Hairballs and Digestion

English: White she-cat with long hair and kitt...

English: White she-cat with long hair and kitten. Français : Chatte blanche à poils longs et son chaton. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cat owners are always concerned for their pet’s health and one of the most frequent concerns is hairballs. Hairballs are not only unsightly and a mess to clean up, they can cause blockage to your cat’s digestive system and in some situations can cause death.

The main reason your cat gets hairballs is because by nature, they are clean creatures. When they give themselves a bath, the loose hair sticks to their tongues and that hair gets swallowed. The hair can then lodge in the digestive system until it is thrown up, passed through in the cat’s stool, or in some cases, it will stay in the cat’s system where it grow until it totally blocks him.

One way to prevent hairballs is to either brush or comb you cat every day. If the cat has long hair, you should use a steel tooth comb to make sure that the undercoat hairs are combed out. If the cat has short hair, a brushing three or four times during the week should be fine.

If your cat has hairballs, there are several natural ways to help in preventing, or at least treat the hairball before it harms the cat. Let’s take a look at some of the ways.

  • Use Lax-eze Treatment.Your vet will let you know if your cat should be on this treatment. It is all natural, and helps with vomiting due to hairballs. There are no side effects and it could help your cat’s digestion. It can also give your cat a glossy coat and helps your cat shed less.
  • Feed your cat grain-free food.Grain-free food has no grains such as rice, corn, barley or wheat.
  • Try 100% Pumpkin.Try feeding your cat one teaspoon several times a week. Check the label on the can to make sure it does not have any spices or preservatives. You can also us fresh cooked and mashed pumpkin. Pumpkin is a great natural way to help your cat’s digestion.
  • Use Plant Probiotics and Enzymes. These will help your cat digest and absorb nutrients and should be given with wet cat food.
  • Select Chewable Hairball Relief.Vets Best has an all natural chewable pill that is holistic. Some of the ingredients are elm bark, papaya and no petroleum based ingredients.

If these tips don’t do work, make sure you take your pet to the vet and ask for his advice. Make sure you tell him you would prefer a holistic solution.

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