If your kitten gets hairballs, you are probably wondering what causes them and how to stop them from forming so you can help make your pet more comfortable (and save your carpets!).
The issue starts when your kitten grooms. The barbs on their tongue catch and remove dead hair, but your kitten ends up swallowing a lot of that hair in the process. Usually, a cat's stomach and intestines are built to process this hair, and it passes normally. But occasionally, a clump of hair may get “stuck” in the stomach, and cats have to vomit to bring it up. This is the aptly named hairball.
You might ask yourself, “What is making the hair get stuck instead of passing normally as it should?” Sometimes the answer is simple—your kitten is currently shedding a lot and therefore swallowing more hair than usual. But sometimes the answer is more complicated.
Possible underlying causes that can make your kitten swallow more hair than usual include:
- Allergies or other itchy conditions that cause excessive grooming
- Anxiety or stress
- Pain (your kitten may lick to try and soothe the pain)
- Diseases that slow your kitten’s ability to digest, like inflammatory bowel disease
So, if your kitten only coughs a hairball up occasionally, that can be normal. But if the hairballs are a regular occurrence, your veterinarian will want to look for a possible underlying cause.
If your kitten has only occasional hairballs, you can also help your furry friend by brushing them regularly to remove the dead hair. Your veterinarian might also recommend a supplement or a diet that has more fiber, which can help move the hair through the stomach and intestines regularly, saving your kitten from the discomfort of hairballs.
Always be sure to discuss your kitten’s hairballs and their frequency with your veterinarian.
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