Grooming is an essential activity for cats. On one hand, it helps them maintain cleanliness and odor-free bodies, which is crucial to avoid detection by prey during hunting. On the other hand, if they live in groups, mutual grooming is also an important behavior for establishing social relationships.
According to research, cats spend up to 3.6 hours grooming themselves each day, which is equivalent to 25% of their waking hours.
With such extensive grooming, coupled with the structure of their tongue’s backward-facing hooks, it can be expected that they ingest a significant amount of fur daily.
So, where does all the hair that cannot be digested by the gastrointestinal tract go?
While research is ongoing, current understanding suggests that normal cats ingest a lot of fur every day, which then travels through the gastrointestinal tract into the large intestine and is expelled with feces, causing no discomfort. If too much fur is ingested beyond the capacity, or if there is any gastrointestinal narrowing or abnormal motility along the way, hairball syndrome may occur. Although most pet owners consider “hairball syndrome” and “vomiting hairballs” to be common in cats, it may not be a normal behavior for them!
“Hair in Vomit” is Different from “Vomiting a Hairball”—Definition of Hairball Syndrome
Firstly, it is necessary to understand what true “vomiting a hairball” is.
Many fortunate cat owners have not seen a real hairball, but often hear about “cats vomiting hairballs” and assume that the puddle of vomit on the floor, with some hair in it, is a normal hairball expulsion.
However, “hair in vomit” is not the same as “vomiting a hairball”. A true hairball is a solid mass of hair, usually taking on an oval, elongated shape of the esophagus after being vomited out, and only a small amount of liquid accompanies it.
So, how should the presence of hair in vomit be explained? In fact, because cats often groom their fur, there is always some accumulation of licked-in hair in their stomachs. When they vomit for any reason, this hair may be expelled along with the vomit, but it is usually not a large, solid mass. Instead, only a small amount of hair is found attached to the vomit.
Whether it is “hair in a cat’s vomit” or “a cat vomiting a hairball”, neither is a phenomenon that should normally occur in cats!
Isn’t it common for cats to vomit hairballs? Isn’t occasional hairball vomiting normal?—Frequency of Hairball Syndrome
Those who think that cats naturally vomit hairballs often say:
“My cat is always vomiting hairballs, and it’s fine!”
“If a cat ingests too much fur, isn’t it good to vomit it out? It could get stuck in the gastrointestinal tract!”
“If it’s a hairball, just feed it hairball gel, right? Do I still need to take it to the vet?”
In fact, there is currently no large-scale authoritative research or consensus on whether cats “should vomit hairballs” or “how often is it normal to vomit a hairball”.
However, according to a survey by a British cat specialty clinic on cats vomiting hairballs, among healthy short-haired cats without a history of chronic gastrointestinal disease, only 10% vomit hairballs more than twice a year, and the remaining 90% of cats rarely vomit hairballs. The incidence of long-haired cats vomiting hairballs more than twice a year is twice that of short-haired cats.
If vomiting hairballs is a normal behavior for cats, then theoretically, all cats should be seen by their owners vomiting hairballs. However, according to this survey, only 10% of healthy short-haired cats vomit hairballs regularly, indicating that most cats do not usually vomit hairballs but expel them with their feces through the gastrointestinal tract, and they do not obviously feel uncomfortable due to the passage of hair through the gastrointestinal tract.
Before definitive research can confirm “how often should one vomit a hairball to be considered normal”, we should be vigilant if our cats vomit hairballs frequently. If a cat frequently vomits hairballs, it should be taken to a veterinary hospital to rule out two major possibilities that can cause frequent hairball vomiting:
- Ingesting too much fur
- Underlying gastrointestinal diseases
What if a cat continues to vomit hairballs?
Most cats with hairball syndrome have hairballs form in the stomach, which eventually grow too large to pass into the duodenum and are expelled by vomiting.
In a few cases, hairballs may not be vomited and can pose a potential risk of death:
- If they move down to the small intestine, they can cause partial or complete intestinal obstruction, leading to vomiting and abdominal discomfort;
- If they become stuck in the esophagus, they can cause esophageal obstruction, leading to esophagitis and esophageal stenosis;
- If they are inhaled into the nasopharynx, they can cause acute sneezing, abdominal straining, bad breath, and nasal discharge.
What should you do if your cat often vomits hairballs?
Before Taking the Pet to the Vet:
- Thoroughly record the types, amounts, and frequencies of regular feeding;
- Record the timing and frequency of hairball vomiting, and also take photos of the vomit or record videos.
When Taking the Pet to the Vet:
- Proactively inform about the hairball vomiting condition;
- Have the veterinarian assist in ruling out the possibility of ingesting too much fur;
- Have the veterinarian assist in ruling out the possibility of underlying gastrointestinal diseases.
Possible ways to alleviate the condition before finding the root cause (best to discuss with a veterinarian before proceeding):
Adjusting Diet
- Feeding small meals frequently: The gastric emptying speed is faster when the amount of food is small. Feeding small meals frequently may accelerate the motility of the upper digestive tract, thereby reducing the probability of hairball occurrence;
- Improving diets for gastrointestinal diseases: Some gastrointestinal symptoms in cats may be caused by diet. Therefore, with the assistance of a veterinarian, logically changing the diet may improve gastrointestinal symptoms, thereby reducing hairball syndrome caused by gastrointestinal diseases;
- Diets that claim to control hairballs: Currently, commercial foods that claim to control hairballs may work by increasing the volume of the feed or adding insoluble fiber to try to promote gastrointestinal motility. There is no clear research result on whether they can effectively control hairball syndrome.
Increasing Grooming Frequency
Hairball syndrome is more common in long-haired cats than in short-haired cats, possibly because the hair is longer. Therefore, grooming daily can reduce the amount of fur ingested. For patients with severe hairball syndrome, before solving the underlying problems that cause hairball syndrome (such as skin or gastrointestinal issues), it may even be necessary to shave the fur short to reduce hair length.
Adding Products to the Diet that Help with Hairball Formation
Using mineral oil or flavored paraffin paste (commonly known as hairball gel) daily can theoretically promote gastrointestinal lubrication, helping the hair to move from the stomach to the duodenum and enter the feces smoothly, reducing the probability of vomiting hairballs.
Possible risks:
- Be careful of choking and developing pneumonia: Mineral oil itself is tasteless and can be safely mixed into food for most cats. However, never attempt to use a syringe or force-feed any liquid oil products to cats. If accidentally inhaled, it may cause severe pneumonia due to the aspiration of oils (lipid-induced pneumonia).
- Be careful of affecting the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins: Adding too much oil to food has been questioned as it may reduce the bioavailability of fat-soluble vitamins. Although there is no related research to confirm this in humans, if it is to be given long-term, it is recommended to ensure that there is at least one meal a day without added mineral oil or hairball gel.
Original article by KPTer, if reproduced, please cite the source: https://www.kaipet.com/en/cats-vomit-hairballs-understanding-feline-hairball-syndrome