Other hairball symptoms can include your cat nibbling on grass, as well as constipation and lethargy. If your cat doesn´t pass the hairball, and these signs last for more than two to three days, book a check-up with your vet to make sure nothing else is amiss.
If you kitty is making hacking, gagging, retching or coughing noises, it could be dangerous to that the cause is hairball. If hairball is the cause of these noises, then the offending hairball usually is vomited or regurgitated up within a few minutes. Occasionaly your kitty may need a few attempts to accomplish this .
If your cat is unconscious and not breathing, or breathing with great difficulty, do the following:
- Open the mouth and pull the tongue forward. If you see a foreign object, try to grab it with your finger or tweezers.
- If that doesn't work, try the Heimlich maneuver: Lay the cat on his side. Put one hand along his back.
Use your hands to gently but firmly push on her belly in a succession of quick, upward thrusts, about five times. If your first set of blows doesn't dislodge the object, says PetCoach, hold your cat up by her back hips with her head down and gently sweep her mouth again.
The fur accumulates in their stomachs and a few things can happen: The cat can vomit up the hairball or pass it in a bowel movement, or it can become lodged inside the cat's intestines.
Some hairballs can be removed by anesthetizing the cat and inserting a scooping tool into the mouth and down its digestive tract to retrieve the mass. Sometimes, surgery in which a veterinarian makes an incision into the abdomen and/or stomach is required.
Symptoms of Hairballs in Cats
If you notice the following hairball symptoms, be sure to contact your veterinarian, as they could indicate that a hairball has caused a potentially life-threatening blockage: Ongoing vomiting, gagging, retching, or hacking without producing a hairball. Lack of appetite.4 Hairball Remedies
- Groom your cat regularly. The more fur you remove from your cat, the less fur that will end up as hairballs in her stomach.
- Give your cat a specialized “hairball formula” cat food .
- Use a hairball product or laxative.
- Discourage excessive grooming.
Our top pick is Tomlyn Tuna Flavor Laxatone Gel, which gently lubricates your cat's digestive tract to relieve hairball-related constipation and to prevent the formation of hairballs in the future.
A cat's gagging may be caused by a gastrointestinal disease. She may suffer from acid reflux or esophagitis, which causes food to back up into the esophagus. More serious causes of gastrointestinal discomfort can include tumors, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome or a bowel obstruction.
Dry heaving (or retching) can sound like a minor cough or a major episode of gagging and stomach contractions. In some cases, it may just be a simple case of a hairball or tickle in the throat or it could be a serious issue such as intestinal blockage or organ disease. Hairballs. Nausea.
Hairballs are a common reason for coughs, and typically, those are easily treated with an over-the-counter hairball medication. A persistent cough could be a sign of an upper respiratory infection (yes, cats get them, too), especially if also accompanied by sneezing, a runny nose, watery eyes or a fever.
Dry heaving (or retching) can sound like a minor cough or a major episode of gagging and stomach contractions. In some cases, it may just be a simple case of a hairball or tickle in the throat or it could be a serious issue such as intestinal blockage or organ disease.
