Cat Training » hairballs

The Rise Of The Hairball – Cat Health Care Tips To Help

CatTraining — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:02:36 +0000

No cat owner wants to have to deal with hairballs, but they are a common problem with cats. They are caused by a build up of fur and lack of brushing. Cats end up swallowing furballs and this is where the problem starts. Once these lodge in the cat’s throat, choking can ensue. This is an unpleasant thing to have to stand by and watch.

Cat health care is all about looking after all aspects of your cat. Look out for a build up of fur. Great advice is to make sure grooming your cat forms a part of your daily routine. Grooming is great and it helps seal the bond between owner and pet. Make sure you do it gently so the animal becomes more relaxed and it will sit in your lap all day as you groom it!

Since some cats out there have very long and thick fur, it is important that you check with the vet if anything specific needs to be done to look after it. Anyone with a Persian cat will know how stunning it is to look at, but the long fur is more likely to make hairballs. You can’t stop the cat from licking itself, as they all do it, which is why hairballs are such a problem. Luckily, dogs don’t suffer with this hairball problem, as they don’t clean themselves by licking the fur. Cats have to lick their fur to keep clean which is why they end up with copious amounts of hair in their throats!

Once the hairball gets into the digestive system, the cat will start trying to cough it up. When the choking starts, the cat’s owner will get a bit nervous about how they are supposed to handle the situation. The cat must finish coughing up the hairball, so keep an eye on it. Look out for any worrying signs and just make sure the cat is okay after coughing the fur up. Luckily, there are some things available to help treat hairballs, so speak to the vet for more information.

Grooming Your Cat

CatTraining — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:02:27 +0000

No cat wants to be dirty, and it’s up to you to ensure that your cat stays clean. Grooming is very important, as it helps your cat remain clean and healthy. Grooming starts with brushing, as brushing helps to keep the cats hair from becoming hairballs. Brushing will remove loose hair, and help prevent the risk of hairballs.Many of the feline have problem dislodging hairballs.If the cat is unable take out the hairball, it might result into a serious blockage of intestine. Blockages are very serious, and can quickly become life threatening for your pet.

Cats that have long hair need to be brushed and combed on a daily basis, while cats with short hair need to be groomed on a weekly basis. When you brush your cat, you should always watch for lumps in the coat and skin irritations. You should start brushing along the cat’s back, going from his head to his tail. Do this a few times on one side, and then switch to the other.Each area of the cat hair should be brushed more than once in accordance with the direction of hair growth.

When you brush your cat, you should always avoid brushing his face and paws. If a cat doesn’t like to be brushed, you can still groom him using another tool.The grooming glove is an excellent alternative to the brush, as most cats don’t mind it at all. Starting out young is the key to grooming, as it will get your cat used to brushing and grooming. Some cats that have started grooming when they were kittens grow to love it, many of which often look forward to their grooming time.

When brushing your cat, make sure that you check his ears, eyes, teeth, and claws. His eyes should be bright and clear with nothing residing in the corners.The ears of the cat should be clean, with no sign of ear mites and the color of the ears should be pink. Ear mites result from dirt built up in a cat’s ears, and can result in the ears shriveling up and your cat losing his hearing. Ear mites are very annoying for the cat, and hard for you as an owner to get rid of. The best way to get rid of them – is to ensure that your cat’s ears stay clean and healthy.

Each time you groom your cat, you should always aim to go a bit further with your examinations. When your cat remains still, you should always praise him and give him a treat. If your cat doesn’t cooperate and starts to struggle, you shouldn’t fight with him, but instead let him go and try the next day. Once your cat gets used to grooming he will look forward to it each and every day.

Cat Hairballs

CatTraining — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 11:32:08 +0000

Every kitty lover certainly you probably are cognizant of a typical problem that affects felines: cat hairballs. But what do you know of a hairball’s signs, root causes, and cures?

Hairball Causes

A hairball is caused by the course exterior of a feline’s tongue extracting free hair while grooming themselves. This hair is then swallowed and drawn into the digestive tract. Usually, this hair would not be digested, but would get flushed when the cat uses the litter tray or goes outside. Naturally, kitties are hunters, and are capable to be capable to deal with ingesting fur, like from any poor mouse it catches. When hair hardens into a mass, the cat will likely end up with the messy experience of throwing it back up. In unfortunate cases however, this might not occur and it might become stuck inside your feline, unfortunately bringing about serious health concerns.

Hairball Health Problems

Cat hairballs are a hassle in their own right, but can also bring on several related issues, quickly growing dangerous if not expelled or treated in a prompt manner. Additionally the unsightly and unpleasant puking, of course, the unexpelled hair can induce intestinal distress and constipation. Your cat well could cease eating and start being lethargic as the hairball multiplies in size, while they are still unable to pass it. Their intestines can become swollen and this can undoubtedly create several harmful issues that you’d not like to have to worry about. This problem could even end up necessitating surgery to remove the hairball, which is a pretty big expense and risk to your feline, especially given the ease of preventing it in the first place. Left alone, it could end up in a mortal illness.

Hairball Removal

Cats naturally attempt to treat themselves by vomiting. They can do this by swallowing grass, which usually causes cats to throw up due to the grass fibers irritating their stomaches. Other ways to eliminate cat hairballs revolve around petroleum or mineral oil based products made to grease the intestinal tract in order to ease the natural elimination of the hairball. Products such as Tomlyn Laxatone or Petromalt for cats have been made to cure hairballs. They are a semi-solid glop that you give your cats before meals. This encourages the hairball through the digestive process and would also be helpful to relieve non-hairball related constipation in addition. They are obtainable in a cornucopia of flavors like tuna or catnip flavoring. One dose a day for two to three days, and your issue should be resolved.

Hairball Prevention

Preventing hairball recurrence is achieved by several varying means, some of them complementary. One is a half dose of Laxatone or Petromalt two to three times a week. Petromalt hairball remedy comes highly thought of by veterinarians and pet people alike. There exist also particular “hairball prevention” diet foods available. A large degree of hairball prevention is certainly correct grooming. Be sure to brush the short-haired felines but comb the long-haired felines regularly. They love it and it’s a fantastic method to spend time being sure your cat continues to be happy and healthy.