Preventing Hairballs

Some cats never seem to suffer from hairballs, while others are prone to this problem. There is no explanation for this, since all cats use the same method to clean themselves, although long-haired cats are especially susceptible to this problem.

If you have several cats, chances are at least one will have issues with hairballs. Normally, these indigestible masses will be vomited or passed in the feces uneventfully. For most cats, this is the case, but for those who either repeatedly vomit or become constipated, you will need to take steps to prevent these yucky clumps from becoming large enough to cause distress.

Grooming your cat is a necessity. Removing loose hair, preferably on a daily basis, will go a long way to keeping your cat from swallowing too much in the first place. If you make this a pleasurable bonding experience, both you and your cat will look forward to this daily ritual. In fact, she may even ask for it!

Don't believe the claims of dry cat food manufacturers that their brand controls hairballs. This is untrue, and dry food will only add to the problem. No cat should eat that stuff, anyway, but especially not a cat with a propensity to forming hairballs. Feed only homemade or premium canned food, and add a little warm water or broth to it to increase its water content. Add a bit of olive oil twice a day to your cat's meal to help move small masses along without incident; don't use mineral oil, as this has no nutrient value and actually can deplete fat-soluble vitamins by encapsulating them and moving them out of the body before they can be metabolized. A quarter teaspoon of oat or wheat bran, added to your cat's food, will also bulk things up so everything moves along nicely.

If, even with these preventative measures, you suspect your cat is struggling with one of these nasties, give him a nice treat: The bomb. Mush together 1 tbsp. of meat baby food, 1/2 tsp. melted butter, 1/8 tsp. ground psyllium husks and 1/8 tsp. of bran flakes with at least 2 tbsp. of water (courtesy of The New Natural Cat). No cat can resist this concoction, and no hairball will be able to resist it, either!
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Vomiting in Cats

Like people, cats vomit occasionally. There are basically two types of vomiting in cats: The type where the cats still wants to eat, and the kind where the cat is anorexic. As you may have guessed, the former is much less of a concern than the latter. Let's take a look at the possible causes of each.

Some cats tend to vomit only occasionally, while with others, it seems as if almost every day you're stepping in a yucky pile of vomited goo. When we had Min and Sweet Pea, Min was the "puker", while Pea zealously held onto every morsel she consumed. Until the end of his life, it was never a health issue until it heralded other, more ominous problems. With our present passel, Goldie is the upchucker, tending to vomit hairballs fairly consistently, despite being the cat that receives the most grooming. Besides hairballs, other causes of occasional but not worrisome vomiting are: Eating grass and other inappropriate things outside, eating too fast, eating dry food without drinking water, and something I've found with males in particular, vomiting clear stomach fluid after an overnight fast.

More troublesome are cats that vomit, often repeatedly, and are also refusing food. In this case, vomiting is a symptom of something more serious, not a response to some of the scenarios listed above. Especially in older cats, this can mean things like kidney failure, heart problems, liver or pancreatic disorders and/or cancer. It is very important not to let a cat fast for more than a couple of days, since cats can develop irreversible kidney damage. Dehydration, with all its attendant problems, should also be avoided.

If your cat is having a bout of upset tummy, withhold all food and water for about 8 hours. Kitty will be starving by then, but ease back into feeding by giving a small bowl of meat baby food such as chicken, lamb or turkey. Cream of Wheat is also a good choice (all my cats, past and present, loved/love it). Remember, just a little bit! If all is well, feed baby food once or twice more, gradually adding in her regular canned food.

If vomiting continues, try giving kitty approximately 1ml (cc) of milk of magnesia using a plastic syringe or eye dropper. Do this where it will be easy to clean up the mess! Usually, one or two doses of MoM will do the trick without causing diarrhea. If not, or your cat has no interest in food, has a fever and/or other symptoms, you'll need to get to the vet ASAP.

Just so You Know: Vomiting blood is always a sign of serious trouble and should be checked out by a veterinarian.
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