Catit Treat Ball, Blue

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If your cat is coughing up a hairball every now and then, it’s usually nothing to worry about. It’s perfectly normal for them to demonstrate the ‘cough-gag-retch’ reflex several times in a single session, and the retching action shouldn’t generally bring up anything except the hairball itself. Some cat owners think that their pet brings up a hairball every day, but this isn’t true. Cats should only get hairballs occasionally, usually less than once a month. Most hairs swallowed from grooming will pass through the digestive system and out into the litter box without a problem. There isn’t really a rule about how many treats your cat should have; however, a good one to follow is that their treats should make up no more than 10% of their daily calories. If treats make up a large bulk of your pet’s diet, they aren’t healthy because treats aren’t made up with the balanced nutrition you’ll find in pet food. dropcap]M[/dropcap]ultifunctional and versatile, automatic and interactive cat treat dispensers are an ideal way to entertain your bored feline, control their wolfish eating habits, or simply help them adjust to a new diet.

If you’re unsure about calories and how many your cat should be having a day, your vet can help. This will be useful when working out how many treats to give your cat each day. What Do You Do If Your Cat Is Overweight? Most older cats continue to experience hairballs in much the same way as they did when they were younger, but constipation can be more of an issue for ageing pets and – on rare occasions – may lead to complications. This is because the movement of food through a cat’s digestive tracts slows as they age. Cats who experience pain while defecating (such as those with arthritis) can also become constipated more often.

Cat hairballs are part of cats’ instinctive grooming regime and are usually nothing to worry about. Kittens and younger cats usually have fewer hairballs because they are not as fastidious in terms of grooming. Older cats, on the other hand, may have grown fussier and may produce hairballs more often. One problem with hairballs in cats is that they can sometimes be confused with – and therefore obscure – more serious health conditions, such as feline asthma. The main symptom of feline asthma is usually a dry cough, but if your cat has developed a sore throat (laryngitis) at the same time, they may make a retching noise similar to the sound of bringing up a hairball. Asthmatic cats also tend to wheeze. Constant retching (with no sign of a hairball) and lethargy can also be signs of asthma. The vet should be able to discern the underlying cause. Either way, you will have identified a health issue in your cat and will have solved it before it gets worse. If you’re wary about adding treats to your cat’s diet but still want them to enjoy one of these toys, you can use their food. Set aside a small amount of your cat’s food to ensure you aren’t adding extra calories. The best thing about toy dispensers is that they will work with dry kibble. This way, your cat doesn’t have to miss out on a reward for all its hard work. Conclusion It’s impossible to stop your cat from swallowing some fur, but brushing their coat regularly with a soft brush can definitely help to reduce the amount they ingest. Aim for a once-a-day grooming session with longhaired breeds, or a weekly one for shorthaired cats.

If your cat is prone to coughing up hairballs, you could also consider an anti-hairball cat food. These kibble-based diets usually contain vitamins and minerals to improve the condition of your cat’s fur and reduce hair loss, plus they have plenty of fibre to help ‘sweep’ the excess fur through their digestive system. Adding a hairball lubricant to your cat’s diet can also help ease this process.When a cat is trying to bring up a hairball, they may start retching, gagging or acting like they are dry heaving and trying to vomit. Sometimes the sound they make is called a ‘cough-gag-retch’. This is because your cat can appear to be coughing from the lungs, gagging with their throat and retching from the stomach. Numerous hairballs in cats can also be a symptom that your cat is over-grooming. Cats tend to over-groom when they are stressed – a bit like us biting our fingernails – and thus will consume more hair, leading to more hairballs. If you think your cat may be stressed, take them to the vet.