Cat Health Care – The Return Of The Hairball
Hairballs can be a nightmare, not least for the pet owner, but also for the pet. Hairballs are due to the owner not brushing the pet’s fur enough. As we all know, cat fur is very thick and if it doesn’t get groomed regularly then furballs accumulate which the cat can then end up swallowing. Hairballs can easily get stuck in the cat’s throat and this can cause choking. Its not a pleasant thing to watch and it can be very dangerous.
Cat health care is all about looking after all aspects of your cat. Look out for a build up of fur. Great advice is to make sure grooming your cat forms a part of your daily routine. This is a great activity as you are helping the cat’s health and also your pet will love being stroked. Be gentle with it and you will have many happy hours of grooming!
There are some cats with quite long fur and a vet might have some extra cat health care tips for you. Persian cats, for example, have very long fur and when hairballs form, they easily end up in the cat’s throat and this causes problems. No-one can stop a cat from licking, which is why hairballs are a problem. Luckily, dogs don’t suffer with this hairball problem, as they don’t clean themselves by licking the fur. Cats have to lick their fur to keep clean which is why they end up with copious amounts of hair in their throats!
Once the hairball gets into the cat’s throat, the immediate reaction is to cough it up. This is when you will hear choking sounds and it can make pet owners quite nervous when they hear this, as they don’t know how to deal with it. The best cat health care advice is to just let the cat cough it up, but keep a watchful eye. Look out for any worrying signs and just make sure the cat is okay after coughing the fur up. If you like to stay prepared, there are some hairball treatments out there which a vet can advise on.
Feb 06, 2010 | 0 | cat care tips
