of the cat
Although the cat is cleaned throughout the year, it is in the fur change season (spring and autumn) he loses more hair. So these are the times when there is the greatest risk that fur balls will become a problem.
During these seasons of the year, the guardian must be very attentive to the behavior of your cat, watch if it eats, if it fulfills its needs normally and if it is excited. Likewise, the tutor should help prevent the cat's stomach from accumulating as much as possible by following some suggestions that you can read in the following steps. But how do you know if there's a fur ball that can't be kicked out? Below, we present the symptoms of this condition.
Symptoms of trapped hair balls
In general, cats vomit to expel the fur balls so they don't become a problem. This can be done by consuming certain plants that produce the desired effects. But if you live in a house where there are no plants, or the animal has got used to not biting the ones that do exist, this can become a problem.
A safe way to allow the cat to expel the hairballs without risks is to acquire a plant known as cat's weed, catnip or catnip which, in addition to being very popular with cats, helps to clean the bowels they need. However, on some occasions, the animal simply can't eliminate the fur ball because it's stuck in your gut. In this case, it presents symptoms such as:
- Weakness and apathy
- frequent vomiting
- Regurgitations
- Vomiting in which only expels liquid and food, but not by the
- Constipation
If this picture of symptoms continues for more than two days, it is essential to take the cat to the vet for a physical examination and diagnosis.
prevent fur balls
Although cleaning is part of the natural behavior of cats and cannot or should not be prevented, guardians can help the animal to prevent the fur balls effectively, especially during the hair change phases.
For this, it is essential to brush the cat daily, a task that will help to eliminate much of the hair that falls and prevent all being swallowed by the cat. We recommend starting this practice when the cat is still small. If your pet is already an adult, it may take a little longer to get used to, but it will eventually get used to it because the cat feels relaxed when brushed. For this task, you must purchase a special brush suitable for your pet's fur type that you can find in any pet store.
brush your cat it is essential if it has long hair or if it is an old feline, because at this stage the animal does not have the same energy and cannot clean itself as effectively.
Help the cat to expel the fur balls
If you notice that your cat is regurgitating, weak, or vomiting without successfully expelling the hairballs, you should give it a helping hand. Besides the catnip or catnip which, as explained above, is a great help for the animal, can also favor expulsion with these options:
- spend a little Vaseline in the animal's paw. With its excellent cleaning ability, in a few minutes the cat will be licking itself, removing and swallowing the Vaseline, which helps to facilitate expulsion and reduces constipation due to the fat present in the product.
- If you don't have Vaseline on hand, you can grease your paw with a little bit of butter or malt, equally effective solutions.
- THE valerian is another plant that we can have on hand at home to help the cat to effectively expel hairballs. If the animal has this need, it will not hesitate to bite the plant to alleviate its discomfort.
