Lick it: regular grooming helps cats that suffer from hairball problems
Mild tummy upsets in our cats are all too common.
Lick it: regular grooming helps cats that suffer from hairball problems
These unfortunate occurrences can be triggered by:
- Sudden changes in diet
- Over-eating
- Eating too quickly
- Food intolerances to something not usually ingested
The recommendation is to starve the affected cat for a short period and to offer a more bland diet for up to seven days before returning them to their normal food. Be careful because our cats should not be starved for more than 24 hours and kittens no longer than four hours.
Regular grooming controls hairballs
Hairballs are also common causes of digestive problems in our cats. Cats create these hairballs when they groom themselves and inadvertently swallow hair from their coats. This hair then accumulates in their tummies.
A way of reducing the frequency of hairballs in a cat is to have them groomed regularly. Grooming removes loose hairs. Our Otto & Alice Mobile Grooming Studio can be booked to visit your cat for a regular pampering session.
Another method is to use a specific hairball-care cat food and even a laxative designed for hairball treatment. It can help the hairballs pass through a cat’s digestive tract.
When to call a vet
It’s important to be vigilant when a cat has an upset stomach because there might be a more serious cause. Acute stomach upsets in cats can be triggered by intestinal obstructions, ingestion of toxic substances, a parasite, pancreatitis or some sort of infection.
A vet should be seen when a cat is drinking a lot, being lethargic, suffering pain, vomiting or showing signs of excessive diarrhoea.
One product for settling tummy upset in cats is Protexin Pro-Kolin Plus. It’s tasty and is packed with ingredients specially formulated to assist the gut’s healthy balance of bacteria. It also can improve the consistency of faeces as well as supporting a cat’s overall digestive tract health. It is a good idea to have a product like this nearby for any unexpected moments when your cat feels uncomfortable and unwell.
