6 Ways To Help Cats Remove Hairballs
Once a week, the cat will usually spit out a fur ball or haiball out of its mouth. This is normal for our beloved fur friends. Vomiting fur balls is usually more common or seen in purebred cats that have very long and thick fur.
Although it often occurs in purebred cats, vomiting of fur can also be found in domestic cats as well as mixdome cats (mixed cats). Vomiting fur in cats is normal and must be done by cats. Because if in a week the cat does not vomit hairball (fur ball), most likely something is wrong with the pet cat.
Not only that, cats who don't shed their fur balls once a week are at risk of experiencing digestive and respiratory problems. If the cat vomiting fur problem is left unattended and not handled immediately, the life of our beloved anabul can be at stake.
If a cat can't vomit fur what should we do for it? The way we can do is help the cat vomit the ball of fur from inside his body. Then how to do it? Listen to Angora's explanation until the end, Good Readers to find out.
Characteristics Or Symptoms Of Cats Can't Vomit Fur ( Hairball )
We certainly can't just conclude whether cats can't get their hairballs out. It is necessary for us to look at certain characteristics or symptoms in cats so we can make sure that our beloved cat really has a problem with hairballs.
To find out if our pet cat is really having problems with hairballs, you can see if there are any of the following characteristics or symptoms in your cat. Characteristics or symptoms include :
Cats often want to vomit and choke
Cats often look as if they are about to throw up
Cat has diarrhea
The cat looks limp
The cat's appetite goes down and even disappears
Cats have difficulty defecating (constipation)
When a cat vomits, no lumps of fur come out of the mouth
When the cat looks coughing but no clumps of fur can be seen
For severe cases, the cat can't defecate at all
If you find at least 5-6 of the above characteristics in your cat, you can be sure your cat has a problem with hairballs.
How To Help Cats Remove Hairballs From Their Body ?
So that the fur in the cat does not accumulate and cause health problems in cats, we inevitably have to help the cat to remove the pile of hair (hairball) in his body.
To help remove the hairballs in the cat's body, you can try the following methods:
1. Use Products That Are Good For Cat Fur
This first method is more towards reducing hairballs but also has an effect on facilitating the process of vomiting fur in cats. This is because well-groomed and strong cat hair causes the risk of ingesting the fur when the cat licks its body less and less.
As a result, less hair is ingested in the body and the process of vomiting fur or hairballs in cats is easier. You can easily find good products for cat fur care at pet shops. These products can be wet or dry food, vitamins, cat shampoo and so on.
2. Using Vaseline
The second way to help your cat vomit the ball of fur is to use Vaseline. You can use 2.5 ml of vaseline. Here we will use Vaseline as a laxative. Use is enough to apply oil to the part that the cat often licks or you can just apply the oil to the cat's front paws.
Grease it a little so that the cat doesn't shake it and the oil doesn't go to waste and splashes on the floor.
3. Using Hairball Special Medicine
The third way to help cats remove hairballs or hairballs from their stomachs is to use special hairball drugs that are widely sold in the market or pet shops. These drugs are usually sold at affordable prices starting from 20 thousand.
Hairball medicine itself is in the form of paste, liquid or oil. The use of this drug can make it easier for the cat to vomit the furball, relieve constipation or diarrhea caused by the furball. Also has other functions such as appetite enhancer and cat fattening.
How to use it is quite easy. You only need to apply this medicine to the cat's body parts that are often licked by cats. Such as applying on the tips of the feet, joints, cat's body or cat's tail. Use this remedy twice a day for 4-6 days until the cat hairball is completely gone.
Oh yes, this medicine also has a choice of fish flavors that cats like.
4. Using Olive Oil
The fourth way is to use olive oil. Pour 1 ml of olives into cat food. Mix olive oil into wet food so that the smell of olive oil is disguised and the cat can easily finish all the food that has been mixed with olives.
Similar to Vaseline, olive oil acts as a laxative to digest cat hair. Do this every 2 weeks or at least once a month.
5. Using Pumpkin
Pumpkin is one of the vegetables that is high in fiber and will certainly make it easier for cats to digest cat fur. To make pumpkin easy for cats to eat, you can mix it with wet cat food or mix it with boiled fish.
The pumpkin that is given to the cat must be a pumpkin that has been boiled until cooked, also not boiled using additional spices. For the dose of pumpkin mixture into cat food, you can use 2 tablespoons of pumpkin that has been mashed or the dose is adjusted according to taste.
6. Use Cat Food That Can Control Hairball
Similar to the first method, this sixth method will also make it easier for the cat to vomit fur by controlling the amount of fur ingested. Buy cat food products that have written on the back of the package the benefits of controlling fur balls.
According to Angora himself, this cat food product is able to control fur balls because of the high fiber content, high protein which makes the cat's fur strong, not easy to fall out and also omega 3 which is good for cat hair.
For cat food products that are used, you don't have to be expensive, you can also use affordable and quality cat food products such as Bolt and Felibite cat food.
How To Prevent Hairball In Cats ?
How to prevent hairball in cats is actually quite easy, you just need to apply the following methods :
Trim cat hair regularly
Diligently combing cat hair
Give nutritious food to reduce hairball
Use a special product that can control hairball in cats
Give vitamins and foods that can beautify, reduce hair loss and strengthen cat hair
Get the cat active by giving her the toys she likes
When Should We Take Cats To The Vet ?
When we consider the above method unable to solve the problem of hair balls in cats and in cats, we see that hairballs cause serious health problems. It is at this time that we are advised to immediately take your beloved cat to the vet for treatment.
Some serious symptoms that commonly occur in cats who have problems with hairballs include :
The cat's appetite is lost due to feeling sick and uncomfortable with his body
The cat looks lethargic and looks low on energy
The cat looks like it wants to throw up but doesn't want to throw up a ball of fur. This is a sign that the cat is having problems with the blockage of the digestive tract due to hairballs.
The cat's stomach becomes very hard. This means there is a serious hairball blockage in the cat's body.
When taken to the vet. The vet will perform a physical examination and then proceed with diagnostic tests, blood tests. The doctor will also perform X-rays and ultrasound tests. If the cat has mild hairball problems, the doctor will usually give laxatives.
But if you think the hairball problem is too serious, the doctor will suggest that the cat be hospitalized at the clinic. There is even a possibility that a cat with a serious blockage due to a hairball will need surgery immediately.
Now that's an easy way to help cats remove hairballs from their bodies. With this article, hopefully it can help you deal with a cat that has difficulty vomiting hairballs and find out how to prevent and overcome them.
And add your insight and can be useful for you. Don't forget to share this article with relatives, friends, other cat lovers and also share it on your social media accounts.