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Hairballs (fur balls, trichobezoar- literally
"hair-stone") cause vomiting. Cats
swallow hair while grooming and this must come out
of one end or the other! If it accumulates and
doesn't pass through with food, it is regurgitated
in a sausage-shaped mass of compressed fur which
is either gray or stained by food colorings from
a recent meal ("red hairball syndrome".
Cats sometimes eat grass to trigger hairball
regurgitation. A hair ball too large to be
regurgitated or excreted causes intestinal
blockage. This is more common with cats fed on
dried food which lacks fiber. He develops a
swollen belly and either diarrhea or constipation
depending on where the hairball is stuck. A
laxative or fiber supplement may resolve the
problem, but sometimes surgery is needed. If he is
prone to hairballs, a higher fibre diet,
non-digestible fat/oil (liquid paraffin, petroleum
jelly) or mild laxative (Katalax or a hairball
paste) may be needed in future.
Hairballs which pass through your cat may
dangle from his anus because strands of fur in
stool are attached to fragments of stool still
inside the body. If these cannot be pulled free
with very gentle pressure, you can snip the
dangling stool free with scissors. This
occasionally occurs with longhaired cats.
Dental
Care
Older cats are susceptible to tartar build-up
and oral diseases such as gingivitis (inflamed
gums) and stomatitis (inflamed mouth lining). Some
illnesses cause mouth or tongue ulcers. Signs of
mouth problems include bad breath, drooling,
yellow-brown tartar build-up on the teeth, pawing
at the mouth (especially after eating) and poor
appetite. Severe gum disease causes painful red
and swollen gums, loose teeth and pus seeping from
tooth sockets. Bacteria from infected gums can get
into the bloodstream and cause other problems.
Cats do not tolerate mouth pain well and may stop
eating or grooming because the mouth is sore.
Try to check your cat's teeth and gums
regularly for signs of tartar or reddened gums and
ask for a dental check up at vaccination time.
Dental problems are more common in cats fed
exclusively on soft foods. Dried food, fed as part
of the cat's diet, has an abrasive action on teeth
and helps to keep them clean. There are also
specially formulated cat treats (e.g. Pounce
Tartar Control, Whiskas Dentabits) whose size,
shape, texture and chewy consistency help clean
the teeth as the cat bites into them. Australian
vets recommend feeding raw chicken wings for their
abrasive texture; claiming that the bone is not
hazardous if it has not been cooked. In the wild,
cats teeth are kept clean when biting into tough
muscle meat, bone and biting through skin or rind
of the prey. Some cats even chew on rough
materials (fabric, tough leaves) to remove trapped
particles in their teeth.
It is possible to slow down the loss of teeth
by regular check-ups and teeth-cleaning but your
cat's teeth may eventually wear out regardless of
diet. Some cats are genetically more prone to gum
disease (as an auto-immune condition). When the
teeth have gone, it may be hard for them to eat
dried cat food. They swallow it whole and may
suffer indigestion and vomiting. Most toothless
cats manage very well on softer foods and many
manage well on dried food with small biscuit size
or even develop hardened gums which allow them to
eat biscuit food.
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