Why Do Cats Cough Up Hairballs?

Hairballs are formed when your kitty is ingesting hair that is not passed through the intestinal tract.

Normally the hair would come out the other end, but sometimes start building up in the stomach.

Some reasons for the hair to build up in the stomach can be during shedding season, or just because your kitty has very thick, and or, long fur.

What happens is that as the ball of fur grows, it has to come out somewhere... Frequently it comes out as a cold squishy cigar shaped "thing", often deposited on your best rug!

Having a hairball can make your kitty feel a little under the weather. Decreased appetite, acting like they have a tummy ache... Close attention should be on your kitty ANYTIME she acts like she is not feeling OK. A cat that is not eating can develop a fatal liver condition within days.

Then when your kitty gets ready to dispel the ball of hair, she will gag and retch and sometimes cough as though she is trying to cough something up. (The coughing to dispel a hairball can mimic the symptoms of an asthma attack. If your kitty is coughing and not producing a hairball a vet visit is in order.)

Here's a video of a kitty dispelling a hairball. As you can see, she is not having a good time :( 

One of the  best ways to prevent hairballs is to comb and brush your cat frequently. It can be a nice time to bond with kitty and be able to check her out for any other problems. The furminator is a very popular tool to get rid of some of that hair.

Using a damp towel to gently damped the fur will allow for a much more productive combing session. A LOT more hair will be collected by you using a damp towel prior to the combing.

Did you know that the majority of a hairball consists of fat? Yes, that's true.

We can use that to our advantage and add some lecithin to the diet. Lecithin is a natural emulsifier that dissolves the fat.

Lecithin is also very beneficial to your kitty, and will help to produce a glossy healthy coat. Nature's Plus is a brand that carries egg based lecithin and is what we use. Soy based lecithin should be avoided.

Home Made Hairball Remedy

This, along with some brushing, will keep your cat virtually hairball free. Not only is this hairball remedy non-toxic it is also very effective. Besides using this remedy, allowing your cat to chew on fresh grass is also very helpful.

1. Add egg based lecithin (do not use soy based lecithin) to your kitty's food. 1/2 capsule 3 times per week. The amount of lecithin can be adjusted as needed.

The lecithin is readily accepted by most cats, infact we have never heard of one that balked having some in the food.

2. Give some Slippery Elm Bark 3 times per week. Boil 2 tbs of water. Add 3 capsules of Slippery Elm and let sit until it thickens. Add some tuna juice or mix a bit of kitty's favorite canned food in order to make it more appetizing. (Most cats do not have much objection to the slippery elm) Or, you can syringe the mix. Do not mix the lecithin with the Slippery Elm.

This remedy is non toxic and has no petroleum ingredients, unlike the commercial preps such as Laxatone.

Slippery Elm is a safe herb for cats with many uses. One such use is to help the hair "slide through the chute" Slippery Elm MAY interfere with absorption of medications, so do give the herb at least 30 minutes apart from any medication.