Can Hairballs Cause Blockage In Cats
Hair does not digest and instead leaves the body with other fecal matter.
Can hairballs cause blockage in cats. Many cases of feline constipation are caused by hairball blockages in the colon. In many cases the hairballs do not cause the cat serious harm but sometimes they cause blockages in your cats digestive system. If she makes more frequent trips to the litter box.
Larger hairballs can get stuck in the intestines causing a blockage This might be a case where it pays to keep an eye on your cats. A Widespread Source of Feline Woe Feline Asthma. The blockage can cause your cat to become dehydrated and malnourished.
Feline blockages also occur in the intestines because of hairballs. Coughing up or trying to do so is one of the cat hairball blockage symptoms that will show up when things are going wrong. If you Google intestinal blockage in cats youll get several reputable site hits petmd petsvetmd vpi insurance and the Merck Vet Manual which describe the symptoms and the effects of a foreign body obstruction.
Its not just splintered animal bones that can cause a blockageyou might also see problems if your cat has had issues with hairballs tumors hernias polyps and other medical issues. A lack of regular brushing on the part of the cat owner can also cause a cat to ingest too much hair when grooming herself which can lead to hairballs. How Can These Affect Your Cats Health.
From cooked animal bones that can splinter to small household objects many things can cause intestinal blockage in cats. While you might not need to worry about the occasional hairball there are some instances in which you should see your vet. However if the hair hardens and causes a blockage of the intestinal tract the condition can be fatal.
In some cases hairballs have trouble passing through a cats digestive system and cause blockages. Depending on the size of the hairballs cats can present with very minimal symptoms while others may show signs of intestinal obstruction. A cat can groom itself multiple times a day and with each grooming session it ends up ingesting some its own hair.