The Cat Behavior Answer Book - Arden Moore [65]
Q My longhaired cat, Pretty Kitty, seems to groom her beautiful silver coat all the time. She is an indoor-only cat nearing her fifth birthday. At least once or twice a week, I can count on finding a hairball coughed up on the carpet. She never seems to pick floors that are easy to clean, like the tile in the kitchen. She gets regular checkups, and my veterinarian has not found any health problems. So why the hairballs?
A Unfortunately, hairballs can be a constant nagging issue for longhaired cats and many shedding short-haired ones as well. Cats normally swallow hair when they groom. The tiny barbs on their tongue act like a hairbrush, grabbing loose hair. Most of the time, this swallowed hair passes through the digestive system without incident.
However, when cats have a lot of hair to begin with or are shedding, swallowed hair accumulates in the stomach where it can irritate the stomach lining and interfere with digestion. Once the hairball reaches a certain size, the cat vomits to expel a messy wad of hair, digested food, saliva, and gastric secretions — the ingredients of your typical feline hairball. Yuck!
I urge you to consult with your veterinarian again if the number of hairball incidents increases or if your cat appears to be in discomfort when she vomits. A radiograph may be necessary to determine if a hairball is stuck in her stomach. In some cases, impacted hairballs must be surgically removed.
Even though Pretty Kitty is quite a fastidious groomer, you can help reduce the hairball incidents by brushing and combing her daily. Grooming also aids in spotting any skin or coat problems such as lumps, bumps, and fleas, removes dead skin, and minimizes matting. Your clothing and furniture will benefit, too, because there will be less flyaway cat hair circulating in your house. You can also treat her to an appointment at a pet-grooming salon on a regular basis.
FELINE FACT
Hairball is such a yucky word. The scientific name for that hacked-up mess is “trichobezoar.”
Another way to combat hairballs is to feed your cat a petroleum-based lubricant, available from your veterinarian or at most pet supply stores. Some cats tolerate straight Vaseline, but many don’t like the taste. Whichever brand you use, dab a bit on your cat’s nose or paw. She will automatically lick that area and ingest the lubricant. Most of these are flavored to encourage cats to view them as a treat. Do not use butter or vegetable oil as they are high in calories and not absorbed efficiently by cats. Virgin olive oil can be used sparingly.
Why the carpet and not the tile floor? That remains one of the feline mysteries in life. My home is mostly laminate and tile, but whenever my cats have upset tummies, they too leave the evidence on the only carpeted area of my house — my bedroom and upstairs hallway.
Amber Overgrooms Herself
AMBER, AN 11-YEAR-OLD SPAYED DOMESTIC SHORTHAIR, had lived with Sylvia since the age of eight weeks. This indoor-only cat always sported a clean, shiny, well-groomed coat. Although she dashed out of view any time the doorbell rang, Amber enjoyed hanging around Sylvia’s boyfriend when he visited.
About a year ago, Amber’s feline housemate, Pookie, became very sick and had to be euthanized. Sylvia told me that Amber watched her put Pookie in the carrier and leave the house and return home without Pookie. After her companion’s death, Amber started to excessively lick her abdomen and hind legs. She also began to lose weight, even though Sylvia did not make any changes in her diet.
Working with her veterinarian, Sylvia ruled out any medical conditions and possible allergic reactions to parasites, food, dust, pollen, or mold. I informed Sylvia that Amber was suffering from what is known as psychogenic alopecia. Cats normally groom as a displacement behavior when momentarily stressed, but in some cases, the frequency and duration of the sessions last longer than is considered functional. When exacerbated by stress, grooming can become repetitive and excessive, sometimes resulting in bald patches and self-chewing bite