2944. A cat vomits more hairballs than usual

HOOK
In March 2016, a young lady consulted the vet as her cat had been vomiting hair balls more frequently.

Video clip of consultation


This is a Be Kind To Pets Veterinary Educational Video
sponsored by Queens Vets

A CAT VOMITS MORE HAIR BALLS THAN USUAL

CAUSES
The cat grooms excessively and ingested more hairs. Why does the cat groom excessively?
1.  Usually it is due to an environment that is not clean. The cat walks and lie down in this environment, getting contaminated with the dirt or floor cleaning chemicals.
The cat is naturally a clean creature. So he grooms his contaminated paws and body more times to get rid of the contaminants. He swallows the hairs, leading to more hair balls filling his intestines.

2.  The other cause is impacted and inflamed anal sacs. The anal sac oil accumulates and cause pain and discomfort. The cat licks the anal area more frequently to relieve himself of the pain, ingesting more hairs.

SOLUTION
1.  In this case, the cat lives with other cats and all share a common bathroom floor. There is no litter box used. The cats pee and poop on the toilet floor. The owner  may be very busy, being a working lady. She may have clean the floor with stronger detergents and may have forgotten to rinse the floor thoroughly. The owner is advised to keep the toilet floor well rinsed with water after disinfection. 

2.  This cat also has anal sac impaction and infection (video clip). Expressing the anal sacs remove the thick oil.


FOLLOW UP
No more complaint from the owner for the past two weeks.