Hairballs 101

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Shedding some light on this hairy issue, especially fur cat and rabbit owners.

Comic credit: The Meatloaf

What is a hair or fur ball?

A clump of swallowed hair or fur. They are also known as trichobezoars.

They can come in different sizes but the typical shape of a hairball is long and cylindrical. The colour will resemble your pet’s coat or it may be darker depending on how far down it has travelled in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. For example, some hairballs consist of partially digested food, i.e. the clump made it to the stomach. Others may have made it as far as the small intestines which means green bile is also mixed in there.

Who can get hairballs?

Cats, rabbits or any mammal that grooms itself will swallow some fur. This fur may clump up and eventually become a regurgitated hair ball.

Cats can expel hairballs by retching and vomiting but not rabbits. For rabbits, any swallowed fur must be able to pass through their GI tract. If not, it may develop into an obstruction in the GI tract.

Breeds with longer hair are more likely to have hairballs, e.g. Maine Coon or Ragdoll cats. When these breeds groom, they can swallow quite a bit of fur.

Kittens are not as adept in grooming compared to adult cats. Hence, incidences of hairballs are less frequent. Some cats or rabbits are compulsive and fastidious groomers. This means they are likely to experience more hairball problems than others.

Why are hairballs dangerous?

Hair that goes in must come out, and the normal route is down the GI tract and out in the poo. The hairball problem starts when your pet swallows a large amount of fur which is unable to pass through the GI tract. Clumped-up fur starts to compact with undigested food and forms a mass, obstructing the GI tract.

A normal healthy cat should not regurgitate more than 1 - 2 hairballs a year. But this is more a general guide rather than a rule. Individual pets have their own baseline of what’s considered normal.

In rabbits, hairballs can be caused or exacerbated by a number of issues, e.g. lack of nutritional fibre in the diet, stress, GI tract disease etc.

The most common is lack of fibre e.g. rabbit's main diet is pellets instead of hay. Hay provides crucial roughage needed to push undigested waste through the GI tract.

Which symptoms should you look out for?

In cats, look out for

• Regurgitated hair balls

• More coughing especially after meals

• Attempting to vomit but not succeeding

• Hard poop mixed with hairs or constipation

• Diarrhoea

• Lack of appetite (refusing to eat for more than a day or two)

• Lethargy

If you notice a combination of the symptoms above, do see a vet or come to us at Gaia immediately.

How can you prevent hairballs?

Be observant. A vigilant pet owner’s detection of unusual symptoms usually means a timely treatment and a better outcome for the pet.

• Brush your cat to remove as much fur as possible to reduce the amount of swallowed fur from grooming. Brushing also gives you a chance to bond with your pet.

• If your pet is a compulsive groomer, it could be due to boredom or lack of activity. Try to train her to play with toys or do something else.

• Good nutrition with plenty of fibre to help the gut to move the fur, undigested food etc. along and out.

• Some pet owners use anti-hairball remedies of supplements but we’d recommend checking with the vet first.

Do not use laxatives unless prescribed by the vet.

The team at Gaia Veterinary Centre is always here if you need help.

So go ahead and contact us for a consult today!

Article updated 1 Oct 2019.