Cat Fur Ball Symptoms

Fur balls, also referred to as hairballs, develop in cats as a result of grooming. Cats swallow hair during the grooming process, and these individual hairs gradually accumulate in their stomachs, causing cats to vomit compacted lumps of hair. Cat owners can minimize the frequency of fur balls by grooming their pets regularly and administering an oral hairball treatment weekly, according to the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. Cat owners can also purchase commercial dry cat foods specially formulated to treat hairballs.

  1. Gagging/Vomiting

    • In an effort to cough up a fur ball, a cat may begin exhibiting characteristics associated with gagging, coughing or hacking. Cats that are trying to expel a hairball produce a choking sound in an effort to force a hairball out of the esophagus. Cats preparing to vomit a fur ball may stand up and hunch their bodies while contracting their stomachs.

    Decreased Appetite/Constipation

    • Cats that are getting ready to pass a fur ball may stop eating completely or eat less food than normal until the process is complete. The Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine recommends that cat owners seek veterinary attention if their cat discontinues eating for more than a day. Symptoms like loss of appetite and constipation that persist for several days could signal that a hairball has become impacted in a cat’s intestine and that the hairball is preventing normal digestive functionality.

    Feces Containing Hair

    • Cat owners may notice their cats excreting feces that contain cat hair. The majority of hair swallowed by a cat will travel through the cat’s digestion system and pass out of the cat’s body along with fecal matter. The presence of hair in a cat’s fecal matter indicates that the cat is swallowing hair while grooming.

    Hairball Specimen

    • A hairball specimen from a cat looks like a slender tube of hair. Cat fur balls normally measure approximately 1 inch in length, and fresh hairballs have a wet texture due to stomach digestive fluid and the cat’s saliva.