Pet care cat hairball prevention might alarm the cat owner if it becomes serious enough. The hairball may become stuck in the throat and cause extreme discomfort until the hairball dislodges. Many cats encounter this problem due to excessive grooming. If the hair of the cat is long, it may become more serious than that of a shorthair cat.

Hairballs lodge in the intestines and cause blockage, therefore causing the inability to urinate or have a bowel movement. In this case, administering medications may be required. Pet care cat hairball treatments are sometimes very effective in reducing the blockage and eliminating the hairball problem. Hairballs are sometimes the result of an underlying health problem. If the problem does not clear up with medications, surgery is the other option.

One way to prevent hairballs is with daily brushing to remove loose hair. If your cat is accustomed to grooming by you, the cat will show affection when the job is completed. Regular grooming provides for a healthier and beautiful looking cat. A floor or wall mounted brush allows the cat to groom themselves as they brush up against the grooming brush. Unbelievably, cat's love these devices and will use them regularly throughout the day.

Cats have bouts of vomiting due to hairballs, digestive tract ailments and because of consuming food to fast. If a cat has hairballs, you need to use some form of relief to help loosen the obstruction. Eating grass is one way to clear the obstruction, or a medication from the vet may be required. Some veterinarian's may prescribe a additive to add the cat's water to help dissolve hairballs as a preventive measure.

If you use an herbal remedy with mineral oil, the vitamin A recommended levels would become lower requiring you to give the cat a vitamin A supplement. This happens because mineral oil depletes the vitamin A from the cat's diet. Pet care cat hairball prevention and treatments never really take care of the entire problem with hairballs, but it does make the hairball problem more manageable.

Some signs that the cat has a hairball problem are vomiting of hairballs, constipation or hard stools, unkempt fur and content hacking or coughing. The lack of appetite usually happens when the hairball problem becomes serious. If the problem is serious and causes weakness and depression, the cay may need immediate surgery to relieve the intestine of the blockage. In most cases, if a hairball problem becomes this severe, a possibility of death may result if proper medical treatment is not received.

One home remedy, and sometimes the cat will just do this themselves if you leave the butter dish open, is giving the cat a little butter a couple of times a week, which will lubricate the intestinal tract, helping to eliminate hairballs. Pet care cat hairball problems need correction as soon as the problem becomes noticeable, before it becomes more serious. Plan ahead if you have a longhaired cat as well as a shorthaired cat.

Copyright 2007 by Judy Wellsworth

You can also find more info on Cat Sneezing and Common Cat Health Issues. Aboutcathealth.org is a comprehensive resource to find more information about cat health.