Hairballs can be a nightmare, not least for the pet owner, but also for the pet. An accumulation of fur occurs when the owner does not brush the cat frequently enough, and this is what causes the hairballs. As we all know, cat fur is very thick and if it doesn’t get groomed regularly then furballs accumulate which the cat can then end up swallowing. These tend to get stuck in the cat’s throat and they start choking. This is not a nice thing to witness and it can end up being quite risky.

If you want to know how to minimise the risk of hairballs, you need to make sure you know your cat health care. That means watching out for hairballs and matted fur accumulating. Great advice is to make sure grooming your cat forms a part of your daily routine. Grooming is great and it helps seal the bond between owner and pet. Just be sure to be gentle to make the cat as relaxed as possible.

Since some cats out there have very long and thick fur, it is important that you check with the vet if anything specific needs to be done to look after it. Take Persian cats as an example – they have beautiful long fur but if it ends up forming hairballs, this could be very risky for them. No-one can stop a cat from licking, which is why hairballs are a problem. People often ask how come dogs don’t have the same problem, but you may notice that dogs don’t lick their fur, thus hairballs aren’t an issue. Cats have to lick their fur to keep clean which is why they end up with copious amounts of hair in their throats!

Once the hairball gets into the cat’s throat, the immediate reaction is to cough it up. This is when you will hear choking sounds and it can make pet owners quite nervous when they hear this, as they don’t know how to deal with it. There’s not much you can do at this stage, and it’s a case of letting the cat cough the hairball up, but be sure to keep an eye on the cat. Look out for any worrying signs and just make sure the cat is okay after coughing the fur up. There are also plenty of treatments out there for help with preventing hairballs, so speak with a vet to get the best advice.