The so-called hair ball is a long, soft thing spit out by a cat. The hair spit out is strip-shaped, yellowish brown, and about the thickness of a finger. That's actually the cat spitting out the hair it licked into its stomach. It is a normal physiological phenomenon for cats to vomit hair balls, especially long-haired cats, which have a greater chance of vomiting hair balls. As we all know, a cat’s tongue is covered with dense barbs. In addition to helping the cat lick food, it can also play a role in cleaning and grooming. As a result, cat hair inevitably enters the gastrointestinal tract. A large amount of body hair entering the gastrointestinal tract will accumulate over time and form hair balls in the gastrointestinal tract. It is difficult for these hair balls to be excreted through the digestive tract, and the pancreatic digestive enzymes in the cat's own body cannot completely decompose them. Therefore, the cat's natural way is to spit out the hair balls. If your cat doesn't vomit hair actively, don't be too troubled.

When a cat vomits a hair ball, it will curl up with its limbs and appear queasy. At this time, there will be a sound of vomiting. Most of the things spit out are strips, which may be accompanied by some feed and water. There will be some small particles on the hair ball. Bubbles. Such hair balls are normal, but if what you vomit is not a hair ball, you should pay special attention to it. You may be infected with other diseases!

If the cat cannot spit out the hair ball normally, it will lead to the so-called hair ball syndrome. A large number of hair balls can block the digestive tract and become large and hard in the intestines, which cannot be eliminated. The cat is depressed and has poor appetite. In severe cases, surgery may be required.

Some long-haired cats, such as Chinchillas and Persian cats, lick their fur very frequently when the weather is hot (it is said that cats lick their saliva on their coats, and the evaporation of the saliva can have a cooling effect), and the number of times they spit out hair will increase. Some cats even vomit hair every day. In this case, it is recommended to comb the cat's hair frequently. If possible, it is best to trim the cat's coat short. In addition, if the cat vomits too much, resulting in loss of appetite or poor mental state, it needs to take Jinshierkang or nutritional ointment orally.

So how can we prevent cats from licking a lot of body hair, or how can we help cats spit out hair balls smoothly?

Method 1: Diligently sort out

It is impossible to completely control your cat's licking of body hair, but if you comb your cat's hair every day, you can definitely reduce the amount of hair entering the body to a great extent. This method is characterized by hard work, but it is absolutely comfortable for the cat. And it can also enhance the relationship between you and your cat!

Method 2: Green grass

Cats eating some grass can promote the formation and discharge of hair balls. But some domestic cats will never go out more than once in their lives. Where can they find grass? They sometimes chew up flowers and trees at home to replace it. This may be a solution, but some flowers and trees contain toxins, which may cause harm to cats, such as lilies and daffodils (for details, please refer to Cat Cats Handbook in this philanthropic cat manual).Harmful Plants article). Therefore, you can go outside and pick cat grass, such as the most common foxtail grass. You can also go to the pet store to buy some cat grass to solve this problem, or you can find wheat or oat seeds and plant them at home. The characteristic of this method is that it kills two birds with one stone. The cat will no longer get sick and there will be a cluster of fresh greenery at home. .

Method 3: Change to hairball-free cat food

Professional hair ball removal cat food contains plant and crude fiber ingredients, which can effectively prevent hair balls from gathering in the digestive tract and help hair balls be excreted from the body. Especially long-haired cats during the shedding season will definitely have considerable hair balls. At this time, you can change their diet to hair-free cat food or add hair-free cat food to the cat food. When eating depilated cat food directly, pay attention to the method of changing the food and add it gradually. Don’t rush to get it right at once to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.