Horrible Hairballs

Cats get hairballs mainly because they spend so much time cleaning themselves. Although cats do not like water, they do like being very clean at all times, and they do so, of course, my licking their fur. You cat probably grooms many times every day. Because cats also shed, they swallow a lot of their own hair. Most of this passes naturally through the cat’s system, but occasionally the hair becomes matted and entwined in the stomach, causing a hairball that is too large to pass through the system. When this happens, the cat vomits the hairball.

If your cat seems to have an abnormally high amount of hairballs, you should talk to you veterinarian. About a quarter of all digestive blockages in cats come from hairballs that cannot pass or be vomited and this can make you cat very sick. Huge hairballs that size of baseballs have been known to form in a cat’s stomach. A hairball of that size can easily kill your cat.


When in doubt, call your cat’s veterinarian. Animal doctors are specially trained to help you help your pets. When you report health abnormalities to your veterinarian, you are able to best keep your cat healthy and safe, no matter how many hairballs may form.