Can hairballs cause blockage?
No two ways about it: Hairballs in cats are unpleasant. And they’re not just disagreeable for the person who has to clean them up — they can cause intestinal blockages, which can be a serious health problem for your cat.
Can a hairball get into the small intestine?
However, the wad of matted hair can pose a serious health threat it if grows too large to pass through the narrow sphincters leading either from the esophagus to the stomach or from the stomach to the intestinal tract. Also threatening, he notes, is a hairball that manages to pass into the small intestine and become tightly lodged there.
What makes a spit up hairball a hairball?
According to Richard Goldstein, DVM, an associate professor of small animal medicine at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, a spit-up hairball’s elongated shape is imparted by the narrow food tube (esophagus) in which it develops or through which it passes on its journey from the cat’s stomach to the outside world.
How big is a regurgitated hairball in the stomach?
However, he notes, a hairball that is not disgorged and remains in the stomach will indeed be round — “like a sponge or a rolled-up sock,” he says. Regurgitated hairballs are variable in size; though usually about an inch long, they can be as long as five inches and an inch thick.
Why do I keep hacking up my hairballs?
It’s possible that the frequent hacking has nothing at all to do with hairballs. It may instead be a sign of another gastrointestinal problem or of a respiratory ailment, such as asthma, in which case emergency treatment may be necessary.
Is it normal for cats to throw up hairballs?
Cat Hairballs. Ugh. I don’t appreciate mornings when I wake up and get out of bed only to step on something soft, squishy, and wet. Yes, even as a cats-only veterinarian for over 20 years, my cats do have episodes of feline vomiting, and the sight of a cat hair ball or fur ball still is an unpleasant one.
Is it normal to have a hairball in your throat?
Gagging, on the other hand, produces a wet sound from the throat. Both coughing and gagging suggest that a hairball is on the way. It’s important to note that these symptoms are not exclusive to hairballs alone. When gagging and coughing are followed by the expulsion of a hairball it is nothing to worry about.
However, the wad of matted hair can pose a serious health threat it if grows too large to pass through the narrow sphincters leading either from the esophagus to the stomach or from the stomach to the intestinal tract. Also threatening, he notes, is a hairball that manages to pass into the small intestine and become tightly lodged there.
According to Richard Goldstein, DVM, an associate professor of small animal medicine at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, a spit-up hairball’s elongated shape is imparted by the narrow food tube (esophagus) in which it develops or through which it passes on its journey from the cat’s stomach to the outside world.
