Q: How do I know if my cat has a hairball?
A: Cats with hairballs usually make retching and gagging noises before vomiting up small, cylindrical balls of hair.
In most cases, it is normal for cats to expel these hairballs once every week or two, seeing that they naturally groom themselves and hair does get trapped by their rough tongues and ingested.
Unfortunately, in some cases, frequent hairballs can become a concern if there is excessive shedding of the coat, or an itchy skin. This often leads to constipation or obstructions, as well as excessive vomiting and a poor appetite.
Hairballs can be prevented, or at least their frequency decreased, by grooming your cat on a regular basis and/or changing her food to a hairball-preventative diet, which contains added fibre, as well as ingredients to control shedding.
Dr Johan Jordaan, veterinarian
