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Cats spend a significant part of their lives cleaning and grooming -- as much as one third of their waking hours! While this natural instinct makes them ideal house pets, it can lead to uncomfortable side effects. The problem begins during the cleaning process when cats often swallow their own hair.
The cats' tongue is the culprit. It has tiny, barb-like projections on its surface. These projections pull loose hair from the coat during the ritual wash-down. Because of the inward angle of these barbs, the hair remains lodged on the tongue surface until the cat swallows it. Since hair is largely insoluble protein, it is not digested. This undigested hair begins to knot in the stomach and accumulates in the gastrointestinal tract, interfering with digestion and elimination.
Symptoms of this condition include constipation, lethargy, dry cough and spitting up. It is also the most frequent cause of depression and loss of appetite in cats. The most dramatic and obvious symptom is the regurgitated "hairball". While for you the cleanup is an inconvenience, for your cat "hairballs" are a symptom of a potential health problem.
To help your feline friend, brush his coat daily to remove loose hair. Another step to prevent the problem altogether is to give your cat a "hairball" remedy, such as Petromalt. Petromalt has been recommended by veterinarians for decades. It contains a gentle, non-irritating and effective intestinal lubricant that aids in the elimination of swallowed hair. Petromalt is also rich in diastase, an enzyme that aids in digestion. Often, home remedies do not contain this enzyme and, thus, do not offer its benefit for your pet.
Another approach to solving the hairball problem is one of the new, hairball control cat foods. These rations are formulated with added vegetable fiber. The fiber aids in clearing the digestive tract and thus eliminates the problem.
Information provided by St. Jon Pet Care Products |
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